The one lesson I’ve learned from life

Pop star Nik Kershaw

EIGHTIES pop star Nik Kershaw, 62, lives near Ipswich with his wife Sarah and their 10-year-old son Theo, his fourth child. He had worldwide hits with Wouldn’t It Be Good and I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me and wrote Chesney Hawkes’ song The One And Only.

YES, YOU CAN MAKE FEAR YOUR FRIEND

i sPENT a lot of my heyday in the Eighties feeling anxious, and was physically ill before i went on stage. i have an alter ego who i call Frank and he sits on my shoulder and tells me i’m crap, or that something awful’s about to happen.

he was well and truly on my shoulder when i performed at Live Aid 35 years ago. That was the biggest gig i ever did. The fear of him being there and the fear of the fear of him being there made it totally debilitating.

it was all such a blur, that day. i remember chatting with sting and sitting in the Royal Box with Charles and Di, and the relief at the end of my set. Afterwards, i shared a minibus with David Bowie, and he was singing Do They Know it’s Christmas. i froze.

Bowie was the reason i got into the music business. i remember watching a film about him as Ziggy stardust in the seventies, at home in ipswich while Mum was cooking tea. it transformed my life. i later jacked in my A-levels and told my parents i was off to be a pop star. Luckily, they were supportive.

When i was on a non-stop round of photo shoots and Top of The Pops appearances, i could deal with the fear, when my career faltered it was harder. When i was on tour supporting Elton John every night was a trauma. Writing for other people became preferable — it was lovely when The one And only was a hit, Chesney got the anxiety, not me!

Eventually, though, i got tired of being afraid, and made friends with Frank. i realised fear is there for a reason, it’s a primal thing to get you ready to run or fight or do whatever you have to do.

After saying no for years, i started touring with other Eighties bands. it’s so much fun and we’re all friends. No one needs to be taken seriously any more. i’m releasing another album, and of course i want my fans to like it. But, ultimately, i’m doing it for me. Now, i still get nervous performing, but i just take a deep breath and get on with it.

THE EP These Little Things by Nik Kershaw is out now.