A Hamilton man, who has become an online celebrity after being secretly filmed singing opera on a train, has revealed that he has never even had a singing lesson.
William Boyle (24), from Little Earnock, was returning home after a works’ night out when he was egged on by a group of strangers to join them in a singalong on the last train to Hamilton.
Passengers were shocked into silence when the former Earnock High pupil started to belt out Pavarotti classic Nessun Dorma.
The famous footage of William’s performance has had 195,455 views and has been shared over 4000 times.
But, unknown to his fellow travellers, William, who regularly sings in The Tap Room, learned the 1990 hit from watching Pavarotti videos and listening to the song on his iPod.
Since Saturday night’s impromptu train performance, William, now dubbed Hamilton’s answer to Pavarotti, has appeared on STV’s Riverside Show and has been interviewed by various radio stations.
William, who used to be a paper boy for the Hamilton Advertiser, said: “It has been crazy, I think I have had about three hours sleep since Sunday.
“I think I have sang Nessun Dorma more than Pavarotti – when I ask DJs in pubs if I can sing it they give me funny looks.
“I get asked all of the time what key I am in – I’ve not a clue. I am not trained and have never had a vocal coach. I watch Pavarotti videos and learned the words on my iPod.
“My phone hasn’t stopped for the past two days. I’m overwhelmed with the response I’ve had and the comments from people have been amazing.
“I feel like I’m dreaming, all I’ve ever wanted to do is make people happy with singing, it’s my dream.
“I am really glad I am getting the exposure. I didn’t even know I was being filmed, but it’s got me so much exposure and so many views online.
“I’d love to be a full time singer, I do gigs in and around Hamilton, especially at The Tap Room.”
Speaking about the now infamous train journey, he said: “The train went mad and everyone was clapping. When I got off at Hamilton West, they were all banging on the windows. The train driver even got off and shook my hand.
“When I woke up at 11am (on Sunday) I had over 200 Facebook notifications and I thought ‘I’ve not even got that many friends.”
William added: “People say I don’t look like an opera singer – and truth is, I don’t even own a suit.”
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