Hard work is the best road to the top, says singer Nathan Carter

AS the title of his Born For The Road tour suggests, Nathan Carter loves playing live best of all.

Born in Liverpool to Irish parents, the singer and multi-instrumentalist has enjoyed success and popularity in the Emerald Isle and the British mainland.

As he embarks on another lengthy series of gigs across the land after his latest tour of the USA and Canada, Nathan admits to feeling tired but happy.

“It’s the tour that never ends,” laughs the young man some consider the new Daniel O’Donnell.

“You don’t get many days off, and we came back from America straight into Irish gigs and now the British ones coming up.

“They love their music in the United States, for sure, and they are very appreciative, especially when they know you have travelled there from the UK or Ireland. It is a big deal for them.

“I get that Daniel O’Donnell question an awful lot, and I guess I kind of do the same genre of music, though I’d like to think it’s a bit more modern.

“But it’s a big compliment, because Daniel has been in the business for 40 years, had a massive career, earned a lot of money. And he still has that fan base, so you have to respect that.”

They were on an Irish talk show together, which you can find on YouTube, in which Nathan got the guitar out, the audience sang along, and O’Donnell accompanied him from his seat on the couch.

As Nathan reveals, however, you’d be mistaken to assume that 99% of his faithful fans have any kind of Irish roots at all.

“The majority of my fans are probably not Irish, to be honest,” he points out. “They are just people across the UK who like Irish, folk, country, rootsy music, and that is what I do, a mixture of Celtic, folk, country and writing my own stuff as well.”

Accustomed to stepping onstage to mass crowds – like Mr O’Donnell, the majority of them female – Nathan stresses that learning this business the traditional way is the best way to do it.

“I don’t really like the talent shows, to be totally honest,” he shrugs, “and I think it’s a kind of fake reality of the music business. You need to do a lot of hard work and build a fan base.

“If you want to be famous straight away, that’s up to you. But the reality is going to play pubs and sometimes ending up not getting paid at the end of the gig.

“You have to pack the van yourself and travel the miles across the country. All of that makes you appreciate it when you do get a good night and you play a big venue.”

Learning in the music biz school-of-hard-knocks has turned Nathan into a bona fide star, who doesn’t need to be the “new” anyone.

Nathan Carter’s Born For The Road tour begins on January 24 at Harlow Playhouse. For full dates, see www.nathancartermusic.com/dates