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I'm a Soul Man!
He said he could and he has! Kavana has definitely made us
feel good. But
what makes the Mancunian marvel tick?
So, Kav, it's happened. You are a pop star!
I know! It's nice to feel it's all starting. To finally have had a
Top Ten hit is amazing. So I'm thankful to God. Listen to me
(adopts fake American accent) 'Thaanks to Gaaawd!'
Do you feel famous yet? Do you have loads of fans hanging around
your house and stuff?
There's been no house stuff, mainly because I'm never there but also
I think my fans respect my privacy. Some fans ring up and
pretend to be my sister. One girl rang up British Airways and said
she needed to know what flight I was on cos we had a
family emergency which I thought was a bit much. Certain fans can be
a little annoying but that's the minority.
Would you date a fan?
You never know who you're gonna meet. It wouldn't put me off at all.
I'm kind of instinctive. I know whether they want me or
the pop star.
Is it weird thinking of yourself on posters in girls' bedrooms?
Yeah. I mean, when I look at mags and see posters of myself I do freak
out a bit. What I'd love is a picture of every girl who
has a poster of me up in her bedroom. So that'd be four photos! Nah,
really! I could stick them on my wall - a little collage of
faces!
Who are your mates?
I don't go to all the pop premieres or parties. I mix with people I
work with and my four really close mates. They're used to it
cos they've been there from the beginning. But when we go out in Manchester
I get recognised and they take the mick in a nice
way. They don't care. It doesn't change us.
Do they ever say, 'Hey that girl over there's giving me the eye.
Are you gonna help me pull her?'
Oh yeah, all the time. They wouldn't take the mick though. They wouldn't
sit there using me. I have lost mates because of that
sort of thing, but I have four who just don't let it come into the
equation. I really trust 'em. I'd really trust 'em with anything.
Are you close to your family?
Very close. My mum and dad live at home and there's my sister, Angela,
who's 34 and lives in Cornwall. I'm very close to her
because we've never lives together and there's such an age gap between
us that we never got to hate each other! I stay at
Angela's house in Cornwall when I want to get away from it all cos
it's near the sea and you can escape everything. She
introduced me to music, really. I listened to her 'older' music when
I was a kid. Actually, Angela was the one who told me I
should go for a music career.
How do you cope with touring?
I take each day as it comes! I'm lucky cos I get a week at home - to
unpack, see my mates, family and calm down before it
starts again. I'll tell you one thing I do, I always have my phone
with me. It makes me feel secure when I have it - like my mates
and the office can get hold of me. If I'm feeling a bit lost I'll phone
someone for a chat and soon feel OK. Oh. I know what else
I do! I usually take a little candle with me to burn in my room at
night. It makes me feel more at home, more like it's my space.
Do you think you could go back to being normal?
Not now I've been introduced to all this. I'd find it very weird to
have an ordinary job now. Once you've taken the step forward
it's hard to backtrack. Like, I've just been to America and was with
the producer of Mariah Carey and Whitney Housten. In his
house, he showed me pictures of all these people. I was stading there
thinking, 'This is another world. Two years ago I was at
school and now I'm in America on my own in this man's house.' I'm very
lucky to be in this business and hope to stay in it.
Unlike the lads in Boyzone or 911, you're a solo act so when it comes
down to it, you're on your own. Do you really
mind that?
Nah. You asked me about my mates earlier and I have to say that my
best mate, although it sounds really corny, is myself.
Because I've spent a lot of time on my own I've learnt from myself,
just like being alone walking or reading. I'm not lonely even
though I'm a so-called solo act. I'm very lucky to work with people
like Ying, my tour manager. Even my closest mates in
Manchester, as much as I love 'em and need them around, they can't
really understand what I'm going through. They try, but it's
just impossible. It's just that I'm the one whio's going through it.
But sometimes you need to turn to someone else for advice, right?
Oh yeah. I'd turn to Ying or my sister or my mum and dad. Or my mates.
When you look at Ro Keating and how quickly he's grown up in the
last year, can you see that happening to you?
God yeah, I think I'm still going through those hormonal changes you
go through as a teenager, to be honest! I'm definitely not a
man yet! But being introduced to so many people every day gives you
a sense of protecting yourself. For instance, I haven't got
a lot of friends. I meet people I get on really well with and say,
'Hey, give me your phone number' and I'll phone them and talk
to them but they're not really friends, they're acquaintances. Not
so long ago I probably wouldn't have known the difference.
The business does wake you up to a lot of things.
Finally, whaddyasee in the crystal ball, Kav?
Gawd. This last few months I really feel I've been guided. (Giggling)
It sounds a bit deep and 'hey man' but I'm a great believer
in fate and so I just go with it. I honestly (makes sick noises) want
to make people happy.
©TOTP UK