18 February 2006
DailyRecord
Big plans for stars' duet
X FACTOR runner-up Andy Abraham is hoping to release a duet with fellow contestant Brenda Edwards.
The pair will be in Glasgow tonight for the first of three Scottish dates as part of the reality show's tour.
They'll team up to perform a song together on stage - and if it is well received, Andy is hopeful the track will achieve chart success.
He said: "I think the duet will surprise a few people, but it's a great up-tempo number.
"It's not a song that is completely new but I think it's going be amazing.
"I don't want to spoil it by telling you what it is just yet."
He added: "We'll have to see how it goes, but if people like it, we'll look at releasing it as a single."
Fellow contestant Chico believes the track will be a hit.
He said: "I heard Andy and Brenda singing together in rehearsals and it sounded amazing. I don't think there is any male solo artist who has a better voice - and when you put him together with Brenda it sounds phenomenal."
Andy has already signed a deal with Sony BMG and his album, The Impossible Dream, will hit the shops on March 20.
Despite being beaten in the X Factor by Shayne Ward, he was hounded by record companies desperate to sign him up.
He said: "There were I several labels who were keen to sign me, but I think Sony had the first option.
"I knew that because the competition was very close there was a strong chance I'd be offered something, but it has still all blown me away. I can't believe where I am now compared to the position I was in this time last year."
Andy, 42, has had a roller-coaster 12 months. As well as battling his way through the X Factor, he also had to cope with being away from his family for long periods and the death of his mother.
The stress of the weeks building up to the final of the show took its toll on his health.
The former binman said: "I think my metabolism was just shutting down - and it was really quite serious. It started as a cough and a cold and just kept getting worse.
"But what was so nice was the amount of get well cards I got from people who had watched the show and were concerned about me."
And it was Andy's fans who gave him the highlight of his experience during and after X Factor. The dad-of-two said: "It might sound funny but the best moment was when I went Christmas shopping in Enfield.
"I had to be rescued by our security guys because I was being mobbed so much."
And it's not just Andy getting hounded. He added: "My kids are getting mobbed too - they've become bigger celebrities than I have. "But they are handling it well, I think they are loving the fact that they've got a 'famous' dad."
Andy and the X Factor finalists will perform at Glasgow's SECC tonight and tomorrow, before heading to Aberdeen's ECC Monday.
