WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Gareth Gates

Gareth Gates missed the long and winding road to fame and went straight to the top. But what has happened to him these days?

Gareth Gates (b.1984) started as a choir boy at Bradford Cathedral but it was in 2001 that he gained fame when he auditioned for a brand new concept on TV, the reality show, and joined the first series of Pop Idol. He made an impact and went all the way to the final, where he was matched against Will Young. Gareth famously lost but he was soon signed to Sony Records by Judge Simon Cowell and released his debut single, a cover of “Unchained Melody“, in early 2002, taking to song to the top of the UK charts for the fourth time in its history, selling just over a million copies.

Gareth released his debut album, “What My Heart Wants To Say”, in November 2002 and it featured three consecutive number one singles, along with “Unchained”, the original “Anyone Of Us (Stupid Mistake)” and another cover, this time a double A sider of The Beatles “The Long And Winding Road” with Will Young, and Elvis’ “Suspicious Minds“. The album went on to sell over 600,000 copies at home and also found favour across Europe. Gareth was back on top in 2003 with his cover of “Spirit In The Sky” for Comic Relief, featuring the comedy team of The Kumars, while hurried recording for his second album took place. Gareth released “Sunshine” and “Say It Isn’t So” that year, both top five hits in the UK, while his album, “Go Your Own Way” was released just eleven months after his first!

Perhaps it was all a bit too much, too soon for some as the album failed to follow the success of his first and only achieved Gold status for 100,000 copies. Gareth was eventually dropped by Sony in 2006 having disappeared out of sight for some time. This allowed him to return in 2007 with his third album, “Pictures Of The Other Side” and the lead single, “Changes”. Although he achieved top thirty success with both, the support and interest in his music now dwindled and they remain, apart from a best of in 2014, his last and most recent recordings. Gareth now took up a new career as an actor and musical performer, starring on the London stage in the lead role in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2009. His subsequent work has taken in Les Misérables, Legally Blonde and Boogie Nights. In 2014, Gareth took part in Dancing On Ice for the second time in six years. He came seventh.

Since 2014, Gareth Gates has mostly worked in the theatre, starring in Footloose and more recently, SpongeBob: The Musical (2023). Gareth took part in 2023’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins and for once, he won it! But he hasn’t forgotten his music career and 2024 will see him take to a very different stage, one he hasn’t done for more twenty years as he will tour the UK with his greatest hits for the first time. Welcome back.