Rick Astley
Rick Astley
Richard Paul Astleyis an English singer, songwriter, musician, and radio personality. His 1987 song, "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a No. 1 hit single in 25 countries. By the time of his retirement in 1993, Astley had sold approximately 40 million records worldwide...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionPop Singer
Date of Birth6 February 1966
tea may sugar
Working as a teaboy may have helped my confidence, but not everyone else was so pleased. I could never remember who had milk or how many sugars, and I had an unusual talent for spilling tea on the recording console.
play rocks band
I started out as a drummer, and now play with a back-to-basics rock band called the Luddites. Im happiest when Im behind the kit.
couple nice thinking
I was just burnt out. I didn't like the music business and I didn't like me. There's an element of falseness about the whole thing. Even things like doing an interview. It's not as though we just met in the pub and are having a chat - it's part of a process. If you do it all day, every day for years, you end up thinking: 'Who the hell am I?' I was lucky enough to make some money, enough to let me kick back. It was a great experience and it was nice to have a couple of No.1s but the best thing about it was that the money I made allowed me to have freedom and choice in my life.
age eating pleasure
I do have a thing for eating out; that's one of life's great middle-age pleasures.
sports song stars
You can't explain the feeling of singing hit songs to an audience - it's like being a genuine sports star at the peak of their powers.
thinking eight squares
Fame is not just about being able to get out of a limo in Leicester Square, it's about trying to get into your house when there are eight photographers outside. When you think about being famous, you don't think about all that stuff. You think about the glamour.
boys people before-and-after
I had my 15 minutes of being the new boy of pop, like lots of people before and after me. Overnight, everyone starts treating you differently, and perceives you differently.
hard-work careers looks
Dont expect fame to come overnight. That filtered through to me in my own career. Look at Madonna: shes not the best singer in the world, but shes got where she has through hard work.
real lap toilets
I must admit, the constant invasion of privacy was becoming a real concern. Ive been asked for autographs while Ive been doing laps in the pool and even in the toilet!
hungry-for-success made load
I'd had my time in the charts and made loads of money. I was no longer hungry for success.
school band school-days
Id been bumming around in bands since my school days.