Credo... Nicky Spence
At school I was very loud. As a teenager I was about 25 stone, and I used to hang out with a big group of girls. I was involved in all the shows: I wanted to act but we didn’t have a drama department, so we just made up our own things.
I was never hassled at school for singing. There’s a real tradition of the arts in Scottish schools; a lot of singing and dancing. Expressing yourself has always been encouraged.
I fi rst realised I could sing when I was in primary three. Whenever we sang as a class, at assembly or whatever, my voice was like a clarion. I was always rolled out for a solo performance at family events: birthdays, weddings and funerals.
I would never consider a career in pop music. I am too fat for that and my hairline has receded too much. I do like singing along to the likes of Cheryl Cole, though.
I have a terror of fi sh. I was in the Caribbean a couple of years ago snorkelling and the fi sh were swimming about; they were so fl ighty – I was terrifi ed one of them would end up in my trunks. I also hate cornfl our: that squeaky noise it makes when it gets under your fi ngernails – horrible.
My most embarrassing moment was on stage in a kilt – full Scottish, naturally. I noticed I was getting odd looks from the front rows, and I suddenly twigged that the stage was pretty high, giving them a full view of everything…
Being Scottish means a lot. It’s made me who I am and equipped me to deal with all kinds of situ- ations. It also means you can get your legs out.
38
WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK
Latin. (n) ‘I believe’. A set of beliefs which infl uences the way you live.
The Dumfries-born tenor owns up to a fear of fi sh, a weakness for Cheryl Cole and a secret craving for a hedonistic lifestyle
My glass is always half full. I’m a very positive thinker; I really believe that if you imagine good things happening to you, they will.
I played rugby at school – I was quite a tank on the fi eld back then: picture a bungalow running at you down the pitch. One day I winded a fellow pupil quite badly and after that we were only allowed to play touch rugby. I still like sport. I think Tom Daley is amazing!
If I could have a superpower, it would be teleportation. I spend so much of my time travelling that it gets really boring, and I always seem to miss friends’ birthdays and weddings. So I’d love a nice little fl ying machine to transport me to, say, my niece’s birthday or my boyfriend’s graduation. A secondary power would be to eat whatever I want without getting fat.
As a kid my favourite toy was a little Zippy teddy. He still comes everywhere with me. But sometimes when I leave him in a hotel room the chambermaid will zip his mouth up. He hasn’t got a nose, so how do they think he’s going to breathe? I get a bit upset about that.
It’s important to look after your voice. If you have a high voice it’s a nightmare – I have to keep off the woodbines and the alcohol. You can’t live the hedonist’s lifestyle, although if I know I have a holiday coming up my hand starts twitching over the self-destruct button…
My mum is my idol. She’s been through so much and emerged victorious. I also admire people like Bryn Terfel, who has straddled the boundary between lighter and very serious opera, and who also has a fantastic voice.
In ten years’ time I’d love to have a happy and successful career. I’d also like to be living in a massive old house surrounded by family, friends and a litter of children.
Nicky Spence will be performing in Glasgow, Perth and Edinburgh in April. See
www.nickyspence.com for details
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179