Lancashire dad is a singing hit in Estonia
A local Lancashire man has become an unlikely hit in Estonia, after his song managed to get almost 15,000 hits on YouTube.
Preston man James Healless, 52, who goes by the stage name ‘James Bagatel’ is hoping to launch a singing career and the Eurovision Song Contest is his inspiration.
Mr. Healless, who is a father of five, put some footage of himself singing the Estonia Eurovision entry Rockefeller Street on YouTube, and now nearly 15,000 people have watch it.
The musician, who lives in Stansted Road, Chorley, said: “I think it’s great that my performance is so popular, and people have been commenting that it’s even better than the version performed by the singer for Eurovision.
“I’ve appeared on news websites in Estonia, and have been contacted by someone from a TV show to interview me. I’m really surprised by it all.”
He has received cult status in the Estonian capital Tallinn for his video, which took him three days to make.
He’s planning to take advantage of his success and promote his album, and chose the Eurovision entry by Getter Jaani, so that he can appeal to a wider audience.
“I’m just catching a wave. A lot of people love Eurovision, and I think 95% of my fans are from Estonia. I had about 4,000 hits in the first 24 hours, which is fantastic. It’s amazing how many views you can get from targeting the right people.”
He initially put ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ in the titles of his video, until he realised that a Eurovision themed video would appeal to more people across Europe.
He said: “I chose the song Rockefeller Street because it suits my style, not necessarily because I’m supporting Estonia. I play the guitar and sing, and I’m focusing on my music full-time at the moment.”