Today, I announced I am going back on tour to play my debut album 'Ten Good Reasons' for the first time ever. Why am I going back on the road again? Well I've never played some of these songs live ever before! Music has a wonderful opportunity to put you in a time and place, an emotional connection that no other creative medium can. Ten Good Reasons was a defining moment for me and my fans. It was the perfect marriage between music and personality. And I was only 21 at the time... Wow!
The opportunity to work with Stock Aitken and Waterman, who were the hottest producers at the time was a dream come true for me. I was a big fan of Rick Astley's album and absolutely loved Never Gonna Give You Up and couldn't believe my luck when working with SAW became a reality. The melodies, the production, the whole package was like a first class ride.
Hearing the completed versions of Too Many Broken Hearts and Especially For You in particular, were moments in my professional life that I will never forget, the door was wide open and I was at the centre of this incredible moment in time. You just knew that something magical was happening. It was very exciting. Only when I realise now that these are distant memories, do I appreciate how lucky I was. The great thing about this tour is, I can re-live those feelings and share it with the fans who were there with me. They will have their own stories of firsts and growing up too.
Too Many Broken Hearts changed my life. To this very day every time I play that song live the entire audience goes nuts! It's classic SAW but sincerely written with me in mind. I think it's my signature tune. I'm sure for many people it signifies that emotional connection with a particular time in their lives. It does for me!
One of my favourite albums of all time was Peter Gabriel's So. When I saw ads recently for a So album tour, I thought what a good idea! The opportunity to play an album from top to bottom in its true authenticity while giving the fans exactly what they want. I plan to include some tracks in the second half from periods other than 1989, but the audience will know all the songs. All in all a great night I hope!
Whether it's theatre or touring I've always placed a high importance on giving my fans a great live show. I'm looking forward to bringing all the pieces together and creating a show that gives personality, some great memories and most importantly, giving the audience exactly what they want to hear. Although so much time has passed since I recorded Ten Good Reasons, it has the ability to transport us all back to the halcyon days on the 80s and 90s. It's so touching to have an album which has a place in so many peoples' hearts and one which remains a huge fan favourite.
For the full tour dates, click on Jason's official Facebook page here.