Jamie Pugh – Britain’s Got Talent

Archive for May, 2009

Jamie Pugh is to try hypnosis in a bid to conquer his nerves, according to a report today in the Daily Mirror. Jamie is hoping to make it as a professional singer if he can only stop himself from being so nervous when he performs.

“But first I must find out what is making me so nervous. I’m hoping hypnosis will provide the answer. The judges didn’t see the real me,” he said.

Sadly, Jamie Pugh was unsuccessful in his attempt to get into the final of Britain’s Got Talent. He sang “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha and you can view his performance here:

Jamie did not receive enough of the public vote to finish in the top three and so was out of the competition.

Piers Morgan said that Jamie controlled his nerves well but didn’t perform as well as he had for his audtion. Amanda Holden, who buzzed during the performance, said that she didn’t feel comfortable watching him because he was so nervous. Simon Cowell told Jamie that his last note was very good but as an overall performance, it wasn’t good enough.

The dance troupe Flawless and singer Shaun Smith will go through to appear in the final on Saturday.

Jamie Pugh will appear in the second semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent tonight alongside DJ Talent, Mama Trish, Gareth Oliver, Shaun Smith, Flawless, Hot Honeys and Merlin Cadogan.

Good luck, Jamie! We hope you get into the final.

Jamie Pugh looked visibly emotional as the semi finaliats of Britain’s Got Talent were revealed on air last night.

As it was confirmed that he had made it to the semi finals, he coudn’t stop the tears of relief from flowing.

We all knew you’d make it to the semi finals, Jamie!

Piers Morgan has been talking about his favourite Britain’s Got Talent contestants in The Sun today. Of Jamie Pugh, he says: “He delivers pizzas at night, yet he sings like a star. We’re all very taken by him. He’s a great talent.”

Jamie Pugh, who was speaking exclusively to Wales On Sunday, has stated how he wanted to quit the show after he was called a liar. He even at one stage shaved off his beard so that he wouldn’t be recognised in the street.

Jamie overcame crippling stage fright to sing “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables on Britain’s Got Talent. Before he sang, he told Simon Cowell that he’d never sung in front of a large audience.  However, a video emerged of Jamie’s appearance in a 2006 West End talent show as part of a group which sang a medley of Rod Stewart songs.

Jamie told Wales on Sunday how the accusation battered his fragile confidence and it was only the support of his girlfriend Donna that prevented him quitting the shoe.

Jamie said: “If I didn’t have Donna, I would have quit. She’s my everything. That story in the paper really hurt. I bring my children up to be honest and it was blazed across that I was a liar.

“I’ve never hidden the fact I was on that show. What people have to understand is I wasn’t on my own. I’ve never walked onto a stage on my own.”

“My life is a struggle but I have everybody I want close to me. I’m the man I’ve always wanted to be. Every morning I wake up wanting to be a good man, good partner and good worker. I’m confident in everything else apart from my singing. It’s one of the few things that cripples me because I’m giving you everything I’ve got. It’s personal for me. With singing, it’s the one time I can give you everything I’ve got. When I sing I feel it.”

Jamie’s partner of the last seven years, Donna, said that Jamie had reacted badly to the criticism.

She revealed: “He takes all this to heart. Last week was atrocious, heartbreaking. We thought about locking the door and not letting anybody in but you can’t do that.

“It was a personal attack on him and he thought everybody hated him.

“I told him that no matter what happens, he’s still going to be my partner, he’s still going to be a dad and work starts tomorrow. It would have consumed him and made him feel so low.

“It could have got to the point where he wouldn’t have been able to get back up again. To sing he has to feel it and he wouldn’t be able to do that if he was depressed and not worth anything.”

Jamie said that he has been coping with the pressures by staying close to his family and friends whilst preparing for the next stage of the competition on  May 23.

Jamie should take some comfort from the results of the poll on this website. In answer to the question:

Do you forgive Jamie his so-called fib?

42% of you replied that there was nothing to forgive, he didn’t fib. A further 40% said that yes, they forgave him, making a total of 82% of respondents who were still supporting him, including me!

So Jamie, we all wish you loads of luck for May 23rd!

