Ever since he came second to Leona Lewis in the X-Factor final in 2006, Ray Quinn has never been far from the limelight but, in the last few years that has been more for his skill on ice skates rather than his fantastic singing voice but, following one last foray onto the ice, all of that is about to change.
This week Ray took a break from his hectic rehearsal schedule to pop over to Brighton to meet his fans at Churchill Square and to tell them about his upcoming appearance in Platinum, Holiday on Ice’s 70th Anniversary production and, for the fourth time since his X-Factor days, I got to talk to him.
Hi again Ray. It’s always so nice to chat to you, but I never thought I would be talking to you about Holiday on Ice!
I know! My part in Holiday on Ice came about though Dancing On Ice, of course, when Robin Cousin’s husband Mark Naylor, who is a fantastic skater and was right by my side throughout the Dancing on Ice experience as my trainer on the ice, came up to me at the party after I won the Champion of Champions series and said “Look, I’m the Creative Director for Holiday on Ice Platinum and, if you are ever going to do an ice skating show, it’s got to be this one”. So, I took a video of the show home and, as soon as I watched it, I signed up to do it.
It’s going to be such a fantastic show. I’ve been over in Holland, just outside Amsterdam, this week rehearsing for the show, because I’m not just skating but I’m also the Master of Ceremonies and I’m singing as well – It’s going to be the most fantastic glitz and glamour family show and I’m really looking forward to bringing it to the Brighton Centre in January.
I was going to ask you if there would be any singing involved.
Oh yes, definitely. I’m hopefully going to be singing my new single The Beauty of Who You Are, which is released this week and is in aid of the charity Parkinsons UK, but, if they can’t get the rights to use it, I’ll be singing a song from my EP which came out in September instead.
Platinum celebrates 70 years of Holiday on Ice so it starts way back in the 1940’s and it works it way right up to the present day and it even gives some hints at future shows with solo performances, partnered performances then there’s me singing, skating and introducing the whole show. I said before that I didn’t really want to do an ice show but if I’m going to do one it has to be the best one and that’s Holiday on Ice, but this will be my farewell to the skates as it’s all about the music from now on.
Have you got a lot planned then?
In 2015 I have a full UK tour, a new album release, two movies to film, my book, This Time Round, is coming out and I’ve got stuff to do with ITV as well, so yes, I’m crazy busy so I haven’t got time to go to the gym let alone stay fit enough for the skating.
When you head out on your own music tour, will you be heading back down to Sussex?
Absolutely! My tour will start about the same time that the album is released in March / April. I’m starting to record the album in January and the tour starts on March 4th and one of my first dates is down here in Worthing on Saturday March 14th, and we’re still adding more dates so we may be back to the county again.
I remember when you were on Dancing on Ice the first time you said that you had a certain amount of ice skating experience and skill already, how much has that increased?
Hugely really. The difference between my skill level from the first series and then coming back was massive but, as soon as I finished the tour after the first series I sort of hung up my skates and then, when I came back three years later for the Champion of Champions series it was very much a time for me to find my feet again and, luckily, I did that pretty quickly in the three months before the live shows started.
I wish I had kept it up in between though because it would have been easier, but working under pressure and having to try and be the best every week helped me a lot because I’m always up for a challenge and I really do feed off that pressure.
Holiday on Ice has changed so much over the years – is this show very high tech, or is it back to basics?
In the first part it is very glitz and glam with big staircases and great costumes and the skaters are just wonderful. They are all national and world champions and then there’s me in the middle of it all having a laugh with the audiences but what is really nice is the way that they have made me very much a part of the company.
I introduce the show and then “magically” bring the various sets on and move them about to get ready for the next number. With it being the 70th anniversary they have really pulled out all the stops with the production and they haven’t worried about the cost. It’s going to be the most spectacular Holiday on Ice ever and I’m really thrilled to be a part of it.
Ray Quinn will be starring in Holiday on Ice at the Brighton Centre from Tuesday January 6th 2015 – Sunday January 11th 2015 with tickets available from the Brighton Centre Box Office, on 0844 847 1515 and online at www.brightoncentre.co.uk.
For more information about Ray’s upcoming album and tour and his new book, This Time Round, which is a very intimate look at how Ray has grown up in the limelight and about his return to the music business, and to keep up to date with all of Ray’s plans for the future please go to www.rayquinn.co.uk or on twitter @therealrayquinn