Contributed By: Josh DaNewYork
Created On: Friday, 26 January 2007
Hits: 69
 My First Love Though still relatively young, Nicky Spence has already enjoyed a formidable career. Not only was he the youngest singer to attend the reputable Guildford School of Music and Drama, but he has sung at Wembley, toured with Katherine Jenkins and Shirley Bassey, performs regularly at the Royal Albert Hall – and even had a piece of music composed for him by the renowned John Rutter. Not bad for someone who recently celebrated their 23rd birthday.
Nicky’s mixture of extraordinary talent and honest, grounded character, have taken him to some amazing places. He has toured extensively with Katherine Jenkins and Shirley Bassey, duetted with Bryn Terfel, performed regularly at the Royal Albert Hall and he has even had a piece composed for him by renowned classical composer John Rutter, not to mention singing alongside Placido Domingo at this year’s Classical Brit Awards.
But life has not always been a bed of roses for Nicky. His parents split up when he was younger, and Nicky had to grow up unusually quickly: “Actually we pretty much ended up fending for ourselves for a wee while,” says Nicky, “Me and my sister Katie were making fish fingers one day and her cardy caught fire. You shouldn’t have to deal with that when you’re so young but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I love every aspect of my family now and we’re all extremely close.”
Moving back to the Borders, music was an important part of the Spence household:
\r\n “I was always exposed to an eclectic mix of music, as we jigged about the living room to the Mamas & Papas or sang The Beatles and folk songs with a box of Maltesers on a Sunday evening. I was blessed that Scotland nurtured my passion for performing and my voice dictated me towards opera although it was a shock to both me and my family!”
Scottish Youth Theatre, National Youth Music Theatre, and then finally the Guildhall School of Music followed, where it became apparent that Nicky was a singer streets ahead of the pack. “My head of department still tells me now that he was a little overwhelmed by my enthusiasm. I was certainly a raw talent.” The Scot became the youngest ever singer to win a variety of awards, including the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Young Singers Award.
But although Nicky was clearly enormously talented, he was also a good size - 23 stone. Working as the ‘tattie boy’ (peeling potatoes for chips) in his local fish and chip shop when he was younger had left its mark. His singing teacher told him in no uncertain terms that he could do even better if he was in shape. So, with characteristic determination, he joined the Slimming World programme, and promptly lost 8 stone!
And in the course of so many events, Nicky has also found Christianity to be a crucial part of a hectic life. “Discovering my Christian faith was very important to me on my move to London. Having to leave home so young, it was humbling and refreshing to find something more important than everything else in my life. I’m very blessed to have a gift, which makes folk so happy.”
My First Love, Nicky’s first album with UCJ, is the work of a special new singing sensation who is already well on his way to the top. His major label debut album has been recorded with the very best talent that the UK has to offer including: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, renowned producer/arranger Chris Hazell (Pavarotti, Bryn Terfel, Renée Fleming, Aled Jones), and a duet with Lesley Garrett. And with the songs on this record representing where he comes from as much as his enormous talent at interpreting classical repertoire, Nicky Spence is a legend in the making.
Herculean meanders menacingly around like the more obtuse moments of Blur's 13 album while Danger Mouse adds his usual stunningly inventive production over the track. There's no hooks to speak of - in fact it could be the least commercial thing that Albarn's been involved in. Yet it's rather magnificent and more evidence that Albarn's one of the most talented people in music today. Be quick if you want to buy it though - it'll be released and deleted on the same day.
The group is an odd mix, to say the least -- Clash bassist Paul Simonon, Verve guitarist Simon Tong and Africa 70 drummer Tony Allen, plus the production of Danger Mouse. But the eclectic elements combine for dark, muted balladry a la Syd Barrett or the Beatles' White Album, with a touch of dub. Fantastic tunes like "Kingdom of Doom," "Nature Springs" and the doo-wop pastiche "80's Life" set the tone for the album's strange beauty, but it peaks with the cinematic strings and megaphone-vocal melancholy of "Herculean."{mos_ri}
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