Gareth Gates

Gareth Gates, the U.K. teen pop sensation, arrived at an audition for the popular television program Pop Idol in Manchester with established skills in singing, piano, and classical guitar. A second tryout advanced the newcomer into the finals, where he placed second on February 9, 2002. Simon Cowell subsequently signed him as a solo artist.

After contributing to Pop Idol: Big Band Album—a set of classic traditional pop and vocal pop numbers from the 1950s and 1960s that included his versions of "Mack the Knife" and "Oh Look at Me Now"—Gates reached the summit of the U.K. Top 40 singles chart with a modern interpretation of the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody," becoming the youngest British male artist to achieve a number one single. "Anyone of Us (Stupid Mistake)" arrived the following July.