Never

When ‘*Never Gonna Give You Up*’ propelled Rick Astley into the pop stratosphere, it irrevocably changed his life. Nothing could have prepared the boy from Lancashire for what was in store for him. At just nineteen years old, Rick agreed to sign with legendary production team Stock Aitken Waterman, giving him a peek into the mechanics of the music industry and eventually leading him to platinum-selling albums and global tours. To outsiders, it would appear that the world was at Rick’s feet. Then, suddenly, at the height of his fame, it wasn’t. Behind the hits and the glitz and glamour was a young man coming to terms with his new-found fame, the realities of a career in the pop-music machine and the pressures of life on the road, not to mention the fallout from a childhood spent torn between divorced parents in a volatile family dynamic. Time away from the industry offered Rick room for much-needed reflection – and, unknowingly, helped set the stage for his triumphant return to music. This is Rick’s story, in his own words.