Paul Potts and the Art of Never Giving Up

British born Paul Potts is an opera singer, and he is a fine one at that. But it is how Potts arrived at this point in his life that is something right out of a comedy film. His life story is so unusual, that if you were to see it in a movie or TV sitcom you probably wouldn’t believe it.

Paul Potts was born in Bristol, England on October 13, 1970. He had always liked opera and always had the desire to be an opera singer. A victim of bullying, he experienced a difficult time during school, causing him to grow up with little confidence. But his interest remained and he practiced his passion secretly – up until 1999, when he decided it was time to make his stand. Dressing up as Luciano Pavarotti, Paul actually got up on stage during a karaoke competition and sang opera. He was somewhat discovered that night and went on to sing opera, unpaid, for a few opera companies until his hopes were dashed yet again by a series of illnesses, followed by a serious injury sustained in a bicycle accident.

Potts then went to work for Bridgend Carphone Warehouse where he worked at a routine job as a mobile phone salesman. In 2003, he married a young woman that he had met in an Internet chat room. All the while, he kept his opera singing passion and desires secretly alive.

Then on June 7, 2007, it all changed once again for Potts. He decided to throw himself into the mix for a new Simon Cowell talent show called Britain’s Got Talent, and to the astonishment of everyone connected with the show,  he wowed the audience with a beautiful rendition of Nessun Dorma.

Potts continued to impress beyond all expectations and was declared the winner of the first-ever Britain’s Got Talent competition. Creator Simon Cowell instantly signed Potts to a recording contract. The resulting album – called One Chance, zoomed to the top of the classical/opera recording charts everywhere from Australia to Norway.

His stunning voice, his astounding vocal range (for someone untrained except for a few lessons he had in Italy that he paid for out of his own savings), matched with his very human story, has made Paul Potts the subject of interest in magazines to television shows the world over. But the question that is asked of all reality show winners – whether or not this is a manufactured, flash-in-the-pan bit of success or real, sustainable talent – is not being asked of Paul Potts. His voice and ability make that question completely unnecessary.