Rick Astley had huge fame with his pop hit ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, but six years later, it was all over. After a challenging time, he found his way back to a successful music career, older and wiser. It was his performance at Glastonbury in 2023 that convinced him to finally write his autobiography.
What story! His upbringing was unconventional, to say the least, with him and his brothers living with his dad after his parents split. His dad was unpredictable and often had violent mood swings that kept them all on edge. When Rick was beginning to have some success with music, he saw it as a way to escape, to forge his own pathway in the world.
When his career took off, it took off in a way that was a huge whirlwind – touring, TV appearances and media scrutiny and selling millions of records globally. It was a lot for someone so young. Rick takes us behind the scenes of this exhilarating time with amusing anecdotes of many of the other artists he met at the time. But things went off the rails for a while, but he found reflection and therapy helpful to rebuild before he found his way back to a successful career.
Written in an engaging, unpretentious style, it’s an easy, insightful read – a must-read for his millions of fans, but also a great read for anyone wanting some insight into a creative life with all of its ups and downs.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Pan Macmillan