ALED JONES, former boy soprano, talks concentration, perspiration and being big in Japan . . . and Dublin
At this time of year, do you dread walking into a shopping centre?Oh yes . We're Walking In The Airalways comes on. When I was a kid it made me feel very self-conscious. There's no getting away from it, it's a Christmas fixture. But I don't mind. If I did, I'd be rocking gently on a funny farm somewhere.
How do you spend the rest of the year?I have this image of you, Noddy Holder and Shane MacGowan sitting on deckchairs swilling margaritas. That sounds fantastic. I know people associate me with Christmas, but I work for a living. I present lots of shows in the UK: Radio 2, Radio 3, Radio Wales, Cash in the Attic, Escape to the Country, Songs of Praise.
As a choirboy with a high-pitched voice and Milky Bar kid looks, just how badly bullied were you in school?Some kids were jealous. But I found out who my real friends were. I was just a regular comprehensive school kid who happened to sing in fantastic venues at the weekend.
Didn't you once forget your lines in front of Queen Elizabeth?Oh God, yes. Talk about a lapse in concentration. I was singing Memories by Andrew Lloyd Webber – of all songs to fluff your lines on. I carried on singing, making up the words as I went. I met the queen afterwards and she hadn't noticed. The next day, the papers said my voice was breaking and that I was finished as a boy soprano. But I continued singing for another four years.
Considering your success, did you dread the day your voice eventually broke?By the time it happened I was really looking forward to it. Because, by then, I was far more interested in football and girls. No, there wasn't a terrible moment when I was suddenly singing high and low. Sorry!
We all know you've enjoyed success as a child and an adult. But in between, you were also a superstar in Japan?That was one of those happy accidents. I was adamant, as a kid, that I wanted to go to college, that I wanted to learn a craft. So I enrolled in the Royal Academy of Music. But just before I went to uni, they released all of my albums in Japan and lots of them went to number one. It was pretty amazing.
You're in Dublin now doing 'White Christmas'. You're playing the Bing Crosby part, I presume?Yes, I do the Bing Crosby singing role. Adam Cooper does the Danny Kaye dancing role. He does some singing too. It's a musical I did for the first time a few years ago and I love it. It's a huge production. There are 19 musicians in the pit. There's a cast of 35, more than 100 crew, fantastic songs and even a snowfall in the auditorium.
You mentioned the West End. Isn't your daughter appearing in 'Shrek' at the Theatre Royal?You read that in the Daily Mail, didn't you? I was completely tricked into doing that article. The interview was supposed to be about my album. The comments I made about my daughter were off the record. She's only nine years old and I'm not promoting her. I just want her to enjoy herself and have a good time.
All the same, your daughter is conquering the West End and you're playing some two-bit theatre in Dublin. It's a cruel business, isn't it?Oh come on, the Grand Canal is a fantastic venue and this is fantastic show. It's such a demanding role. I have 17 costume changes. By the end of the first quarter of an hour, I'm a giant ball of sweat.
They should put it on the poster. "Aled Jones is a Giant Ball of Sweat."Ha, maybe they should.
White Christmas, The Musical is at the Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin, December 1st to 17th
