Perdita
18-07-2008, 06:59
Richard Fleeshman has packed an awful lot into his 19 years. He joined the cast of Corrie at 12, won Soapstar Superstar at 16 and released Neon, an album of self-penned acoustic pop songs, last November. But his biggest challenge came just a few weeks ago when he opened for Sir Elton John on his stadium tour of the UK. Intrigued, we gave Richard a call to find out how he got on.
What's it like touring with Elton?
"It's been absolutely amazing. He's been so welcoming to me and very supportive and complimentary. It's probably been the most surreal month of my life."
Did you find it nerve-wracking playing to 30,000 people each night?
"Definitely, but it was even more nerve-wracking knowing who I was opening for. Elton's an icon and he's been my idol since I was tiny. As far as playing to the big audiences goes, I really enjoyed it. Whatever field you work in you want to do it to the best level you can, so playing to 30,000 people is as good as it gets for me."
Did Elton give you any advice before you started the tour?
"I suppose the one thing he did say was, 'Just stay true to yourself'. He said he really likes what I'm doing and told me to remember why I do it, which is because I love singing and writing and making music. This is a business and an industry of course, but he told me to remember the reason I used to sit at a piano for hours as a kid."
That sounds like good, down-to-earth advice.
"Yeah, he's an amazing man. There's a lot of misconception about him and actually I saw nothing that I didn't like. He was really generous and gave me a brilliant time, taking me in his helicopter and his private jet and stuff like that. It's been a pretty crazy time."
Was his dressing room as lavish as we'd expect?
"Well, because we were playing stadiums a lot of the time we were in the footballers' changing rooms! His dressing room was certainly always nice, but why shouldn't it be? If I was Elton John and I'd achieved everything he'd achieved, I think I'd ask for a nice place to stay before I go on stage."
Your singles and album haven't performed as well as many people were expecting. Do you feel disappointed?
"To be honest, I never had any expectations about anything. I knew the business I was going into was horrendously hard and I purposely put some distance between the TV shows I did and releasing my music. If anything I knew it was going it an uphill struggle. The reason I took the route I did is because I'm in it for the long haul and not just the five minutes of success I'd have got from a No.1 covers album."
Were Corrie and Soapstar Superstar more of a help or a hindrance?
"Well, it's a double-edged sword, but I think without a doubt it helped me far more than it hindered me. But there's definitely an immediate skepticism when someone crosses over into something that they're not immediately known for."
Whereas in the States they love it and call you a "triple threat".
"Absolutely. People embrace it and almost expect you to do everything. It's almost more unheard of for you not to be a triple threat. You know, I was a kid when I went into Coronation Street and I had an amazing time. I got some fantastic opportunities from Corrie and from Soapstar and I'd never say they did anything other than help me."
What's next for you?
"The next thing I'm doing is a new drama series that will take me up until Christmas. I'm not allowed to tell you about that because we haven't had the launch yet. Well, it's for the BBC but that's honestly as much as I can tell you! And I've been asked if I'd like to do some more dates with Elton around Christmas time, which I'm obviously looking forward to as well."
Is the plan to mix music and acting in the future?
"Definitely. This last month has been the most euphoric, stressful, surreal, bizarre month of life. The best way for me to come down is totally switching and going to play a character for the next 17 weeks. Mixing the two works really well for me and that's what I want to continue to do."
Richard Fleeshman's new single, 'Back Here', is out on download now.
What's it like touring with Elton?
"It's been absolutely amazing. He's been so welcoming to me and very supportive and complimentary. It's probably been the most surreal month of my life."
Did you find it nerve-wracking playing to 30,000 people each night?
"Definitely, but it was even more nerve-wracking knowing who I was opening for. Elton's an icon and he's been my idol since I was tiny. As far as playing to the big audiences goes, I really enjoyed it. Whatever field you work in you want to do it to the best level you can, so playing to 30,000 people is as good as it gets for me."
Did Elton give you any advice before you started the tour?
"I suppose the one thing he did say was, 'Just stay true to yourself'. He said he really likes what I'm doing and told me to remember why I do it, which is because I love singing and writing and making music. This is a business and an industry of course, but he told me to remember the reason I used to sit at a piano for hours as a kid."
That sounds like good, down-to-earth advice.
"Yeah, he's an amazing man. There's a lot of misconception about him and actually I saw nothing that I didn't like. He was really generous and gave me a brilliant time, taking me in his helicopter and his private jet and stuff like that. It's been a pretty crazy time."
Was his dressing room as lavish as we'd expect?
"Well, because we were playing stadiums a lot of the time we were in the footballers' changing rooms! His dressing room was certainly always nice, but why shouldn't it be? If I was Elton John and I'd achieved everything he'd achieved, I think I'd ask for a nice place to stay before I go on stage."
Your singles and album haven't performed as well as many people were expecting. Do you feel disappointed?
"To be honest, I never had any expectations about anything. I knew the business I was going into was horrendously hard and I purposely put some distance between the TV shows I did and releasing my music. If anything I knew it was going it an uphill struggle. The reason I took the route I did is because I'm in it for the long haul and not just the five minutes of success I'd have got from a No.1 covers album."
Were Corrie and Soapstar Superstar more of a help or a hindrance?
"Well, it's a double-edged sword, but I think without a doubt it helped me far more than it hindered me. But there's definitely an immediate skepticism when someone crosses over into something that they're not immediately known for."
Whereas in the States they love it and call you a "triple threat".
"Absolutely. People embrace it and almost expect you to do everything. It's almost more unheard of for you not to be a triple threat. You know, I was a kid when I went into Coronation Street and I had an amazing time. I got some fantastic opportunities from Corrie and from Soapstar and I'd never say they did anything other than help me."
What's next for you?
"The next thing I'm doing is a new drama series that will take me up until Christmas. I'm not allowed to tell you about that because we haven't had the launch yet. Well, it's for the BBC but that's honestly as much as I can tell you! And I've been asked if I'd like to do some more dates with Elton around Christmas time, which I'm obviously looking forward to as well."
Is the plan to mix music and acting in the future?
"Definitely. This last month has been the most euphoric, stressful, surreal, bizarre month of life. The best way for me to come down is totally switching and going to play a character for the next 17 weeks. Mixing the two works really well for me and that's what I want to continue to do."
Richard Fleeshman's new single, 'Back Here', is out on download now.