ASK SHIRLEY
Shirley Confidential
Joe McElderry talks to Shirley about The X Factor, being a gay role model and his new album
I will never forget the final of X Factor 2009. Not because of what Olly Murs said to me in the green room beforehand, but because I was so absolutely thrilled for Joe McElderry. I had put 50 quid on him and he was running ten to one, so I cleared a cool €500, which paid for that weekend in Ibiza with Sinitta, of which I will never speak again. Anyway, back to the night in question. The celebrations were in full swing and I guess I drank too much Champagne Bacardi Breezer, because the next thing I said at the top of my voice to no-one in particular (Danni Minogue): "Let's hope our Joe doesn't end up like Leon Jackson! Or worse, Steve Brookstein!"
Well you could have heard a pin drop in the ensuing silence and then Simon stormed out, leaving the place feeling like a balloon with all the air let out. I walked over to Joe, put my two arms around him and said, "You won't end up like them, honey, YOU WONT!"
Then he went and released a pop-dance album, which was hardly the kind of thing the housewives who voted for him wanted on their iPods, so for a while it seemed like my prediction had come true. But then he went and won Pop Star to Opera Star last year, and now he's back with a bang, and a new album. We caught up with each other at Sinitta's house recently, but I will never speak about that again. Well, maybe a little...
Hey Joe. Mc. Eld. Dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...
Hey, Shirley! You're not the first to do The X Factor guy voice at me, you know.
Rachel Ab.Id.Ay.Boo.Booooo. Cheryl Llooyyyyd. Dolly Dy. In' For. Itttttt. That voice works for any kind of name!
Yes, Shirley, it does.
Look, at you. You're all growed up!
I'm 20 now. I was 19 when I won The X Factor. In fact, I was 17 when I tried out for The X Factor the first time. I got through to the Boot Camp stage of the show but there wasn't much footage of me. I was too young at that stage. It was a bit much for me.
So what made you decide to go for it again? I didn't think that I would bother entering again but a couple of years later, I was working on a cruise ship and I got this sudden urge to try again. I didn't tell anyone. I filled in the form and applied. And you know how the rest turned out.
Would you advise anyone starting off in the music industry - like me or, say, Veda - to enter?
I don't think you can do very well on that show if you don't have a bit of live performance experience already. It's hard enough without having to deal with stage fright as well. It's a very steep learning curve.
You got to the top of the curve and then Simon Cowell dumped you. Do you hate him?
That's water under the bridge now. I am really grateful for The X Factor experience and I have only good things to say about Simon. There were lots of things that could have been handled better, I suppose, and I was gutted when that all happened. That said, some of what was written about me in the papers was utter rubbish.
Sorry about that. Sometimes I just make stuff up. For attention.
There was a photo of me in the papers and they said I was forced to move back in to my Mam's. The funny thing was I had just put a deposit on my first house that day, so that story couldn't have been further from the truth. You shouldn't believe everything you read.
So, does that mean you is not gay?
Ha, ha. Well, the story about me coming out was true. I don't think it was that much of a surprise.
And now you have this great job as Gay Ambassador and role model to all gay kids. Are you proud?Role model is a very strong term. I'm very flattered if young kids look up to me - gay or straight - but I'm not trying to tell them how to live their lives. I'm still only 20. I'm figuring things out for myself.
Is there someone special in your life, Joe? Just asking, like.
I would tell you if there was somebody, Shirley, but there's not. And that's as far as I'd go with it. You know, you have to have a private life. Besides, I'm very busy at the moment so I don't really have the time for that.
Really? I didn't think you were that busy anymore.
The new album Classics has done really well. While I was on Pop Star to Opera Star, people would stop me on the streets and tell me how they liked me singing opera. On tour, people would be calling out for Nessun Dorma. So when we were planning the album, I knew it would include some of the opera classics and big ballads.
So, it's all good and you have no regrets, Leon style? No! I have absolutely no regrets. I have had so many fantastic experiences. I have learned so much about the music industry - and life - and it really is all good. I'm very lucky.
Joe McElderry's ‘Classics' is currently on release, www.joemcelderry.com, twitter @ joemcelderry91