Q. Was
that a difficult transition to make
Stephanie, or do you feel it was the obvious
next step in your music career?
A. It came out of necessity really; we all
have to earn a living eventually and singing
was and always will be, one of the great
loves of my life. The club circuit was a
real eye-opener for me. I genuinely believe
it gives artistes the grounding and
experience necessary to command a stage and
ultimately win over any audience. If you
can’t do that, you won’t even be allowed to
entertain them!
Q. Who were some of the big names you
have worked with in the past?
A. Wow, there are so many but I guess most
people will recognise David Essex, The
Searchers, Freddie Star, Tom O’Conner, Alvin
Stardust, Johnny Moore’s Drifters, Bernard
Manning to name but a few.
Q. So what was the strangest gig you’ve
ever played Steph?
A. That’s an easy one. I also worked the
cruise ships for a while, visiting some
fantastic countries, where, on a stopover in
Leningrad, I sang in a Russian nightclub. I
know it’s a bit of a cliché but music really
is an international language. I thought they
wouldn’t get it but after a song or two,
they really got into it and I have to say,
the gig was a good as anything I’d
experienced on UK soil. Just goes to show,
the Russians can boogie with the best of
‘em!
Q. I understand that you are planning to
host several shows over Christmas with some
of your young Stars Of The Future. Is that
something you yourself have done in the
past?
A. Yes, I think I must have been the length
and breadth of Great Britain performing in
various Christmas shows – Glasgow and Derby
spring to mind as being two of the
highlights for me. It’s great performing in
front of friends and family but when a crowd
of complete strangers hit the dance floor
and really make some noise, you know that
you’ve pulled it off. There’s no greater
feeling than having the whole venue behind
you and enjoying your show. The kids in this
year’s competition will almost certainly go
on to be great entertainers and I’m so
looking forward to seeing the crowd’s
reaction. We have unearthed some exceptional
talent and if Stars Of The Future can be a
vehicle towards a successful career, then I
can be happy in the knowledge that I’ve done
my bit. Right, you can now ask me about how
Stars Of The Future came about if you like!
Q. Ok, what’s the story with SOTF and how
far do you think you can take the next new
wave of British talent?
A. Anyone who knows me well will already be
aware of the fact that I’ve been banging on
about how watered down the entertainment
value of these so called ‘self-contained’
artistes has become in recent years. So much
so, that I believe it’s seriously lowered
the bar in terms of quality and it now seems
that anybody who has had a bash at karaoke
thinks they can get up on stage and call
themselves a decent act – not so! It’s
people like this who have actually turned
audiences away from our pubs & clubs because
they’re just not good enough to pull in the
crowds on a regular basis. It's copycat
stuff at it’s very worst and it should be
left in the shower or in the bath, only to
be suffered by their immediate families!
Right, I’ll get off my soapbox now – sorry
about that. In answer to your question, SOTF
was a seed of an idea that I had last year,
which I chatted to a few close friends
about. I received such a positive response
that in all honesty, the only thing holding
me back was finding the time to make it
happen. I needed to find some cash to put up
for prize money, pay for musicians, outfits,
posters etc, so my good friend Pete Eason
from Hot Bite, who I’ve shared a stage with
on many occasions, asked if he could be the
main sponsor for the show. Also, Keith
Chapman of the Cee Bee Variety Agency, who
has been a close personal friend and my
trusted advisor for years, welcomed the idea
with open arms. He’s worked tirelessly on
this initiative without asking for anything
in return – it does my heart good to know
that there are still folk out there willing
to put something back into our community for
no personal gain.
I do feel passionate about helping anyone
with raw and natural ability to go out there
and perform live in front of an audience,
which ordinarily they might never get a
chance to do. Simple as that really. It was
also great to see the general public
flooding back to The Dial House Social Club
in large numbers for the Friday night heats
and the Grand Final. When last years
competition ended, we were all kicking our
heels on Fridays wondering what to do with
ourselves – sad I know but it was like
having the holiday of a lifetime and then
having to go back to work on a Monday
morning!
We followed up with two stunning Christmas
shows by taking a cross-section of kids to
other clubs in the area. You could see them
all growing in stature and confidence after
every performance and more importantly, the
friendships that were forged meant that
although this was very much a competition,
each act gave support to the other
unconditionally and that has to be good for
their development right?
Q. Absolutely agreed. Moving away from
SOTF for a moment, did I not see you on the
telly a few weeks ago at a World Title
Fight?
A.
Yep, you certainly did. It was a great
honour for me to be asked by Dennis Hobson
and Clinton Woods to sing the National
Anthem before his successful IBF World title
fight against Rico Hoye in Rotherham in
March. I did insist though, that the referee
introduced me as “Stephanie King from Stars
Of The Future” just to make sure we got a
mention in front of the 1.6 billion TV
viewers – not bad eh? I’m so pleased for
Clinton; he really dug deep that night and
came out a real champion.
Q. As we’re on the subject of winning
competitions, do you have anything in your
trophy cupboard Steph?
A. Sure, I won quite a few comps when I was
starting out as a small kid on the talent
contest circuit but more recently won the
Mercury Clubland Award for Best Female
Vocalist for South Yorkshire and the North
Midlands (1995). I’m also really pleased to
be nominated this year for Best Female
Vocalist, Best Overall Entertainer and Best
Senior Artiste!! Not sure whether I’m too
happy about the last one though.
Q. Well Steph, it’s been great putting
you on the hot spot but I’m keen to learn
what your plans are now and in the future? A.
Well, I intend to carry on singing until the
frocks don’t fit or my hair falls out!! He-hee,
only joking. I’ve had a few requests from
some of the kids from the SOTF show and some
from parents of kids who think they might
benefit from attending my Singing & Stage
Presentation Classes. They definitely now
have the bug and want to be the best they
can be, so I will be focusing on their
ongoing development over the coming months
to see how far I can take them. For me, it’s
the natural next step for them and a way of
improving their overall presentation skills,
whether they are singers, dancers or
comedians.
In answer to your question, SOTF
was a seed of an idea that I had last year,
which I chatted to a few close friends
about. I received such a positive response
that in all honesty, the only thing holding
me back was finding the time to make it
happen. I needed to find some cash to put up
for prize money, pay for musicians, outfits,
posters etc, so my good friend Pete Eason
from Hot Bite, who I’ve shared a stage with
on many occasions, asked if he could be the
main sponsor for the show. Also, Keith
Chapman of the Cee Bee Variety Agency, who
has been a close personal friend and my
trusted advisor for years, welcomed the idea
with open arms. He’s worked tirelessly on
this initiative without asking for anything
in return – it does my heart good to know
that there are still folk out there willing
to put something back into our community for
no personal gain.
A.
Yep, you certainly did. It was a great
honour for me to be asked by Dennis Hobson
and Clinton Woods to sing the National
Anthem before his successful IBF World title
fight against Rico Hoye in Rotherham in
March. I did insist though, that the referee
introduced me as “Stephanie King from Stars
Of The Future” just to make sure we got a
mention in front of the 1.6 billion TV
viewers – not bad eh? I’m so pleased for
Clinton; he really dug deep that night and
came out a real champion.
A.
Well, I intend to carry on singing until the
frocks don’t fit or my hair falls out!! He-hee,
only joking. I’ve had a few requests from
some of the kids from the SOTF show and some
from parents of kids who think they might
benefit from attending my Singing & Stage
Presentation Classes. They definitely now
have the bug and want to be the best they
can be, so I will be focusing on their
ongoing development over the coming months
to see how far I can take them. For me, it’s
the natural next step for them and a way of
improving their overall presentation skills,
whether they are singers, dancers or
comedians.