Michael Ball Talks To First

Most famously a dynamic star of the West End and Broadway, Michael Ball is also a talented TV and Radio presenter and multi-platinum recording artist. Is there no end to this man’s talents? His new album ‘ONE VOICE’ out on 30th October 2006, is a follow up to last years ultra successful album ‘MUSIC’ which sold over 220,000 copies. On ONE VOICE, Michael breaths his unique breed of charisma into some of his favourite pop and rock songs, some of which might take you by surprise. By Liz Frost

Did you always want to be a singer

It’s not that I always wanted to be, I think I always was. I just wanted to make a living out of it. Growing up my family used to say I had a nice voice and were really encouraging. I don’t think it’s until you’re with people who are going to be honest, probably not until you’re in front of an audience that pays, they’ve come to see a production - and it works. They say, ‘He was up there and he was alright’. I think that was probably when I thought ‘Oh, I can do that’

The first job I got was a musical, Godspell. It was the best entrance you could ever hope for. There are all these philosophers, a cocophony of noise a horn sound and I’m behind these huge doors. I was playing John the Baptist and Judas. The doors swing open and a spotlight hits. I thought Ah, lovely. I understood then the power of music. You can move an audience, you can talk to an audience you can capture and audience far more with music than with anything else. I just loved it from that moment.

What’s the favourite part you’ve played

That’s a difficult question. I’m really lucky, I think early on you do any part you can. You just want to work. It’s really hard. I’ve just come back from New York frojm doing Woman in White, and doing Patience a Gilbert and Sullivan musical at New York City opera two great parts. Two different character parts. I’ve either been the young romantic lead or the old romantic lead

Do your roles change as you get older

I can’t play Marius from Les Mis anymore because he’s 20! The parts get better as you get older, there’s no question. Although I was always really lucky, when I started it was the birth of the British musicals and we ruled the art form. To go from Les Mis Phantom to Aspects of Love. These were really meaty dramatic roles, they required the acting part of my armery as much as just being able to sing. The first time I did proper musical comedy was chitty chitty bang bang. Which was extraordinary, what a joy to be doing big dances.

Was it difficult to dance

Really difficult! I’m not trained., I was really scared about it! The choreographer had to work really hard with me at it. The old bamboo is one of the most complex dance routines ever! The chorus all go off and I’ve got to stay on and do the next scene purple in the face!

Is there a part you want to play and haven’t yet

There’s only one. Sweeny Todd. They’ve just revised it here and on Broadway and I’ve worked with Stephen quite a lot, but I’ve never actually sat and watched the show. It’s briliant, I’d love to do that. Just having been revised and restaged I couldn’t do it right now, but at some point in the future, there’s no question I want to do that.

Do you prefer Musicals or Solo

I like doing all of it actually. Musicals are a slog, they’re thrilling when you come up to opening night and being part of the company, being in a threatre, making a little nest in your dressing room, things like that. But nine months in you have no life. You have a Sunday off and you literally collapse, you don’t talk because you have to get your voice back on track then you’re back again on the Monday to do it all again. Everything is geared towards making sure you’re fit and well and able to do the performance. All of us like to let our hair down occasionally and go out for dinner where you sit around dinner and you can’t do that. Doing solo tours, I love doing that, but the pressure is enormous because it is only you. You’re on stage for 2 hours non stop, then you’re on the coach and at the next venue. It’s for a month or six weeks so there’s a different feel to it. It’s lonely. If I’m performing in London, I’m home every night and surrounded by my family and familiar things, on the road you’re not. Doing broadway I was away for 8 months last year. It’s really lonely. You can’t expect everyone to up sticks and come with you. We all have responsibilities. Everybody’s happy that you’re following your dream, but it’s not theirs. Especially when you’re doing a musical, you’re not going out and playing. You find yourself coming home knackered sitting in your apartment and it’s somebody elses anyway sticking on the telly and thinking ‘is that all there is?’ To do that night after night, it’s depressing. But then you walk out of your door and you’re suddenly on Broadway. You need people to share it with to make it real.

What made you choose the songs on your new album

That’s a really good question. I don’t know! They’re all songs I love and I thought I could do that make it an entire good album. It’s all very well saying I like that song or that song, but they all have to go together. I’m an actor as much as a singer, so I’m an interpreter of other people’s music, and I find songs and the lyrics that work for me that I can give those feelings to the listener. To move them or make them smile. They’re songs from the pop and rock genre from the 70s right up to the present day that I thought would work. You get criticism because I cover a lot of songs, hopefully I’m in a position where it’s alright to do that.

Did you ever think about bringing out an album of your own songs

In previous albums I’ve included songs that I’ve written or co-written, but I’m not a singer songwriter and I’ve been bless to work with some of the greatest songwriters. I’ve never believed in putting fillers on an album, I want every song to be really special. Also I want to surprise people. The last album was along the same vein. People weren’t expecting me to record Queen or David Bowie and on this one for me to do Aerosmith and Rainbow. They’re great songs. There’s no law saying I’m not allowed to do that.

They’re great live too. I think it’s good to have songs that you can take on the stage.

This is a nerve wracking time actually, because I made that album months ago and I don’t know what the reaction is going to be whereas live it’s immediate. You get the reaction straight away.

Were any of the songs a challenge

All of them were actually. Everybody Hurts was a big challenge actually, because it’s been done definitively by REM. It was important for me to sing because it’s a song I so identified with and you want to pay honour to it basically. From a technical point of view. The most difficult was Daniel Beddingfield ‘If youy’re not the one’ He’s got a beautiful falsetto voice and that’s not where my voice comes to be. I hope it’s an attractive enough sound and I can get away with it. You can’t belt it out, it would destroy the atmosphere of the song. That song is a classic. It’s a beautifylly crafted pop song, it will be around forever

Do you have a favourite

‘Since you’ve been gone.’ I love the twist we put on with putting the strings at the beginning. A real Wayne’s World moment. And I love ‘One Voice’. It’s such a great great song, it always has appealed to me. I’m a Barry Manilow fan. I’ve never know an artist to engender such vitriol from the press. He’s given such a hard time by a lot of the media. He’s one of the biggest selling talented, recording artists the world’s ever seen. People accuse him of being cheesy and all the rest of it.

I remember Abba when they were the most unfashionable naffest thing going. I had an argument with Jonathan Ross about it. He was going on about Punk, which I hated. I was 13 14 15 and I loathed Punk because it wasn’t musical. I wore a razor blade, that was it. That was my gesture. I said to him ‘People don’t listen to it now’ and he said ‘I do’. I said ‘I bet you like Abba’ and he said ‘of course I do’. It’s great music, it’s crafted, it’s musical.

If I like something, bang on I like it. I’m not going to pretend to be fashionable for the sake of it. Scissor Sisters new song will be played forever.

What else do you like

I always liked stuff that has lasted. I listened to lots of old stuff, way before my time like Sinatra, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday. Artists of that genre. I loved the Eagles, Genesis, Kate Bush, this is sort of growing up. Now I really do listen to everything, classical, pop, rock.

Anything we wouldn’t expect you to like

You wouldn’t expect me to like Velvet Underground. It’s terrific. Genius, Absolute Genius. You can’t really explain what draws you and what attracts you. Something happens between the audience and the artist and you think ‘you’ve got me’

Are you and Jonathan Ross quite good mates

We’ve hung out a few times and I think he was surprised at me. My ability to enjoy myself. I think what Jonathan likes is someone who gives as good as they get. I really admire him, he’s great.

You recently presented This Morning. How did that come about

What happened was, Gloria was taking over for a week and she wanted a guest presenters every day. This was the year before. I went on and did one with her, she also had Cliff and other people on with her doing it. They were kind of celebs. I said no I wanted to do it properly, I want to be Phil for the day. They liked what I did and they asked me to come back and do a whole week.

Did it make you think about having your own show

I didn’t think that, I just thought this is something I’ve never done. I love talking. It was interesting. Not just the showbiz. To me, to meet a girl who’s self harming, to talk to people who’s real lives have been extraordinary. I thought I’d be like a rabbit in the headlights, but I was fine. I just thought, Imagine it’s my front room and I’m talking to someone sat over there.

What’s next in the pipeline

I have got something I’ve never done before. I’m going to be a radio DJ. Johnny Walker who has this show on Radio two between 5 and 7 on Sundays. He’s taking a break and I’m standing in for him between now and Christmas. Typical of me, I’m going to do the whole thing, see how I get on with that. Then we’re out on the road doing Kismet.