Popstar to Operastar
Encyclopedia
Popstar to Operastar is a British television
programme singing competition based around the training of pop stars
of current to be able to sing opera
. The show began airing on ITV
on 15 January 2010 at 9pm. The show is repeated on TV3 Ireland
on Saturday evening. The programme is produced by Renegade Pictures. The title of the programme aptly describes the competition, turning successful popstars into operastars.
With the show being a singing competition, it featured appropriate judges: Rolando Villazón
, Katherine Jenkins
, Meat Loaf
and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
. Villazón and Jenkins also mentor the contestants giving them the songs to sing during the live shows. Meat Loaf and Bowen were critic-judges, who talked about their performances. However, after the first series, it was announced that Meat Loaf and Bowen would not be returning as judges. Their replacements were confirmed to be actor and opera-director, Simon Callow
and classical singer/violinist, Vanessa-Mae
. The presenters of the show were confirmed to be Alan Titchmarsh
and Myleene Klass
with the non-operatic Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem as the theme tune. However for the second series, Titchmarsh did not return to the show. The winner of the first series was Darius Campbell and winner of the second season was Joe McElderry
.
The first episode of season two brought in 6.28 million viewers bringing the show its highest ratings to date. Each week the results show features a guest performances, normally an operastar singing to promote their upcoming album. For every vote cast, money is donated to the Nordoff-Robbins charity. The winner also receives a payment for a charity of their choice.
charity.
, who would also mentor the contestants, and Rolando Villazón
who would mentor as well. Meat Loaf
and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
were also confirmed to be judge critics, who would judge the contestant's performances only and not mentor the acts. All of the four judges critique each performance.
Jenkins and Villazón mentor the acts, training the pop stars in the art of opera singing; bringing them out their comfort zone and training them to sing in an operatic voice.
It was then later confirmed that Myleene Klass
would present the show, however she was revealed as a co-host and Alan Titchmarsh
was confirmed to be the other co-host of the show and they would present it togther. However after series 1, Alan Titchmarsh confirmed that he would not return as the co-host of the show and Klass would present the show as a solo presenter.
After series one, it was confirmed that Meat Loaf and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen would not be returning as judges and would instead be replaced by Vanessa-Mae
and Simon Callow
.
Former:
Former:
Alan Titchmarsh
(2010)
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
programme singing competition based around the training of pop stars
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
of current to be able to sing opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. The show began airing on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
on 15 January 2010 at 9pm. The show is repeated on TV3 Ireland
TV3 Ireland
TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
on Saturday evening. The programme is produced by Renegade Pictures. The title of the programme aptly describes the competition, turning successful popstars into operastars.
With the show being a singing competition, it featured appropriate judges: Rolando Villazón
Rolando Villazón
Emilio Rolando Villazón Mauleón is a Mexican tenor. He settled in France and in 2007 became a French citizen.-Early life and education:...
, Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins is a Welsh mezzo-soprano. She is a classical-popular crossover singer who performs across a spectrum of operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre and hymns.-Early life and education:...
, Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen is a successful homestyle consultant best known for his appearances on the BBC television programme Changing Rooms...
. Villazón and Jenkins also mentor the contestants giving them the songs to sing during the live shows. Meat Loaf and Bowen were critic-judges, who talked about their performances. However, after the first series, it was announced that Meat Loaf and Bowen would not be returning as judges. Their replacements were confirmed to be actor and opera-director, Simon Callow
Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
and classical singer/violinist, Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson , known professionally as Vanessa-Mae , is an internationally known British violinist. Her music style is self-described as "violin techno-acoustic fusion", as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style...
. The presenters of the show were confirmed to be Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE DL is an English gardener, broadcaster and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a garden journalist, he established himself as a media personality through appearances on gardening programmes...
and Myleene Klass
Myleene Klass
Myleene Angela Quinn is an English singer, pianist, media personality and occasional model. She was formerly a member of the defunct British pop band Hear'Say.-Early life:...
with the non-operatic Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem as the theme tune. However for the second series, Titchmarsh did not return to the show. The winner of the first series was Darius Campbell and winner of the second season was Joe McElderry
Joe McElderry
Joseph "Joe" McElderry is an English singer and model. He won the sixth series of the ITV show The X Factor in 2009. His first single "The Climb" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Charts. He was also crowned the winner of the second series of Popstar to Operastar, two...
.
The first episode of season two brought in 6.28 million viewers bringing the show its highest ratings to date. Each week the results show features a guest performances, normally an operastar singing to promote their upcoming album. For every vote cast, money is donated to the Nordoff-Robbins charity. The winner also receives a payment for a charity of their choice.
