'There is no way I'd change it but it was pretty crazy': Rick Astley on his rise to fame

Rick Astley speaks to Natalie Boare

The singer of 'Never Gonna Give You Up' has said it was "pretty crazy" how the song was a huge hit and helped launch his career at just 21 years old.

Rick Astley shot to fame with his first song and is now enjoying continued chart success with his latest album 'Are We There Yet?'

Speaking to ITV News Meridian, he said: "Having your first record be your biggest record is a bit strange. It would have been nice to gradually head up the charts and get a feel for it but that didn't happen for me.

"The first [record] was number one around the world, including America so it was a bit crazy.

"I don't think I took to it very well - if I'm honest. I don't regret it, there is no way I'd change it, but it was pretty crazy."

Now he is having fun making music videos for his latest album using just a mobile phone.

He filmed the music video for 'Never Gonna Stop' in Denmark with his wife and filmmaker friend Simon Pegg.

Astley continued: "My wife and I were in Denmark and we had run out of time to make a video, which sounds crazy, but that's what happened.

"So we just decided to run down to the beach with a phone and there's a really beautiful wood by the beach in Denmark and we just decided to shoot some stuff and have a bit of fun on the beach.

"We just had a phone and we had another phone playing the music in my pocket so we've kind of gone from that to the next video and Simon Pegg was directing it.

"Because he is Simon Pegg, he brings this crew with him who happens to be making giant movies with him - so a lot of the people that worked with him on 'Mission Impossible' jumped in and shot the video for him."

Astley's latest album was inspired by music he listened to while touring America and he recorded nearly all of the album in his studio at home.

"I think for me the ultimate judge of it, is when you go and play something live, that's when you start to realise what the songs really are."

Speaking about when he performed at Glastonbury, Astley said: "I enjoyed every second of it.

"We had lots of friends and family with us. My daughter said, because I was getting a bit worked up and nervous, 'Just chill out, go and enjoy it, treat it like any other gig.'"

Astley has also revealed recently he is wearing hearing aids and has worked on a campaign with Specsavers to encourage others to get their hearing checked.

He said, "I'm still really at the beginning of my journey of finding out when to wear them and when not.

"When I'm working I probably won't use them because we all have our own specially made in-ear monitors. It's more just to live a more full life and hear what's going on."

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Next year Astley is heading out on an arena tour and he said he is looking forward to getting on stage.

"I think that's what every artist wants to do - play your new songs. I've got songs that are 30-something years old, and even though we'll always play them - because I'd get thrown out the building if I didn't - I want to play new songs."

With such a busy schedule Astley says when it comes to relaxing it is the simple stuff that makes a perfect day.

"Because I get to do such amazing stuff at times what I want to do is just go home, go for a walk, get a coffee, go to the movies, that to me is just perfect - that's exactly what I want to be doing." He said.

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