Cellphone Salesman Stuns Show

Posted by Sarah Canice Funke Oct 19, 2007

As tenors go, Paul Potts never took the usual routes to professional classical singing. Instead of going to a conservatory, he stacked store shelves and sold cellphones. When he did have some money, he spent three months in Italy studying voice and Italian.

What made him decide to try out for Britain Got's Talent, a reality TV show patterned after American Idol and dominated by pop singers? He flipped a coin, and decided to take a chance. Now he's promoting his first album, One Chance, and giving interviews with major news networks.

Potts' choice to perform "Nessun Dorma" right on the heels of Pavarotti's death may account for his instant rocket to fame. His rags-to-riches story is also a familiar trope that never fails to appeal to Western audiences. But after all the deaths this summer, the opera world could use some new blood.

To read more of Pott's story, please see the CBC article. You can also view the video, if you missed it the first time around.