TAKING me backstage at London’s O2 Arena to celebrate his 15th sold-out show there, Olly Murs is on top form.
The Troublemaker singer is in the middle of his massive 15 Years Of Hits tour, which celebrates his incredible pop career that has seen him bag eight Top Ten singles, including four No1s.
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But fans heading to Olly’s shows, which last night saw him playing to a packed out crowd at Wembley’s OVO Arena after he performed at the women’s FA Cup Final next door, are in for a very big surprise.
“I sing my new single on the tour,” Olly tells me with a grin. “It’s called Save Me.
“It’s a bold statement but the industry has changed so much with streaming, so with this song I wanted to go back to basics.
“I wanted my fans to hear the song before anyone else.
“It’s been nerve-racking because no one has heard but I’m so confident with the song — I wanted to do it.
“It’s about going on a night out after having a row with the missus and it goes horribly wrong.”
I think Olly’s on to a winner with Save Me, as fans went wild as he performed it on Saturday night.
In his classic style the beat is catchy and the chorus is infectious, but the single shows off Olly’s voice in a way fans might not expect.
“The song is a new Murs era,” Olly adds. “But I’m secretly excited about it.”
Returning to the O2 Arena is a big thing for the star, who points out that it’s within this building that he auditioned for The X Factor and got through.
“It’s 15 years ago that I waited from 9am until 9pm to get the nod that I was in to the next round — right here in Zone A.
“My experience of the show was all positive, it changed my life. I had a crash course in how to be a pop star in ten weeks.”
On stage Olly is super-charged and puts on a fantastic night out — dancing and thrusting his hips to hits including Army Of Two, Marry Me and Dance With Me Tonight.
Going down to the front of the stage, Olly admits he won’t be doing an Usher and feeding fruit to his fans, adding: “We don’t have any cherries.”
He then borrows the phone of super-fan Helen, from Grays, to film himself singing.
The atmosphere inside the show is electric, with Olly telling me: “I’m an entertainer and I want you to have a good time.
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“I’d like to think my fans know that when they buy a ticket to come see me, they know what they’re getting — fun, music and a laugh.
“There is a trust I will deliver and I think with some artists, you’re not sure if they are going to turn up and deliver.
‘I’m so boring on tour’
“I think what I’ve done over the last 15 years is show people that I can entertain.
“I love doing what I do, and you guys are here with me to enjoy it.”
To ensure he’s on top form, Olly tells me he is incredibly strict with his fitness regime — banning booze from his rider and even refusing to eat unhealthily . . . despite turning 41 last week while on the road.
“I didn’t even have a bite of my birthday cake,” Olly says.
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“I’m so boring on tour — no desserts or alcohol because it affects the way I perform and train.
“And I want to deliver the best performances. When I first started out I tried to go out in every city, then I realised that just doesn’t work.”
Part of that sacrifice he makes on tour is leaving his wife Amelia with Olly, who is expecting their second baby, at home with their gorgeous daughter Madison.
Olly tells me he’s not seen Amelia and Madison for almost four weeks and is reuniting with them today.
“She would come, of course, but on tour I wouldn’t be able to spend time with her,” Olly explains.
“She’s at home, heavily pregnant and has a 13-month old so it’s been hard on her.
“I know I have the most incredible wife, I feel very lucky.”
You make your own luck in life, Olly. That’s why you’ve got it in spades.
IN the Noughties, Blue were some of the biggest party boys in music.
But sitting down with Bizarre as they support Olly on his UK tour, Duncan James reveals he and his bandmates have followed in Olly’s footsteps, swapping booze and junk food for a healthy rider.
Duncan said: “We have a dry rider nowadays. We have no alcohol. The most extravagant thing we have now is manuka honey. We all like to have ginger, lemon, honey and mint drinks before a show. We have it every time.”
KELLY OSBOURNE has insisted dad Ozzy will be able to perform at his homecoming show in Birmingham follwoing fears his ill health meant he may struggle to return to the UK.
He will take to the stage with the original Black Sabbath line-up for a historic rock music event at Villa Park on July 5.
