Nicky Spence

Nicky Spence

'Och, they drive you mad, don't they!' says Nicky Spence in a comedy Highlands accent. We are talking about pesky BT callers, by whom we have both recently been plagued. It's hard to believe that this personable tenor allows anyone or anything to drive him mad, such is his easygoing manner. Two minutes into our conversation, he has already suggested that he is sure I am 'gooooorgeous' in the flesh, extolled the virtues of Katherine Jenkins and lamented the poor treatment of old people in the UK.

But it wasn't just Spence's good nature that bagged him a five-album Universal Classics record deal in 2005, though I can't help but think that the A&R bosses might have been just a little bit won over by his sweetness and sense of humour as well as his delicate and lyrical vocal stylings.

In January, just shy of his 23rd birthday, Spence released his debut album with Universal - the Classical Brit-nominated My First Love, a mix of old favourites and traditional Scottish tunes. He says, 'I am definitely very proud of it but it doesn't sound like me now. When you're a young tenor, you are always changing. But when you make a record you're setting yourself in stone in a way so you have to just do the best you can, give it some Ovaltine and put it to bed.'

The eclectic nature of the disc (La Traviata alongside the Skye Boat Song), says Spence, was a result of his personal choices and some very heated meetings. 'I didn't want to just do Nessun Dorma and all of that stuff,' he says. 'I wanted something honest.'

'I work in opera too so I see myself doing what Bryn Terfel has done, if I can'

Some young performers might worry that a major record deal like this might also strip them of their creative integrity, but Spence is clear-headed about this. 'I work in opera too so I see myself doing what Bryn Terfel has done, if I can,' he says. 'At Universal they see me as a developing artist so it's about longevity. I want to do lesser-known works that people won't have heard of but would become popular if they heard more of them.'

Spence is adamant that he didn't compromise anything for the record and will not alter his essential ethos for commercial gain. 'But ask me in 10 years' time when I am sitting in a Lamborghini with a hot girl on my lap,' he adds with a chuckle.

He is likely to keep grounded by the sheer variety in his work. Currently travelling with the English Touring Opera, he opened for Shirley Bassey on her arena tour and performed the world premiere of a Rutter work at last year's Classical Brits. 'I am a bit of a stage animal,' he admits. 'I always wanted to be an actor and with the opera it's really nice to be part of a cast and to have pals around me.' Spence's acting skills have won him rave reviews for his operatic work. 'The two go hand in hand,' he says. 'I would rather sing a song with conviction than with technical brilliance.'

It was a foregone conclusion that Nicky Spence would end up as a performer. Born and raised in Dumfries, he took up classical singing at 16 on the advice of a teacher. 'I always made quite a lot of noise,' he laughs. 'When I was 16 my music teacher said, "Go and do classical music," so I did. Scottish people don't like upsetting folk.'

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