(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) -span--i- The singer is set to bring the 90s back to life when he performs tomorrow night in Dubai. We speak to him about life in the limelight and why his famous six-pack almost ruined him. -i--br- -br-
-p- Unlike the vast majority of 90s pop icons whose stars have long faded singer Peter Andre is still very much in the public eye - just the way he likes it. -p-
For nearly two decades he’s managed to maintain a thriving career off the back of his one major hit Mysterious Girl by appearing on countless reality shows performing gigs and engaging in high profile romances (followed by messy breakups). -p-
Tomorrow night Andre will be taking longtime fans on a trip down memory lane when he performs at the Mixtape Rewind concert in Emirates Golf Club alongside fellow 90s sensations 5ive and B*witched. -p-
A frequent visitor to the city Andre remembers Dubai before the development boom and says what he misses most is the simplicity and authenticity of the desert excursions he would take part in during his travels here. He’s even hoping to open up a chain of coffee shops in town following the success of the British outlets he co-owns with his brothers. -p-
Andre comes across as jovial and sincere when we met up with him yesterday at the Le Royal Meridien Hotel in Dubai. Today life for the 41-year-old could not be more different than when he first started out in the industry as an ambitious teenager with talent and looks to match. -p-
“I got offered a recording deal on national TV when I was 16” Andre recalls “but my father wanted me to go to university and study architecture.” -p-
His strict Greek Cypriot father refused to co-sign on the deal forcing Andre to wait until his 18th birthday when he would come of legal age. -p-
“I was so upset at the time but now I’m so grateful.” -p-
The pace of life that Andre now enjoys is worlds away from his youth when maintaining his enviable body became too much to handle. With a six-pack more famous than his own music Andre forced himself at the time to follow an incredibly exhausting routine that involved no less than a thousand sit-ups daily. Though he’s maintained his athletic frame and continues to live a healthy lifestyle the star admits he doesn’t even like taking his shirt off on the beach to avoid judgment from the tabloids. -p-
“The videos are what made the songs a big hit” he says. “The problem was now I was always going to be compared to that.” -p-
Back then Andre was touring Europe with newly launched boy bands ‘N Sync and the Backstreet Boys. He admits it’s surreal to see the transition of Justin Timberlake into one of the biggest artists in the industry today especially since he himself hoped to be remembered for more than Mysterious Girl. -p-
“You always dream that you would be known by a song with really good lyrics but you can’t always choose which song you’re going to be remembered by.” -p-
“It’s a great summer song and I still love to perform it. Even though the lyrics are simple it’s still feel good music.” -p-
Much of the public interest for Andre in recent years has come from his failed marriage to glamour model Katie Price with whom he shares two children Junior 9 and seven-year-old Princess. The pair who met and fell in love in front of the cameras on the UK reality show I’m a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! continue to play out their family drama in interviews and social networking sites. The star is currently engaged to Emily MacDonagh the mother of his infant daughter Amelia. -p-
“I keep the kids guarded from a lot of things” he explains. “There’s a lot of positivity in England...but when there’s anything negative I guard them from it.” -p-
With a Christmas album on the way and television projects in the pipeline Andre is looking forward to giving fans in Dubai a night of pure nostalgia. Just don’t expect him to flash his six-pack. -p-
Tickets start at Dhs275 and are available from Virgin Megastore. -p-
kadry@khaleejtimes.com
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