‘I’M CHEEKY, I’M FUN, I HAVE A GOOD TIME!‘
Olly Murs on facing up to his nerves, his make-or-break holiday with his girlfriend and why there’s no ego on his Saturday night show Starstruck
Singer Olly Murs has landed his first primetime solo hosting job and taken to the shiny floor of Starstruck like a pro. Olly is fronting the talent show in which people are transformed into their favourite musical icon, with three contestants teaming up each week to perform as the same star.
When we sit down with the 37-year-old, he admits his new role is a childhood dream come true. He even sent an audition tape to Stars In Their Eyes when he was younger, with his own impression of Ronan Keating. But he’s come a long way since then.
Essex-born Olly has been in showbiz for more than 12 years, having first appeared as a contestant on The X Factor in 2009, swiftly followed by chart hits, presenting
The X Factor
alongside Caroline Flack and becoming a coach on
The Voice UK.
Here, he talks to us about meeting the hopefuls who are performing as Team Olly Murs, how the Starstruck judges leave their egos at the door and how he knew his girlfriend Amelia Tank was The One.
Hi, Olly! Was it a no-brainer to say yes to this show, despite the nerves?
Yes, a no-brainer because nerves are good. It meant that I cared and I really wanted it to be successful and to do a good job.
Over the years when performing and being a singer, you get used to it and you forget what it feels like. I’m so used to doing that job or something like The Voice, for example. I don’t get nervous doing that show any more.
But with Starstruck I was like, “Oh my God!” That excitement, adrenaline and nervous energy
– I hadn’t felt it in so long. But I channelled the nerves in a positive way, thinking, “This is just because I’m so excited to do this.” It’s also nice to give yourself a challenge and take yourself out of your comfort zone. The opportunity of hosting a prime-time Saturday night show is something I’ve never done before on my own. I was super excited. It’s such a great show to watch, it’s so easy to follow and it’s fun, silly and great. You get to see three Lionel Richies on stage singing together from all different generations. And there are modern artists as well as the legends. There’s a real mix of talent. You could go from
Katy Perry to Barbra Streisand.
And we hear there are three Ollys at some point…
It was fun! I turned up that day and looked at my script and saw it said Olly Murs. I thought, “Wow, I have to brace myself for this.” It was really humbling and lovely and great fun with the judges. I’m biased but I thought they were the best of the night and they should win the series! How awkward if I had to say,
“The winner of Starstruck is… Olly Murs!” It was humbling to have three people come up who have studied me, how I sing and my mannerisms. It was pretty special and I enjoyed it.
Did it make you learn anything about yourself?
I was thinking, “Please tell me I don’t do that!” I don’t want to take anything away from them. They came out, performed as me and did a great job and there were parts of it I loved – and parts of it I didn’t.
How would you describe your presenting style?
I think because I’m an entertainer and a performer, I’m cheeky. I’m smiley, I’m fun and I like having a good time. I also don’t take things too seriously. When you’re the type of presenter I am, you can have a lot of fun with that. That’s what ITV wanted me to bring to the show. And also something fresh and different. What I can bring to a show is what other presenters can’t. For example, at the start of Starstruck, me and all the judges sing a song together. That’s something unique that other presenters can’t do. So I bring a different element to it. Listen, I don’t want to be a full-time presenter doing loads and loads of shows – I do other things like working in music and working on The Voice. So I loved the opportunity of being able to do this and doing it my way. It’s a blank page and it’s about showing people me as a presenter. In the past I was very fortunate to work with my mate Caroline [Flack] and she was so incredible to work with. I learnt a lot from her and now it’s a chance for me to do it on my own.
There’s such a great judging line-up. How did you all get on?
Brilliantly. All the egos were left at the door. No one came in dictating what we should or shouldn’t do. Everyone just got on really, really well. Adam [Lambert], Sheridan [Smith], Beverley [Knight] and Jason [Manford] all embraced the element of joy. It was great to watch. They all have their own things. Jason has his little comedy moments and his dad jokes, plus he can really sing and has performed in the West End. Beverley is obviously an incredible singer so she was really looking at the voice and making sure it does sound like the person. Sheridan was all about the character, looking at how they performed. And Adam, who is just Adam Lambert. He’s American, has an incredible personality and a larger-than-life voice. And obviously he sings
with Queen so he knows what it’s like to be part of something like that. It just worked really, really well. The whole dynamic worked.
You and Adam Lambert both had a similar rise to fame as runners-up on The X Factor and American Idol. Did you bond over that?
He was from the 2009 series of American Idol. I watched him before I did X Factor. Me and Adam have been in the industry for exactly the same amount of time and here we are working on the same show together. Adam is genuinely one of the nicest guys I’ve met in the industry.
He’s really down-to-earth, a lovely person and I think very much like me in that he hasn’t forgotten his roots and where he came from. He’s a great guy.
What’s kept you grounded?
I’ve got great people around me and great friends and family, but I think it’s also my age. I was lucky that I was 26 when I made it and I’d learnt the value of money and the fact that to earn anything in life and to be successful I had to work for it. I did all my crazy stuff and did the bad things before I was famous, living life as a teenager and learning everything. But when I got to 25, I knew I needed to change and needed to stop partying with my mates and take my career seriously. Coming into this job then, I was lucky. I don’t know
– if I’d have come into this at 16, god knows where I’d be now. I was mature enough to know what to do and what not to do, but having good friends and family is massively important. Too many celebrities get the wrong people around them at the wrong time and they can affect their decisions and their mindset.
You moved in with girlfriend Amelia Tank at the beginning of the first lockdown. How did you know she was The One?
When we went to Morocco on our first holiday together, we both definitely knew. It was the first time that we’d spent two weeks together with no breaks. This was two weeks of being solidly together. After two or three days, me and Amelia looked at each other and said, “Yeah, this is kind of it now, isn’t it?” We both told each other that we loved each other. When we came back from that trip, Amelia said, “I knew straight away that you were who I was going to spend the rest of my life with,” and I said the same.
That’s good as holidays can be make or break…
I agree. She actually put more pressure on herself. She told me afterwards, “I thought this was going to be make or break for us.” I was like, “Really?! I was already game, set and match!” But that’s what makes me and Amelia very different. When I know, I know. It was such a big thing for me to settle down and such a big moment to make a commitment to someone. I fought against it for so long and then when Amelia came into my life, I couldn’t fight it any more. I thought, “I’ve got to make it happen and grow up.” I did and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
What’s left for you now to tick off your bucket list?
To continue the subject of Amelia, I’d love to be a dad. That’s definitely on the bucket list. From a music point of view, I’d love to have another No1 and another success in the album and singles charts again. I’m always chasing that goal. I’d love to win a Brit award. I had a really good chance a few years back and I was gutted I didn’t get it. But these are little things that keep me motivated. I need something to chase every day. When you wake up in the morning and you don’t have anything else to chase, what’s the point in living? Every day I set myself small challenges and big challenges.
Starstruck continues Saturday, 8.30pm, ITV