The Voice Triumphs (Sunday People)

First published in New Sunday Times
28th December 2008

The Voice triumphs
MAX KOH


There’s nothing simple about Russell Watson’s rise to fame. Undaunted by his battles with two devastating illnesses, the English tenor shares his story with MAX KOH



HEARING Russell Watson’s story, one may easily surmise it as a typical rags-to-riches tale. The English tenor whose nickname is “The Voice”, was a humble factory worker in Salford who beat 400 contenders to win a local radio talent competition.

He then pursued his dream of becoming a singer but not before toiling as a musical apprentice at the local working men’s clubs for years.

His big break came when he was invited to sing at Old Trafford before the 1999 Manchester United’s Premiership winning match. He received a standing ovation for his performance of the World Cup theme, Nessum Dorma.

His prestigious audience included the President of United States, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the Yang DiPertuan Negara and the late Pope John Paul II.

At 42, Watson could not be more thankful for his life now. In 2003, he faced a career-threatening situation when doctor found a growth in his vocal chord.

He was lucky to recover with his voice intact but a few years later he was faced with a new threat. In 2006, Watson was diagnosed with tumour the size of two golf balls in his brain.

The next three years was a battle: “Battling with cancer for the past three years has been tough but it was a real awakening. It certainly made me appreciate life even more. It changed my priorities and made me appreciate relationships, friends and most importantly, my two daughters.”

While Watson successfully underwent a surgery to remove the growth, he could barely walk and the tumour affected his pituitary glands which controlled hormone levels. His mood swings went from ecstatic to suicidal.

However, he eventually recovered and released his fifth album, That’s Life, in March 2007.

“It was a very emotional time for me. When I listen to the title track, I can hear the meaning of the words. It certainly changed the way I sang the songs.”

However, disaster struck again. The cancer returned when he was recording his sixth studio album, Outside In in late 2007. An MRI scan showed that a regrowth of his brain tumour was bleeding into his brain.

Again, Watson recovered after another life-threatening operation.

He was recently in Kuala Lumpur after the release of his latest album, People Get Ready (Universal Music Malaysia), which sees him tackling Motown classics such as Me And Mrs Jones, Papa Was A Rolling Stone, Soul Man and House Of The Rising Sun.

“The previous two albums saw me spending half of the time in the hospital bed while recording. With this album, I am looking at a new chapter in my life and moving on from the turbulent years.

“There are two distinct sounds you can hear in the album. One is a slick sound with strings section which was recorded in Capitol Studios, Los Angeles. The other, which is a little more ‘roguish’, was recorded in London with the same backing band as Amy Winehouse’s. It sure is a nice contrast of both the angry and soulful man in the new album.”

The different musical styles do not elude his fans as he is known to sing from Italian arias to Irish folk tunes to rock numbers.

“It is not really a departure, although, perhaps it is time for me release a classical album.”

As a performer, Watson believes that the cancer has changed his perspective: “I definitely have a more matured performance now. You can really relate to the story and it reflects the life you have lived. Singing is, after all, more than just perfecting the techniques. It’s about how to channel your soul into it.”