Format
The show is an opera-singing competition in which eight celebrity singers who are known for singing pop music compete through the competition and try to win the title of the show. Each week they are trained by professional opera stars (mentors); who teach them how to sing opera. The acts all perform live, giving a performance of their operatic song in an effort to impress the public, who will vote for them to keep them in the competition. Each performance is shown both live on television and infront of a live studio audience. The two singers with the fewest public votes are in the bottom two and get the chance to sing again, however their previous performance are "forgiven and forgotten" and the judges vote based on their sing-off performance who should stay and go. During the first series, if the judges vote went to a tie, it would go down to the public vote, however during series two the head judge will get to decide who stays in the competition after the sing off, if it is a tie. The head judge changed every week. However if the judges vote against the contestant to stay in the competition they will be eliminated. A proportion of the revenue from the telephone votes is donated to the Nordoff-Robbins music therapyMusic therapy
Music therapy is an allied health profession and one of the expressive therapies, consisting of an interpersonal process in which a trained music therapist uses music and all of its facets—physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual—to help clients to improve or maintain their...
charity.
Judges and presenters
Once the show had been announced, there was a lot of speculation over who would be on the judging panel. However, it was later confirmed that the show's judges were to be Katherine JenkinsKatherine Jenkins
Katherine Jenkins is a Welsh mezzo-soprano. She is a classical-popular crossover singer who performs across a spectrum of operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre and hymns.-Early life and education:...
, who would also mentor the contestants, and Rolando Villazón
Rolando Villazón
Emilio Rolando Villazón Mauleón is a Mexican tenor. He settled in France and in 2007 became a French citizen.-Early life and education:...
who would mentor as well. Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen is a successful homestyle consultant best known for his appearances on the BBC television programme Changing Rooms...
were also confirmed to be judge critics, who would judge the contestant's performances only and not mentor the acts. All of the four judges critique each performance.
Jenkins and Villazón mentor the acts, training the pop stars in the art of opera singing; bringing them out their comfort zone and training them to sing in an operatic voice.
It was then later confirmed that Myleene Klass
Myleene Klass
Myleene Angela Quinn is an English singer, pianist, media personality and occasional model. She was formerly a member of the defunct British pop band Hear'Say.-Early life:...
would present the show, however she was revealed as a co-host and Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE DL is an English gardener, broadcaster and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a garden journalist, he established himself as a media personality through appearances on gardening programmes...
was confirmed to be the other co-host of the show and they would present it togther. However after series 1, Alan Titchmarsh confirmed that he would not return as the co-host of the show and Klass would present the show as a solo presenter.
After series one, it was confirmed that Meat Loaf and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen would not be returning as judges and would instead be replaced by Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson , known professionally as Vanessa-Mae , is an internationally known British violinist. Her music style is self-described as "violin techno-acoustic fusion", as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style...
and Simon Callow
Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
.
Judges
Current:- Katherine JenkinsKatherine JenkinsKatherine Jenkins is a Welsh mezzo-soprano. She is a classical-popular crossover singer who performs across a spectrum of operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre and hymns.-Early life and education:...
- Judge and Mentor (2010-) - Rolando VillazónRolando VillazónEmilio Rolando Villazón Mauleón is a Mexican tenor. He settled in France and in 2007 became a French citizen.-Early life and education:...
- Judge and Mentor (2010-) - Vanessa-MaeVanessa-MaeVanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson , known professionally as Vanessa-Mae , is an internationally known British violinist. Her music style is self-described as "violin techno-acoustic fusion", as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style...
- Judge (2011-) - Simon CallowSimon CallowSimon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
- Judge (2011-) - Alfie BoeAlfie BoeAlfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe, known professionally initially as Alf or Alfred Boe and now as Alfie Boe, , is an English tenor.-Background:...
- Guest Judge and Mentor (2011 Week 5)
Former:
- Meat LoafMeat LoafMichael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
- Judge (2010) - Laurence Llewelyn-BowenLaurence Llewelyn-BowenLaurence Llewelyn-Bowen is a successful homestyle consultant best known for his appearances on the BBC television programme Changing Rooms...
- Judge (2010)
Presenters
Current:- Myleene KlassMyleene KlassMyleene Angela Quinn is an English singer, pianist, media personality and occasional model. She was formerly a member of the defunct British pop band Hear'Say.-Early life:...
(2010-)
Former:
Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Titchmarsh
Alan Fred Titchmarsh, MBE DL is an English gardener, broadcaster and novelist. After working as a professional gardener and a garden journalist, he established himself as a media personality through appearances on gardening programmes...
