biography

Biography

Mid January 2001, Norway: Four boys shiver on top of a snow-capped mountain near the coastal town of Trondheim. They've been working with top R 'n' B producers Stargate (Sisqo, Mariah Carey) and right now are, quite literally, chilled. 'But then so is everything we do,' offers Duncan. 'That's why we chose our name. Blue. It just seems to fit. In fact, everything's fallen into place since we got together.'

Late January 2001, Tenerife: The boys are relaxing on a beach before the imminent whirlwind of recording, performing and promotion really gathers pace. Says Lee: 'We're not unapproachable. That is the opposite of what we are. We went out last night and the first thing these girls said to us was, 'are you a band?' We just laughed and said we were students. We're not doing this for the attention we don't want to be treated differently by anyone.'

Blue comprises London-based lads Duncan James (21), Antony Costa (19), Lee Ryan (17) and Simon Webbe (21).

Blue // the story
Rewind to August 2000, Islington: North London boys Antony Costa and Duncan James recognise each other from the audition circuit, and get chatting over the pool table. Realising that their mutual interests extend beyond the confines of such smoky, beery hangouts, the pair decide to form a group. The only thing is, they need a couple more guys to make up the numbers.
First choice is Lee Ryan, whom Duncan has seen at auditions and considers 'the best singer around'. He gets straight on the phone and, one call later, Lee's in, bringing his flatmate, the equally talented Simon Webbe, with him.Blue is born. Management and a deal with Virgin's Innocent Records quickly ensue.

Blue // the lads

Duncan 'Dunc' James (7.4.79).
Hero: Seventies Funk. Villain:: McDonalds.
Duncan was brought up in Dorset 'till the age of 13, before his mum relocated to Sidmouth in Devon - where he first realised he 'had a voice'. After studying Drama 'A' Level, Duncan decided to use his newly discovered singing powers to get some experience in at both holiday resorts and a spate of embryonic bands, which he says were 'perfect for cutting your teeth on but no more than that!' Luckily, the land of average bands was quickly left behind when he met fellow Blue member Antony at that pool hall.

Antony Costa (23.6.81).
Hero: George Michael. Villain: Heavy Metal.
Born and bred in Middlesex and north London respectively, Duncan's mate Antony already has a pretty impressive CV for a 19 year old. Not only has he had parts in Grange Hill and The Bill ('for some reason I always seem to play the parts of cheeky little thugs!'), Antony also played the lead part in the hit BBC sitcom Chalk. Singing? He was always a natural, but he never deemed it a serious career option till he met Duncan.

Lee Ryan (17.6.83).
Hero: Motown Villain: Jungle ('the music obviously').
Lee, a South East London boy, is the youngster of the group. Brought up in Blackheath, he tried the drama school thing but hated his teachers. 'They're always trying to steer you towards West End musicals - and the last thing I wanna do is some cheesy big band number!' So that was that. Lee promptly headed off to the nearest audition and, grabbing some bit parts in Holby City en route, met Duncan and the other guys.

Simon Soloman Webbe (30. 3. 79).
Hero: Ice Cube. Villain: Eggs ('it's an allergy thing').
The oldest member of the band, Manchester-born Simon originally had his heart set on being a professional footballer, and was signed to Port Vale, before being poached by Stoke City. That was after he'd been approached by Derby County, Birmingham City, Liverpool and Shrewsbury Town. In fact, the nearest he'd got to a microphone was as part of Criminal Damage, a hip hop act he'd started in Birmingham with his mate DJ Shifty, but that was enough to make him quit the beautiful game and head down to London.

Blue // the songs
As well as the aforementioned Stargate, Blue have also recorded tracks with Jonny Douglas (All Saints, George Michael), Quiet Money (Sade, Dane Bowers), Eliot Kennedy (Steelworks, Five) and singer/songwriter Ray Ruffin, son of Motown legend Jimmy Ruffin.

The emphasis is on tough grooves and soulful vocals, with tracks ranging from the smooth disco-tinged R 'n' B of 'Too Close' to the classic pop harmonies of mid-tempo track 'I Swear' (produced by Ray Ruffin), which beautifully showcases Lee's vocals. Watch out too for the brazenly funky debut single 'All Rise', a seriously hook-filled blend of melodic harmonicas, crisp percussive beats, and plenty of vocal attitude not to mention a nicely low-slung rap from Simon.

Says Duncan: 'I know it's been said a million times before, but we want the music to speak for itself. We want to be respected for being a quality act, and not known for being as in-yer-face as some other bands.' Simon adds: 'We don¹t think we're special, we just do what we do without winding people up. If we could achieve a little success along the way then we'd be happy.'