Russell Watson

Russell Watson, known as ‘The Voice’ and ‘The People’s Tenor’, established his significant presence in the music scene after winning a ‘Search for a Star’ contest organized by Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio in 1990. His profile rapidly rose in 1999, performing ‘God Save the Queen’ at the Rugby League Challenge Cup Final at Wembley Stadium, and ‘Barcelona’ at Old Trafford following a Manchester United game. A week later, he performed a full set at the 1999 UEFA Champions League Final in Barcelona, where he duetted with Montserrat Caballé. His highly successful debut album, ‘The Voice,’ released in May 2001, topped the UK classical chart and reached number five on the UK Albums Chart, becoming the first album by a British artist to hold both the US and UK classical number one spots.

In recent years, Watson has continued to engage with diverse entertainment projects. He participated in the 2020 series of ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’ and joined the UK tour cast of ‘Chicago’ as Billy Flynn in 2021. He has also cultivated successful collaborations with Aled Jones, releasing three chart-performing albums: ‘In Harmony’ (2018), ‘Back in Harmony’ (2019), and ‘Christmas with Aled and Russell’ (2022). The latter collaboration achieved significant success, topping the Classical Artists Albums Chart upon its release.

Looking ahead, Russell Watson is slated to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Chester in 2025, further recognizing his profound contributions to music and the arts throughout his distinguished career as ‘The Voice’ and ‘The People’s Tenor’.