Nicola Lisle talks to the ‘People’s Tenor’ Russell Watson ahead of a show in next week in Oxford

Russell Watson’s life — from Salford factory boy to best-selling classical artist who has sung for the Queen and the Pope, not to mention battling through two brain tumours — is an extraordinary one.

So extraordinary, in fact, that Les Misérables writers Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil have composed new material based on the ups and downs of his life — the first time they have ever written specifically for a particular singer. The result is his seventh Top 20 album, Only One Man, which was released by Sony last November and is the basis for his new stage show, currently touring the UK.

So what made Schönberg and Boublil break the habit of a lifetime and agree to write for Russell?

“I was in contact with Claude-Michel, and I was invited round to his home in London and we spent a couple of hours talking,” Russell explains. “We immediately got along like kindred spirits and he liked my story. “He was asking lots of questions about my life, how I viewed life, what I’d been through, and he liked the diversity of my life. I guess that’s why he chose me!”

He laughs, and in typical Russell style, puts on a silly voice: “And I chose him!”

Back in serious mode, he adds: “Working with somebody who has written the world’s most successful musical of all time is quite something, because when you’re watching a master at work you can learn so much. “I talk a lot and always have done, but there are times in life when you have to listen and learn, and with him, that was one of those times. “It was a very different way of working, and he has a very interesting way of getting the most from the people around him. A great character.”

The album is Russell’s most personal to date, with intensely emotional songs that turn the spotlight on important moments of his life and set new challenges for him vocally. It is quite different from the classical crossover repertoire that has largely defined his work so far, but it was exactly what he needed at a time when he felt his career was stagnating, and he is pleased with the way it’s turned out. “More than anything, this was a record that I wanted to make. I wanted to work with Claude-Michel and I wanted to record music that he’d written. I knew it wasn’t going to be the most commercially viable. The people who buy my records, they like the classical crossover, but this was a record that I very much enjoyed making.”

The actual recording was a lot more rushed that Russell is used to. “It was quite pressurised because we had a short window of time to make the record.

“It’s not the ideal way to make a record; I think the environment should be a bit more relaxed. But the experience was different, and it was incredibly enjoyable working with Claude-Michel.”

The format of Russell’s new show is also a little different from what the fans are used to, but it will include plenty of old favourites alongside the new material.

“It’s like a journey from the start of my career to where I am now. So there’ll be a lot of my old classics, such as Nessun Dorma, as well as songs that I haven’t sung for a very long time, so maybe songs that fans have forgotten, or some of the hidden gems.

“We’re also doing a big Les Mis tribute, and that’s going to be quite a chunk of the concert.”

Russell has also found time to become the voice of Home Ground, a series of charity concerts marking the centenary of WW1, and a charity single, The Home Ground Anthem, has just been released.

Proceeds will go to Coming Home, which provides housing for seriously injured soldiers, the Falklands War Veterans Foundation and the Welsh Guards Afghanistan Appeal.

“To me, it’s not just about being the face of a charity and raising funds,” Russell says. “It’s all about seeing the effects of the money that we inject into various different charities.”

Meanwhile, he is excited about his forthcoming Only One Man tour. “It’s what I live for. Making records is fun, but I’d rather be on the stage with the light on my face and an audience. That’s where I get my buzz — seeing the audience’s faces and getting a response. The music and being on stage, for me, is what it’s all about.”

Where & When
Russell Watson
New Theatre, Oxford
Sunday July 13th, 7pm
0844 871 3020 or www.atgtickets.com/oxford

For details of Only One Man and The Home Ground Anthem, visit www.russellwatson.com