Pop star Rick Astley says he is never gonna give up and has no plans to retire from the spotlight – because he doesn’t think he’s famous.
Rick, 57, one of the biggest-selling stars of the 1980s, still sells out concerts and festivals around the world.
But despite his success, the ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ hitmaker believes he’s ”pretty much not famous”’.
He previously walked away from music after a run of hits in the early 1990s at the age of 27 but says he can’t see himself doing that again.
Rick was speaking to RETROPOP’s November issue ahead of the release of his new album ‘Are We There Yet?’.
He said: “One of the huge differences now is that I’m sort of famous but pretty much not.
”I’m kind of famous if someone brings me up and says ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’, Rick Astley, there he is’.
”You can make that connection but I’m not famous if I’m just going into a supermarket.
“So yes, I do get recognized a little bit and even more so since we did Glastonbury and it was on the iPlayer.
”But I’m not really famous in the way that I was towards the end of the ‘80s and the beginning of the ‘90s.
”Also, I was a hell of a lot younger.
”I didn’t really have much experience of life in any shape or form and stepping away from it was kind of the only alternative for me at that time.”
After global success as part of Stock Aitken Waterman’s Hit Factory, Rick’s star began to fade as he approached his fourth album.
He said: “Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t like I was at the peak of my career or anything when I walked away.
”It wasn’t like people were going to be desperately upset at the record label if I said, ‘I don’t want to do it anymore’ – I’m sure they were maybe quite relieved to some degree.”
But after returning to the top of the charts in 2016 with his comeback LP ’50’, Rick is no longer chasing success.
He said: “With music and stuff, I think I’m done now – meaning I don’t feel the need to achieve anything more and I think that relates back to not understanding what the music business is anymore and what is considered success.
”Obviously, playing the Glastonbury Pyramid Stage is a certain level of success and you can say to yourself, ‘yes you are there, you’ve just done the biggest stage you can play on’.
”But without me getting too deep about it, with the human race, I don’t think it ever stops.”
Produced in association with SWNS Talker
