Rick Astley talks about the ugly side of fame and how he understands why Justin Bieber 'has lost it a few times'
While fame takes a toll on almost every celebrity out there, there are very few who actually admit it. The 52-year-old 'Never Gonna Give You Up' singer Rick Astley recently opened up about how fame took a toll on his being. Speaking to Daily Star, he said, "Fame isn’t the be all and end all. It’s important you enjoy life and what you do with it because for me fame actually exaggerated my insecurities. I used to go on Top Of The Pops and think 'I was never one of the good-looking kids so why should I be on here now?'"
Astley also revealed that he wasn't very confident about the way he looked. "I was a very insecure pop star, I didn’t like the way I looked and felt liked I didn’t belong. But these days there’s even more pressure because everyone has a camera in their pockets and can make comments."
Justifying fellow pop star Justin Bieber's paparazzi outbursts he said, "It’s no wonder someone like Justin Bieber has lost it a few times because there is no privacy." He added that fame makes people do crazy things, like wanting to follow him to urinals. "Somebody’s had a couple of pints and they go: ‘Oh look, it’s what’s his name’. One minute you’re stood next to urinals and the next it goes on YouTube."
Astley's new album 'Beautiful Life' hits the stands on July 13 and he said that unlike his last record, '50' that released in 2016, this one just came to him quite naturally. "The last one surprised us all and kind of was a bit freaky, really. After all the touring we got home and I went into my little room and was just in there playing around with music, just for fun. I wasn't thinking about another record, necessarily, and I think because I hadn't been in that room for a while and I had a bit of confidence because of 50 I banged out a few songs I really liked and I thought, 'Right, I'm gonna just start a record again.' It just sort of came, really, and I got on a roll and decided to go for it," he said, speaking to Billboard. "I still shake my head over it, to be honest. I think just seeing my name on a chart alongside people like Coldplay, Adele, whoever you want to mention, and you're in the Top 10 with them, that's pretty weird. I never would have dreamt that was ever going to happen again. It's pretty great."
Although he has two successful albums under his belt, he still holds the track that got him mainstream fame close to his heart. 'Never Gonna Give You Up's dance-pop tunes combined with Astley's distinctive deep voice made the song an immediate success when it released in 1987. The song was a worldwide number one hit, topping the charts in 24 other countries, including the US, Australia, and West Germany. "I fully embrace that song. It's my biggest one, and what happened on the Internet obviously changed the dynamic of that. But it's been really good to me, that song; Wherever I got in the world -- literally wherever I go in the world -- people know that song. It's just part of my DNA. It's kind of strange that it's an old song now, but if I don't embrace it and enjoy it for what it is, I'm fooling myself. It's kind of special, really," he said.