1. Richard Paul Astley was born on 6 February 1966 and is an English singer, radio DJ and podcaster.
55 Facts About Rick Astley
1. 2.
Rick Astley gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album Whenever You Need Somebody, which sold 15 million copies worldwide and was certified Platinum by both the BPI and the RIAA.
3.
Rick Astley's debut single "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a No 1 hit in over 25 countries, winning the 1988 Brit Award for Best British Single.
4.
In 1988, Rick Astley followed up his debut album with Hold Me in Your Arms which achieved Platinum and Gold certifications internationally.
5.
Rick Astley has sold approximately 40 million records worldwide and was nominated in 1989 for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist but lost to Tracy Chapman.
6.
Rick Astley became an internet phenomenon in 2007 following the emergence of the Rickrolling meme, which utilizes the music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up", and his career was revitalised by the meme's popularity.
7.
Richard Paul Rick Astley was born on 6 February 1966 in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, the fourth child of Horace and Cynthia Rick Astley.
8.
Rick Astley remained in very close contact with his mother, who lived a few streets away.
9.
When he was 10, Rick Astley began singing in a local church choir, which began his love of music.
10.
In 1985, Rick Astley was performing as a drummer for the soul band FBI, with Morris on guitar.
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When FBI's lead singer left the band, and Morris left to concentrate on his career in hairdressing, Rick Astley offered to be the lead vocalist.
12.
Under the tutelage of the production team of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Waterman, known as Stock Aitken Waterman, Rick Astley was taught about the recording process and groomed for his future career, starting off as the recording studio "tea boy", an apprenticeship that lasted two years.
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The reason for Rick Astley to be hired as a "tape op" was to overcome his shyness.
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In March 1987, Rick Astley contributed vocals to "Let It Be" which was recorded by charity supergroup Ferry Aid.
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Rick Astley was uncredited on the album and received no royalties.
16.
Rick Astley's completed extended mix was edited down by Stock and Aitken to become the radio version.
17.
Rick Astley's version of "Whenever You Need Somebody" was a major hit on the charts, being a Top 5 hit in almost all the countries where it was released.
18.
In November 1987, the album Whenever You Need Somebody, containing four tracks written by Rick Astley, reached No 1 in both Britain and Australia and No 10 in America.
19.
In December 1987, Rick Astley released a cover version of the Nat King Cole classic "When I Fall in Love".
20.
That led to a slowdown of purchases of Rick Astley's version, allowing the Pet Shop Boys to reach the top spot with their cover version of "Always on My Mind".
21.
The B-side "You Move Me" written by Rick Astley was featured in the movie Cocktail.
22.
Rick Astley composed the track in the style of Whitney Houston's hit, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody " in an effort to win the confidence of Waterman, who was a fan of Houston's song.
23.
In December 1989, Rick Astley set off on his first world tour, touring 15 countries including the UK, US, Australia, and Japan.
24.
Rick Astley left Stock Aitken Waterman and RCA Records bought out his contract with PWL.
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Rick Astley achieved one more major success with his 1991 ballad "Cry for Help", which reached No 7 on both the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100.
26.
For much of the 1990s and early-2000s, Rick Astley remained out of the public eye.
27.
Rick Astley said later this was due to his growing frustration with the business side of things; he compared his life as a pop star to being "more like a travelling salesman than a musician or performer".
28.
Seven years after Body and Soul, Rick Astley returned to the music industry, signing a co-publishing deal with Polydor and recording a new album, Keep It Turned On, between November 2000 and September 2001, and released in late 2001.
29.
In 2003, Rick Astley charted at No 10 in the UK as a songwriter with "Shakespeare's Words" performed by short-lived boy band One True Voice.
30.
In 2004, Rick Astley toured for the first time in fourteen years, which led him to a record contract with Sony BMG.
31.
In September 2008, Rick Astley was nominated for the "Best Act Ever" award at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
32.
Rick Astley continued touring across the globe and, in 2008, performed in the Here and Now Tour which featured various other 1980s acts such as Boy George and Belinda Carlisle.
33.
Rick Astley was a special guest throughout Peter Kay's new tour, The Tour That Doesn't Tour Tour.
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In December 2010, Rick Astley co-hosted the Chris Evans Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2 with Peter Kay, and in March 2011 appeared in Comic Relief's Red Nose Day telethon on the BBC.
35.
On 30 June 2017, Rick Astley announced on his Twitter account that 50 had been certified Platinum in the United Kingdom.
36.
In September 2016, Rick Astley released the single "Dance", together with an official video.
37.
On 1 June 2018, Rick Astley posted a video on Twitter announcing his upcoming album Beautiful Life which was released on 13 July.
38.
In 2019, Rick Astley served as the support act on Take That's Greatest Hits Live 38-date tour in Britain and Ireland.
39.
Rick Astley is an occasional guest vocalist at Foo Fighters concerts, and has previously performed with A-ha and Kylie Minogue.
40.
The band invited Rick Astley to join them as they performed the "Never Gonna Give You Up" in the style of "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
41.
On 12 October 2019, Rick Astley appeared on CBeebies Bedtime Stories.
42.
Around that time, Rick Astley made a TikTok account, launching it with a video of him dancing to "Never Gonna Give You Up" which received millions of views.
43.
On 30 November 2020, Rick Astley released a single, "Love This Christmas", the video featuring Rick Astley performing amid a flurry of snow and dancing snowmen.
44.
On 7 April 2021, Rick Astley released a single, "Unwanted", inspired by the era and vibes of the original podcast.
45.
On 2 September 2021, amid the news that ABBA had reunited, Rick Astley released a cover of their song "The Winner Takes It All".
46.
Rick Astley said he performed "from a place of absolute joy and love for those songs".
47.
Rick Astley played a solo set at Glastonbury that year, his first appearance there.
48.
In March 2025, Rick Astley uploaded a cover of Chappell Roan's popular song "Pink Pony Club" to his YouTube channel.
49.
In 2007, Astley became the subject of a viral Internet meme known as rickrolling.
50.
Rick Astley has been married to film producer Lene Bausager since 2003.
51.
Rick Astley maintains a home recording studio and has a collection of guitars.
52.
In 2017, Rick Astley partnered with Mikkeller, a Danish brewery, opening two pubs over the following years in Islington and Shoreditch, London.
53.
In January 2023, Rick Astley sued Yung Gravy over vocal imitations on Gravy's song "Betty ".
54.
Rick Astley asserted that it was a violation of his "right of publicity", and the case was settled in September 2023.
55.
Also in 2023, Rick Astley said on This Morning that he is experiencing hearing loss and now wearing hearing aids.