Any Dream Will Do for Bournemouth!

Chloe Oliver talks to singer Lee Mead ahead of his upcoming Love Tour, which starts at The Bournemouth Pavilion on February 11th. The singer, who catapulted to fame in 2007 by winning the role of Joseph in the West End, shows he has come a long way since his technicolour dreamcoat days. Starring in productions such as Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, Wicked and Legally Blonde, Lee is much more than a pretty face. After touring Japan in December, Lee is back in the UK and ready to seduce his audiences with his new album Love Songs.

Your new album is out on February 13th. What is your favourite track?

My favourite track will probably have to be The Garden, which is a song written by Gary Barlow. I went to see Take That on tour and they sang it. It was about seventh in their live set and the second I heard it I thought “wow, that’s a beautiful song.” I think we’ve done a great version of the track as well.

Will there be any music videos to accompany the album?

Yeah, we’ve finished filming a couple of short videos for two tracks a few weeks ago: Anthem and Falling Slowly. The latter won an Oscar and is a beautiful song from the film Once.

You’re coming to Bournemouth Pavilion on February 11th. What can people expect?

A great night out, really. I like to go on tour and it’s going to be me singing all of the songs from my new album, along with a couple of musical theatre numbers. There’ll be a few stories and some banter as well. Every show is different – it is very dependent on the audience as I like to have a chat with the crowd. It’s just going to be a fun night so hopefully there will be a good turnout.

INSPR is all about creative inspiration and talent. Who are your inspirations?

Nobody in particular, but anyone that goes out to chase their dreams, who works very hard and has a passion for what they do. I saw The Iron Lady last night, the new film about Margaret Thatcher, and you don’t have to be a Tory to appreciate how hard she worked. It’s a fascinating film and you can’t help but admire her as she was the only woman in politics at the time and was going up for Prime Minister. I guess just anybody that has that passion and believes in their dreams.

You were thrown into the spotlight by winning the BBC’s Any Dream Will Do. Do you keep in contact with any of the other Josephs?

I do occasionally, yes. I think there is this perception that we were all going to be close buddies for years to come, but actually it’s a competition. We got on, but that doesn’t mean we were all going to stay friends for life. There’s a few of the guys that I’m still in touch with – Daniel Boys is a good friend of mine and we’re very close, and I speak to Keith Jack (the runner-up) quite often as well. I occasionally see a guy called Craig and bump into Ben sometimes, but they are all doing really well. That’s the great thing about the programme because it helps us go on to do more things.

You toured Japan in December. Did you have any funny experiences?

Yeah, there were quite a few! I was staying in a Tokyo hotel and after getting back late after the show one night there was this Japanese lady giggling to herself at this mini, wobbling Santa Claus in the hotel foyer which was singing “Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!” The woman was a little bit tipsy which made the situation even funnier. She couldn’t speak a word of English and I couldn’t speak much Japanese but, for no reason, we both started giggling and then she got her camera out and we had a picture with this Santa, so that was quite a funny moment. Also, there was this guy taking our tickets on the bullet train – which is so fast, they run about 300 miles an hour across Japan. What I found funny was that the guy taking the tickets would get to the end of the carriage, smile, and then bow as a sign of respect! I mean, you’d never see that in the UK! Just lots of moments like that really, and trying random seafood that I’d never had before. I’m hoping to go back in September or October. The first tour was a big success because we did 12 concerts and they all sold out, so we’re looking to tour the album in Hong Kong and Singapore this year.

You filmed some vlogs (video blogs) in Japan. Did you enjoy making them?

I had a right laugh, yeah. I really enjoyed making them. I didn’t think anyone would see them but we’ve had over 20,000 hits and it’s quite funny! I just tried to give an honest take on how the tour went backstage and hopefully that came across. It was very funny.

Student jobs are renowned for being poorly paid. What was your worst job?

I’ve done many, many poor jobs. I’ve got quite a list, are you ready? I’ve worked at Subway at 3am in Southend High Street where everyone from the nightclubs would come out, queue and dribble on the counter. I’ve worked at KFC, when I was about 16, to pay for college. I’ve worked in bars, I’ve done furniture removal, I’ve been a paper boy when I was a lot younger and a milk boy when I was 14. I’ve done a lot, but they are all great things if you’re an actor – it’s perfect because you’re honing in on life experiences.

You were recently in Casualty. Are there any other TV/film roles you’d love to do?

Many, many roles! It was my first TV role last year so my plan is, going forward, to do more but it just all depends on what’s being cast and if I’m right for those roles. So, hopefully, there’ll be a lot more to come.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years time?

Hopefully, I’ll be enjoying my daughter’s life and the things she’ll be doing.

Any Oscar nominations?

Yeah, that’d be nice! But I just hope I’m still doing what I love, really.

One final question: is there one question you’d wish someone would ask you?

Yeah. I wish someone would ask me to ask them a question, so can I ask you a question…?

The last question just epitomising what a lovely, self-effacing star Lee Mead is.

Tickets for Lee’s concert at The Pavilion on February 11th start from £16.50. Available to buy from www.BHLivetickets.co.uk.

By Chloe Oliver. Edited by Georgia Scarr.

Editor-in-Chief Thomas Rowley