MUSIC MY SIX BEST ALBUMS
DANNY MAC, 30, played Dodger Savage in Hollyoaks for four years and went on to reach the final of Strictly Come Dancing in 2016. He is starring in White Christmas at the Curve in Leicester until January 13.
MICHAEL JACKSON: HIStory (Sony)
I think I was a fan before
I could talk or walk. There was something about him that captivated me when I watched him on telly.
When he passed away,
I felt a personal sense of loss.
LUDOVICO EINAUDI: I Giorni (Sony) An instrumental album by a wonderful composer and pianist.
This is my switch-off music for those mornings where you don’t want words but you need some sound in the background. When I was at drama school, one of my flatmates played this music on piano. It was beautiful to get home and hear it.
INTERNATIONAL CAST: Les Miserables – The Complete Symphonic Recording
(First Night)
The show is stunning and has affected my life hugely. I’ve known it word for word since I was eight when I was picked out to audition for it.
When the production came to Southampton, not far from where I lived in Bognor, I got my chance to play Gavroche, the little boy.
If I ever got down at drama school, I would pay a tenner and stand at the back of the West End production.
THE STREETS: A Grand Don’t Come For Free
(679) Raw and earthy. Mike Skinner represented young people walking around the streets in their parka jackets with very little money. There are songs where you feel you’re transported to that place. I was 16 and very impressionable.
THE KILLERS: Hot Fuss (Lizard King)
One of the first things I played when I started to drive. It reminds me of summer days on the coast, windows down. I’m collecting all my favourite albums on vinyl because I want them almost as pieces of art as well.
FRANK SINATRA: My Way – The Best Of
(Reprise)
A class act who represented an entire era. I picture him in hidden jazz bars. This reminds me of my dad, who adored him, and of my childhood.
I listened to Sinatra before every show last year when I was doing Sunset Boulevard.