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Speaking at the Race To Erase MS Gala in Los Angeles, Kelly said: “He’s working out every day. He’s getting stronger every day and he is ready for this. I do think this is going to be the final one.
“It is my dad’s opportunity to say thank you to everybody that gave him the life and the career.
“And it gives me goosebumps just talking about it because it’s his moment to give back and it’s not about anything other than his love for his fans.
“I think it’s going to be a really magical moment.”
Bands including Slayer and Metallica are also booked to perform at the huge concert, which is raising money for charities close to Ozzy’s heart.
It’s going to be one hell of an emotional night.
WED? WE’LL JESS HAVE TO WAIT
JESSIE J is waiting to marry her basketball star boyfriend Chanan Colman – because she wants their son Sky to be old enough to remember the ceremony.
The singer, whose single Living My Best Life was released last Friday, had Sky in 2023.
She said: “I would love to get married when Sky is old enough to know what’s happening so that he can be a part of it and enjoy that moment of seeing Mummy and Daddy come together in our love.
“We have a child. I feel like that is the most locked-in that we can feel with each other.
“I’m not proposing though – even though I’m always the one that makes the move.”
AS ALEX WARREN prepares to spend a tenth consecutive week at the top of the Official Singles chart with Ordinary, the US singer’s Carry You Home looks likely to bounce back in at No 9 – a year after its release.
London-born Skye Newman is also looking forward to a big week, with her single Family Matters on course to become the highest new entry at No 10.
REMEMBER MONDAY put in a stellar effort for the UK at Eurovision, even if they did end up in 19th place because the miserable Europeans gave them nul points in the public vote.
And they made me even more proud to be British when the band’s Lauren Byrne was the last star standing out of all 26 acts after the grand final – partying hard until 6am.
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Despite having had to be up at the crack of dawn on Saturday for rehearsals, their team put on a private reception at a local pub in Basel following the contest, and when that finished Lauren carried on.
She arrived at Euroclub – a pop-up Eurovision-themed nightclub in the city – just before 5am with several other members of the UK delegation, where she partied for another hour with Bizarre’s Howell.
Although she didn’t get the result she might have hoped for, she was beaming and said: “We have had the best seven months. We have loved every second.”
Later, Lauren let her hair down on the dance floor and at one point was part of a conga line.
And after Howell urged the DJ to play their entry What The Hell Just Happened?, she ran up on stage and belted out the track – much to the joy of the hundreds of punters still celebrating.
Lauren, along with Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele, has handled the whole contest with grace and class – and with new music and a UK tour coming up, I’m excited to see what they do next.
Howell was flown out to the massive music contest by top sponsor Royal Caribbean Cruises, who showed their incredible hospitality in Basel.
After Austria’s JJ triumphed on Saturday night, Eurovision will head there in 2026.
Now we have to start the hunt for the next act to take on the contest for us Brits. It’s no mean feat.
BELLA HADID enjoyed the sweet smell of success as her pals turned out to help celebrate the London launch of her new perfume .
The US model held a posh party at the Sessions Arts Club in Mayfair to show off Orebella, which comes in four different scents.
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On hand to DJ was Romeo Beckham’s girlfriend Kim Turnball, who belted out hits for celebs including Mary Charteris, Charli Howard and ex-EastEnders actress Tilly Keeper, who is making her way in Hollywood after quitting Albert Square five years ago.
Bella’s party was certainly more glam than the ’Enders green room in Elstree.
The week in bizness
WEDNESDAY: Get your popcorn ready because Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, starring Tom Cruiseand Hannah Waddingham, finally hits cinemas.
THURSDAY: Prestigious music ceremony The Ivors takes place in London, with a fellowship gong going to U2, while Charli XCX, Raye and Dua Lipa are up for other awards.
FRIDAY: Almost a year after he started teasing its release, Joe Jonas finally drops his solo album Music For People Who Believe In Love, which is inspired by his divorce from actress Sophie Turner.
SATURDAY: Huge rock festival Slam Dunk takes place in Hatfield Park, Herts, with a line-up featuring A Day to Remember, New Found Glory and The Used, with the same acts playing Temple Newsam in Leeds the next day.
