Paul Potts

NOTES FROM KOREA

Posted 3rd June 2008

After a few sunny days in Japan, we left on a morning flight to go to Seoul, South Korea.  Julz and I arrived at the airport and were met by a huge crowd at the airport including two very cute young children in national dress.  After a brief chat with members of a fan club (it feels absoloutely strange that anyone should want to have a fan club for me, my thanks go to Hans and all the other members of the Korean Fan Club for their support) we left for a press conference.  I was expecting a similar press conference to the one in Tokyo a few days before.
 
What I got, shook me!  I walked in to the room to find more than 200 journalists.  Then the cameras started.  There were so many cameras pointed at me, that I could feel the heat of the flashes!  As part of the press conference I agreed to be a patron for a charity combatting TB in North Korea.  I was presented with a plaque and a national dress.
 
After the press conference, I had a performnace on a show called W.  The last time I had worked with that programme we had been running down a corridor in Stockholm to make the stage in time at a Breast Cancer Charity Ball! 
 
I had three performances in Seoul, and I enjoyed them all immensely.  The reaction I received at all three was the loudest on the whole tour.  I couldn’t even hear the 60 piece orchestra behind me for the cheers!  The concerts were some of the most enjoyable so far.  I’ve always been very keen to see as many people as possible after a show.  There were over 200 people at the back door after! 
 
After 4 days in Seoul, we flew down to Busan which is a lovely seaside city.  The scenery was stunning and we really enjoyed our time in Busan.  It was very warm here and both Julz and I got a nice tan while we walked along the beach.  It was another fantastic reaction at the concert in Busan.  I also discovered that my recording of Nessun Dorma was used for a couple of adverts for skyscapers in Busan.  It’s really cool, but still quite suprising that people want to use my singing as a backdop for selling a product.
 
We really enjoyed our time in Korea,  we would both really like to return here again.  Busan was particularly beautiful.  I would like to thank the people of Korea for all their support and for being such an enthusiastic audience!