I’ve seen the world and that changes you. It’s all on the album
Everything is coming up roses for Ray Quinn... even his tattoos. MARION MCMULLEN finds out why the crooner is venturing into No Man’s Land
IT’S HARD to chat to Ray Quinn for more than a few minutes before you catch yourself staring at the intricate tattoos decorating both of his arms. “It’s like having a massive pair of knockers,” he laughs, “you catch people looking at the tattoos, but trying not to.”
The tattoos are all deeply personal to the former X Factor finalist and he had the first – a woman with a rose in her hair – two years ago in memory of his grandmother.
“She’s my angel,” he says. “She’s now passed away, but she once bought this flower and planted it in her garden, but didn’t know what it was,” he explains, “it could have been lavender or anything, but a big yellow rose grew from it and it turned out to be called Arthur’s Rose, which is my Grandfather’s name. So I’ve got a lot of rose tattoos.”
Ray also has a tattoo of his son Harry Frank with a beautiful cherub looking over him and a Mexican Day Of The Dead-style skull.
“It’s a bit scary,” he admits of the skull, “Did they hurt?
“Yes, but I’d still like to have more. It’s just finding the time to have them done and it is expensive. Women wax and do their nails,” he points out with a cheeky grin: “I’m just a metrosexual man living in a crazy world.”
His gym training has given him toned muscles and Ray says it is all part of his new image and direction.
A passion for music has also led him back into the recording studio 10 years after first appearing on the X Factor.
Nearly 13 million viewers watched his journey to the final of the ITV show. Leona Lewis beat him to the X Factor crown but his debut album, Doing It My Way, entered the UK album charts at number one and went on to sell more than 300,000 copies.
Since then Ray has had West End success in musicals like Grease, Dirty Dancing and Legally Blonde. He put on his skates to win ITV’s Dancing On Ice and later the Champion of Champions show two years ago.
Now he is returning to his musical roots and is currently touring and planning the release of his new album No Man’s Land.
“I’m so excited,” he says, passion evident in his voice. “I’m going in a new direction, changing it and, so far, I’m good.
“The album is all original material and I’ve been working with songwriters and producers to reflect me now, who I am. I wanted to do something real. It almost feels like starting again in the music world and saying this is me. I live, sleep, breathe music. It’s influenced my life and how I do everything. I think I have about 1,000 songs on my phone.”
“I could never have written these songs in my X Factor days. I had no life experience. I was 19 back then. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was happy-go-lucky and I needed to grow. I have been on tour over the years and seen the world and that changes you. It’s all on the album.”
He chuckles as he pauses for breath and says: “I can talk for days, as you can probably tell, but now I don’t need to. The songs say it all. I just have to press play.”
Musical theatre is still keeping the one-time Brookside child actor busy and he will be appearing in the UK tour of The Wedding Singer next year alongside Emmerdale’s Roxanne Pallett, Ruth Madoc and West End performers Jon Robyns and Cassie Compton. He will also appear in panto this year playing Prince Charming in Cinderella on home ground in Liverpool.
The Merseysider says a lot has changed in his life since his
X Factor days ... becoming a dad, getting married and the break-up of his marriage to Emma Stephens.
He says he has put all his feelings and emotions on the new album and he cannot wait to hear the reaction from his fans.
“It’s a completely new direction and I want people to know me. This means more to me than anything else I’ve ever done. This is what I see myself doing in my life. It’s a massive change.
“I feel very fortunate over the last 10 years to have so much in my life. Dancing On Ice, the X Factor and all the shows and the musicals. It’s been very colourful.
“It’s not easy to make it in the music industry, but this is what I want to do and I’ve made my choice.
“I sat down with the writers and they wrote down all my feelings and stories and we came up with song titles and lyrics and it all just seemed to fit. The lyrics are more powerful than anything else for me.
“You listen to Olly Murs or Girls Aloud and you know it’s them when you play their records. I decided two years ago to sing, tour, do festivals and have an album. It’s what I’ve always wanted and I just love it.”
He smiles: “I always had a dream that one day I would be standing on stage singing my own songs and the audience would be singing them back to me. That’s still the dream.”
Ray Quinn’s No Man’s Land tour runs until November. Go to rayquinnworld.co.uk for tour and album details