(2010)
Series 1
Popstars
| Popstar | Solo/Group/Band | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Alex James Alex James (musician) Professionally known as Alex James is an English musician, songwriter, journalist and cheesemaker. He is best known as the bass player and occasional vocalist of band Blur... |
Blur (band) Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing... |
Eliminated (Week 1) |
| Vanessa White Vanessa White Vanessa Karen White is an English pop singer and songwriter. White was born to a Nigerian father and Spanish-Filipino mother. She rose to fame in 2008 as a member of English/Irish girl-group The Saturdays. She is the youngest member of the band. White is noted for her extensive vocal range.-Early... |
The Saturdays The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with... |
Eliminated (Week 2) |
| Jimmy Osmond Jimmy Osmond James Arthur "Jimmy" Osmond is an American singer, actor, and businessman.-Biography:Jimmy Osmond is the youngest of his siblings and an occasional member of their musical group, The Osmonds. He is the ninth and last child of George and Olive Osmond, and his siblings are Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne,... |
The Osmonds The Osmonds are an American family music group with a long and varied career—a career that took them from singing barbershop music as children, to achieving success as teen-music idols, to producing a hit television show, and to continued success as solo and group performers... |
Eliminated (Week 3) |
| Danny Jones Danny Jones Daniel Alan David "Danny" Jones is an English musician who is one of the lead vocalists and guitarists for pop rock band McFly, alongside fellow members Tom Fletcher , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd .-McFly:McFly rose to fame in 2004, in part due to their association with Busted who helped launch... |
McFly McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records... |
Eliminated (Week 4) |
| Kym Marsh Kym Marsh Kimberley Gail Marsh is an English actress and singer.- Early life :Marsh was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester and raised in Garswood, in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside... |
Solo (music) In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer... / Hear'Say Hear'Say Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of... |
Eliminated (Week 5) |
| Marcella Detroit Marcella Detroit Marcella Detroit is a vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter. She was a member of the band Shakespears Sister, along with Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama. Detroit's soprano voice provided lead vocals on their biggest hit, "Stay," which was No... |
Shakespears Sister Shakespears Sister/Shakespear's Sister is a British-based synth-pop-rock band formed by Irish-born singer–songwriter Siobhan Fahey in 1988, with plaudits including a BRIT Award and Ivor Novello Award. It was Fahey's first musical outing since leaving Bananarama, and initially a solo project... |
Third place (Week 5) |
| Bernie Nolan | The Nolans The Nolans are an Anglo-Irish all-female band consisting of a group of sisters. The group, best known for their song "I'm In the Mood for Dancing", gained prominence as guest performers on numerous television shows in the United Kingdom... |
Runner Up (Week 6) |
| Darius Campbell | Solo (music) In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer... |
Winner (Week 6) |
Series 2
Popstars
| Popstar | Solo/Group/Band | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Midge Ure Midge Ure James "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter... |
Soloist Soloist may refer to:*Solo , a person playing music or singing alone*Solo , a dancer who dances alone*Soloist , a rank within a ballet company above corps de ballet but below principal dancer... / Ultravox Ultravox Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements.... |
Eliminated (Week 1) |
| Jocelyn Brown Jocelyn Brown Jocelyn Lorette Brown is an American R&B and dance music singer... |
Solo (music) In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer... |
Eliminated (Week 2) |
| Melody Thornton Melody Thornton Melody Thornton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, Soprano vocalist, dancer, model, showgirl and television personality who rose to stardom as a member of the successful pop group the Pussycat Dolls... |
Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995... |
Eliminated (Week 3) |
| Andy Bell Andy Bell (singer) Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough... |
|
Eliminated (Week 4) |
| Joseph Washbourn Toploader Toploader are an English band from Eastbourne who formed in 1997, with over two million album sales to their name and a string of top 20 hits both home and abroad. Their debut album, Onka's Big Moka, sold over 1 million units and remained in the Top 5 of the UK album chart for over six months... |
Toploader Toploader are an English band from Eastbourne who formed in 1997, with over two million album sales to their name and a string of top 20 hits both home and abroad. Their debut album, Onka's Big Moka, sold over 1 million units and remained in the Top 5 of the UK album chart for over six months... |
Eliminated (Week 5) |
| Claire Richards Claire Richards Claire Ann Richards is an English singer best known for being the lead singer of Steps from 1997 to 2001. She was a contestant on the second series of Popstar to Operastar before being voted off in the Semi Finals... |
|
Third Place (Week 5) |
| Cheryl Baker Cheryl Baker Cheryl Baker is an English television presenter and singer. She is most famous for being a member of 1980s pop group Bucks Fizz, and has performed for the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest twice, winning it the second time.-Early career:After leaving school and a series of secretarial jobs, Cheryl... |
Bucks Fizz (band) Bucks Fizz are an English pop group who achieved success in the 1980s, most notably for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Making Your Mind Up". The group was formed in January 1981 specifically for the contest and comprised four vocalists: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and... |
Runner Up (Week 6) |
| Joe McElderry Joe McElderry Joseph "Joe" McElderry is an English singer and model. He won the sixth series of the ITV show The X Factor in 2009. His first single "The Climb" reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Charts. He was also crowned the winner of the second series of Popstar to Operastar, two... |
Solo (music) In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer... |
Winner (Week 6) |