DAILY STAR - (June 2005)
Ben Adams is in sprightly mood when we
meet at Cafe de Paris in London's Leicester Square.
Not because we've stumbled across him during a wild night out, but because
there's a piano at the venue of our photoshoot. Im meeting the former
A1 hottie to talk about his new single "Sorry". He is now priority act
on Sony BMG offshoot Phonogenic, which sent Natasha Bedingfield, 22, stratospheric
last year.
Having had a sneak listen to Ben's jazz-influenced album, released in September, which he's written and produced himself, we suggest Tash nudge over her platinum discs a bit to make room on the office walls. With awesome tracks like his colaboration with Har Mar Superstar on "Get Off My Girl" {the second single}, the swoonsome I Dont Wanna Stay, funk-filled Dont Tread On My Toes and piano-led tear jerker Boo Hoo, Ben's excelled himself. Tinkling the ivories he introduces us to a new melody he penned with buddy Craig David, 23, last week.
Sexy blue eyes twinkling, he explains:
"I went to the record company and said Im not trying to be anybody but
Ben Adams" Comparisions to Justin Timberlake,24, have been coming thick
and fast since an industry buzz began around sorry, which was released
on Monday. Ben, 23, continues: "Justin and i grew up on the same kind
of music. We're both young guys doing mainstream music so your going to
get comparisions, but i hate them. My music is more jazz. Id love his
record sales though!! "I definitley don't want to set myself up as the
british Justin. When you see Lisa Scott Lee the British Kylie I think,
'We've already got a Kylie so why does anyone want a british version'".
Quite..... In their three years together, a1, racked up two british No.1
singles, including the Ben co-written Same Old Brand New You, beat Coldplay
to a brit award for Best Newcomer, and set the platform for boybands playing
instruments when they dropped third album, make it good.
Confused
Going from choirboy to pop pin-up took its toll when A1 split and Ben
hid away in his home studio writing a debut solo album that would give
him back a sense of who he was. Reflecting on the past few years he revealed
"I dont regret anything but when I left A1 I was confused. I felt I didn't
have a chance to get to know myself. I got quite depressed and became
something of a recluse. I needed to sort out in my head what I liked and
what I didnt - find out who I wanted to be as a person and not who everybody
else wanted me to be. That was a really difficult period.
"Songwriting helped
as it was like writing a diary". Mum Anita a psycholigist, also put him
on the right track. Ben's face lights up when he talks of her, his brother
Rupert, 13, and sister Lucy, 14.
I had a really good childhood, I was brought up by my mum. My dad left
when i was three and we lived in one room with a calor gas heater, a black
and white tv and a bed held together with coat hangers. "Im very, very
close to my mum. I think she's amazing. And if I have kids and they turn
out like my brother and sister I'll be totally chuffed. Now sounding better
and looking fitter than ever, Ben has matured into a singer/songwriter
with potential to really shake up the British music scene. With glint
in those big peepers and a devilishly handsome smile, Ben tells me he's
footloose and fancy free - thats music to my ears and surely to the rest
of the female population. He confides: "Im enjoying being single for the
first time in my life. I've always had long-term relationships and lived
with three girls so this is me time. I haven't found that person I want
to spend the rest of my life with
Thanks to Steph who took the time to type this interview from Daily Star and for letting me publish it.