Chesney Hawkes, most famous for popular music anthem The One and Only, was a key staple of Smash Hits back in the eighties and early nineties, regularly gracing the front cover.
And to mark the magazine’s revival, Daily Star Online has caught up with the singer, 48, about hitting the big time in the eighties, and the rock and roll exploits that came with his meteoric rise to fame.
While Chesney never went to the extremes of throwing televisions out of hotel windows, the singer did admit there were some rock ‘n’ roll antics back in the day that contradicted his “good boy” image.
He divulged: “We had our moments on tour – mainly on tour – as we were all very young I was 19 my brother was 17 and we were young lads touring around the world playing to packed venues and just having a blast really.
Chesney Hawkes has opened up about life in the spotlight (Image: GETTY)
“And there was lots of drinking going on and lots of fun with the crowds and you know, I mean, we were in a different hotel every night and sleeping on the tour bus and I remember all sorts of exploits to be honest with you some that I couldn’t repeat but let’s say the image that I had of the boy next door – the good boy wasn’t completely true.”
Chesney, who scored a number one with track The One and Only back in 1991, also spoke of the pitfalls of being viewed by a lot of people as a “one-hit wonder”.
Opening up about this label, Chesney shared: “I do wish I was known for other things, obviously I have my core fan base that know me for all of the records I’ve put out all over the years, which is lovely.
“There is a little preconception by the Great British public and probably all over really, and I am aware that people think of me in that way and use the one one hit wonder phrase and it’s fine, I mean, I totally get it.
Chesney Hawkes topped the charts with The One and Only
“I don’t regret anything that happened and the way that it happened and I’m still very much proud of it all.”
Chesney admitted his manager at the time was very wary about him topping the charts, as he was worried about how they would top it, meaning he could fall into the “one-hit wonder” category.
He recalled: “We were flying up the charts and we were touring at the time and my manager at the time called the team into the office, including me, and he said, ‘Oh I really hope this isn’t number one.
Chesney Hawkes often graced the cover of Smash Hits
“And I was 19 and thinking what are you talking about? But what he meant was it’s a number one record it’s going to be very difficult to follow and he was proven to be correct.
“And I don’t like to go back and think what ifs and all that kind of stuff because that time in my life was a little bit of a defining moment for me in my career and it was an incredible time. But then I also think what if my career at that time was a little bit more controlled and I was able to have more of a longevity run in that world, would my world now be as wonderful? And I think probably no.”
Smash Hits is making a revival
Chesney, who was quite the teen heartthrob back in the day and would regularly appear in the ‘pop press’, including on the pages of Smash Hits, has spoken about his memories of the publication, as the musical Bible makes its comeback.
He revealed: “I was very much a part of Smash Hits in my early career. I was telling my wife earlier on as she’s American and she doesn’t really know much about Smash Hits, and I said that it was the daddy of the pop press.
“If you were in with Smash Hits you knew you were going to be on posters, which was exciting. And there were a good couple of years where I was very much part of the furniture of Smash Hits, there wasn’t a week that went by where I wasn’t doing an interview or photo shoot for Smash Hits.”
Smash Hits is BACK! Visit 90s Smash Hits on Spotify and join them on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Check in with Chesney at https://www.chesneyhawkes.com/
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
