Lee Mead talks upcoming concert ‘The Best Of Me’: “I connect more with those who tell a story than those who have a great voice”

The West End star returns to the Vaudeville Theatre with his latest solo performance, playing in London for one night only ahead of its following national tour. Guillermo Nazara chats with the performer, to learn all the facts about this new gig meant to be his most personal one to date – and which will be opening a series of recitals featuring several other big musical theatre names.

How does it feel to be bringing your own solo concert back to the West End, as the opening of this new series?

It really feels wonderful. And I feel so honoured, too – especially since I’ve worked with Westway before. To any artist, bringing your own concert to the West End is a huge thing and absolute privilege. I’ve been lucky enough to keep working in the industry continuously for about 25 years – since I got my first job singing at car ferry in Bilbao! I’ve been blessed to do such incredible stuff in my career: from singing for the Queen and the Royal Family to doing a gig at the Palladium. When it’s your own show, the energy is very different. When I was a boy, I couldn’t imagine being in the lead cast of so many top musicals, let alone doing my own concerts! To get back to the Vaudeville Theatre will also be very special.

I have a great band, too. My incredible musical director, Adam Dennis, always performs as first keys at the Royal Variety, and he just backed Robbie Williams and he does a lot of stuff for Radio 2. We’ve assembled a really rich group: guitarists, sax player, clarinets… I think that’s very important, because I believe the singer is only as good as their band. If you have amazing musicians, that truly makes a difference. When you’re singing, you should be completely lost into the music, and not worry if the orchestra is keeping up with you. But with this one, I feel absolutely safe. I know I don’t have to worry no matter if it is a big vocal number or a more tender one.

What can you tell us about the repertoire?

The show is a collection of tunes that I have performed all through my career – either songs that I’ve recorded for albums or numbers I’ve performed in the musicals I’ve starred in, like Chicago or, obviously, Joseph. I think it’s very important for an audience to have a connection with every piece – so I’ll be introducing them through my personal story, and why the hold significance in my life. I’m really looking forward to it – it’s going to be a great evening of pure conversation through music.

Apart from having performed them before, are there any other reasons behind your choice of songs?

As a performer, I don’t see myself as somebody who only sings musical theatre – even though that branch is a pivotal part of my career. For many years, I’ve been writing my own music, and I’ve sung more contemporary songs, too. As a singer, it’s very important for me to connect with what other people have created. That personal connection is what really matters to me. I love showtunes and I’ll keep singing them of my life – but if those were the only thing I did, I’d be quite bored.

Will you be bringing a new approach to the repertoire in terms on musical style?

That’s a really good question – I’m not asked that very often! Adam Denis, my Music Director, is behind the arrangements. He’s very talented and has worked with lots of great performers – for example, he’s just done some arrangements for Oasis. We’ve gone through every song. Some of them are very faithful to the original. For instance, All I Care About Is Love from Chicago is so specific, you can’t really change it. But some numbers will have a different flavour. It does make it more interesting for both an audience and me as a singer as well. However, on the whole, we’ve tried not to go too far away from the songs’ roots. On the other hand, the most important thing to me is telling a story – I connect more with those who tell a story than those who have a great voice.

Will this concert be bringing anything new in comparison to your previous ones?

Yes! This show will be on tour from May on. This one will be the most personal one. I’ll be talking about all those I’ve met in every key moment of my life. I’ve been open about it before, but it’s taking me a lot of years to really feel comfortable about it – as well as reflecting about my life journey: how things looked to me back in the day and now, the way I see it, the way I think… In terms of the songs, I believe my choices have changed as I’ve grown older. My voice has matured, so there are tunes that now I feel more confident in performing than before – apart from some original music!

That will actually be one of the highlights of the repertoire. What’s the story behind the original song you’ll be performing?

It’s called Let The River Flow. It’s a song I feel particularly proud of, because it made it to national radio – which is very hard to get when you’re working as an independent artist instead of signed to a record label. We’re still not sure if we’ll be performing it in the West End, but it will definitely be featured in the tour. That tune is about all the women in my life. The song is about dominance: men that control women, or women that control men, or men that control men, etc. I wanted to write a song that expressed that, about not being suppressed and not let someone control you in a relationship. It’s something very common – even nowadays. The lyrics are about breaking free and stay away from those who don’t let you be yourself. Whoever you are with, they should support you, and it should be an equal relationship – none of the parts should be above the other.

If you had to give me one single reason to come see The Best Of Me, which one would it be?

That’s tricky! I’d say: pure authenticity and honesty. It’s hard talking about yourself, but I know that the reason why my shows have been such a success and enjoyable is because I’m a very open person. When I’m onstage, I like to be that way when I speak and when I sing.

The Best Of Me will play at London’s Vaudeville Theatre on 10 March for one night only, followed by several other West End star-led concerts. Tickets for all upcoming performances are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara