Peter Andre

November 2013

I’ve been working for Children In Need today for the biggest car wash in the UK.  Peugeot are using all of their showrooms over a four day period where anyone can drive up and have their car washed. So I’ve been lending a hand. I washed one and didn’t do a very good job, to be honest.
I’ve also been helping some of the children with learning difficulties and I did something for Children In Need with Barbara Windsor that’ll be on the show. I love her.
I recently finished filming 60 Minute Makeover and that starts on ITV1 next week. It was fantastic fun. I have no knowledge about DIY and I told them that it was going take a lot longer than 60 minutes with me involved.
It wasn’t dissimilar to my reality show (ITV2’s Peter Andre: My Life); we’re just doing other people’s reality.
I’m also working a new album right now that will be released in my own time. It will be out in time for the tour, which will be something I’ve never done before. I’m over the poppy concert thing now. I want to get rid of the gimmicky outfits and just wear a suit and a tie, with great live musicians. I want to do this properly.
For each song that I’ve written and recorded, I will be performing the song or artist or era that influenced it.
I want to focus more on the music and show people the music I love; blues, jazz, soul and Motown.
The first album I ever bought was Off The Wall by Michael Jackson and I grew up listening to Pink Floyd, Dire Straits, The Stylistics, because my brother Chris was into them but my real love was blues and jazz.
Everyone will know the songs. we’ll make it fun and interactive; it’ll be a really entertaining night. Because I love to entertain.
On the last tour that came to Nottingham in January, I did really enjoy it, but we had the musicians behind a screen on stage. We were supposed to have animated musicians on the screens but it wouldn’t work on some of the shows so we had to bin it. But the musicians remained behind this screen, which was terrible.
It suited the album (Angels and Demons), which did go in to the Top 20 but it should have done better than that.
The songs on the next album I want to work as a live concert.
More than anything I want to do what I love doing, rather than what people think I should be doing.
The charity side of what I do is great. I love doing that. Am I going to change the world? Never. Can I help at least one family? Well, that’s why we do what we do.
The situation with cancer is ridiculous. One in three people are going to be affected by cancer. That shouldn’t be happening.
When we lost my brother (Andrew from kidney cancer almost a year ago), it hurt us so much, that I felt I had to try and help other families.
The only way we can do that... is not because I’m going to find a cure for cancer, of course, I’ve no medical background... is to drill into people that early detection is key. Guys like me are stubborn or we can’t be bothered or we’re at work, so we’re trying to fund these mobile cancer units (Cancer Research UK's Cancer Awareness Roadshow). They travel all over the UK and you can walk on there and ask a couple of questions. Even though they can’t diagnose they can advise if you need to see a GP.
The aim is to raise £500,000 every year to fund these units. They’re out there now and my job is to keep them alive.
Pete’s Champions is an idea where, instead of asking people for money, we’re asking them to think of ways to raise money. Do a bake off, a dance competition or whatever.
It’s going really well. People have just jumped on board. I’m very grateful for the fans I have.

Peter Andre comes to the Royal Concert Hall on Thursday, October 23. Tickets are priced from £26.50 to £75 from the venue box office, call 0115 989 5555 or go to trch.co.uk.
60 Minute Makeover starts on ITV1 on Monday at 2pm.
For more information about his charity work go to peterandrefoundation.com.

Peter Andre

October 2012

WHEN you go and see a show now you really want to be properly entertained and so this time I wanted to do something completely different.

I didn’t want to just do a normal sing and dance show. I didn’t want it to be boring, you know.

So I’ll be meeting up with a magician who has worked with Dynamo. He’s going to teach me a few tricks. So, there’ll be illusions in the show.

It’s stuff that’s going to blow everybody away. Like what? Well, there is something that’s going to happen that is going to be amazing but I’ll leave it at that.

I want people to come and see the show even if they don’t know the songs.

Even though I’m releasing a new album and most of the fans who come will know those songs and my past hits, I want to invite people who don’t know my music.

They will still be entertained. So even if you don’t know any of my songs, come down and you’ll love it.

Anything goes in the show. Although there won’t be any stand-up comedy because my jokes are terrible.

We’ve called it Up Close and Personal, so I may be sitting next to you at some point.

And our band is completely unique. Some of them are real and some of them aren’t. Like Gorillaz, where they are characters.

The sort of people I see coming to my shows these days are fans who were there from the start, from the middle of the Nineties but they bring their kids as well, and their mums. So it’s a very diverse crowd.

The new album is called Angels & Demons and has all sorts on it, including jazz, pop, R&B and dance. There’s a guy on there who has written for Boyz II Men and we’ve done a track that’s very Quincy Jones. And we’ve added this very credible US rapper called Talib Kweli. Kanye West sings about him on his records.

This album is like nothing that I’ve ever made before. I wanted it to be for everyone.

I’m still getting people saying ‘you need to do really commercial, poppy stuff’ and I say ‘why do I need to do that?’

I just want to do my own thing. If you are consistent then eventually people will get it. As long as what you bring out is quality.

I’ve opened my own label and done a joint venture with my past label so I can do what I want.

Right now my life is great. There’ll come a point where enough is enough but I’m getting great work, people are very kind, I still have my own privacy and I do what I want. I don’t think it’ll go on forever but it’s lasted 20 years so far. Lucky me.

What else will I do? Well, acting is something I’d be interested in and I do TV presenting and things but I’d rather do music. Touring is my favourite thing, ever.

I’m looking forward to Nottingham because I remember how wild the crowd were the last time I was there.

In fact, the further north you go, the wilder and wilder the crowds get.

Peter Andre: Up Close and Personal at the Royal Concert Hall on Wednesday December 12. Tickets are £26.50 and £28.50, available from the venue box office, call 0115 989 5555 or go to www.trch.co.uk.

His album Angels & Demons, is released on October 29.