Jamie Pugh is currently second favourite to win Britain's Got Talent

With the semi-finals in site, Jamie Pugh is currently second favourite to win Britain’s Got Talent. Ladbrokes are currently offering odds of 6-1 that Jamie Pugh will win the competition. Susan Boyle is still odds on favourite to win with odds of 4-5.

Holly Steel and Shaheen Jafargholi are joint third favourites at 8-1 and last week’s entrant Shaun Smith is at 9-1. The opera singing Greg Pritchard is currently at 25-1, whilst Soprano Sax playing Julian Smith is at 16-1. Breast revealing Fabio Cerra currently has the longest odds at 100-1.

But will it all change tonight?

Jamie Pugh performed as part of a group at the Haymarket in 2006

It has come to light that Jamie Pugh has previously performed in the West End. In 2006, he appeared in Star EFX Sunday Night Live – an event set up to showcase new talent – at Her Majesty’s theatre in Haymarket, London. The theatre is a 1,200-seat venue that is currently hosting the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Phantom of the Opera.

He sang a medley of Rod Stewart hits with a group of six other performers,  and performed a solo of Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World.

A number of the daily newspapers are accusing Jamie Pugh of “fibbing” about not having appeared on stage in the West End before. The story probably broke in The Sun newspaper, who on their website have the video on Jamie’s 2006 West End performance (also available below).

There has been a certain degree of outraged indignation from the newspapers, because when Simon Cowell asked Jamie: “Out of interest have you ever done anything like this, where you’ve sung with an audience like this?”Jamie replied: “No!

“I suffer severe stage fright. It cripples me really. I’ve come here today to see if I can get through three minutes.

“I’m just a simple bloke from The Valleys and my dream is to sing at the Royal Variety.“

Jamie has responded to the allegations, saying: “I have previously performed as part of a group but I never sang alone. It didn’t go that well.”

My Opinion

So what if Jamie performed as part of a group in a new talent showcase – that’s what undiscovered people do to try and get noticed. He was on stage with 12 other people, not as a solo performer. It is not like he is hiding a professional past, or hiding an agent, or a previous recording contract. He truthfully answered Simon’s question under the pressure of the moment that no, he had never done anything like this before as a solo artiste (a solo part in a group doesn’t count).

Jamie was obviously really nervous before Saturday’s performance. He was not putting it on, anyone could see that. And to be honest, his nerves are apparent in the video of the start of his West End solo. He is completely off key until he calms down and gets into the song.

Jamie, don’t let it get you down! There’ll be another story to take everyone’s attention tomorrow. We still love you!

See Jamie’s previous West End performance here:

Jamie Pugh today appeared alongside Sue Son on “This Morning”, and was interviewed by Philip Schofield and Fern Britten about his amazing talent, and overcoming his nerves.

“Most people don’t know I even sing,” said Jamie. He added: “I’ve kept it very quiet.

“Only close people know that I sing.”

Philip Schofield suggested that Jamie would need to have “nerves of steel” to sing Bring Him Home from Les Miserables on National TV.

“It is that song Bring Him Home. I was lucky enough to see the musical as a child. The music is phenomenal.”

Philip suggested to Jamie that he must have been “quaking in his boots” when he had to hold the last note of the song. “That’s the bit of the song I fear the most,” said Jamie. “Because you know it’s coming.

“Anyone who knows the song know’s it’s the money note.”

Jamie Pugh admitted that he used to show off as a child, singing and dancing to Michael Jackson songs. Philip asked why he had become so shy and nervous since that time.

“As you grow older, you start to think about things more, you start to overthink,” Jamie explained.

Philip asked Jamie how he will be if he wins and has to appear in front of the Queen at the Royal Variety Performance.

“To be honest, I don’t really think about that, I have to cross each bridge as I come to it,” he replied.

We’re right behind you Jamie!

Jamie Pugh and his voice coach, Andrea Beardshaw, have been explaining Jamie’s shyness in an interview with the Daily Mirror. Jamie first went to see Andrea to improve his breathing and pronunciation whilst singing, but initially was too shy to sing in front of her.

“It took a while to sing in front of her”, he revealed.

Andrea added: “He was so nervous and shy at first – he had no confidence. He had a cracking voice but he had no idea what to do with it.

“The first thing he sang for me was Bring Him Home – the song he performed on Britain’s Got Talent. I’m super-proud of him.”