Anthony Kavanagh on fame, addiction and the dark side of 90’s pop

Welcome to episode 222 with Anthony Kavanagh, a singer and author who exploded onto the pop music scene in the late 90’s when his song ‘I Can Make You Feel Good’ was a huge hit all over the world.  At just 18 years old he was touring with the Spice Girls and Boyzone, on the front cover of Smash Hits and countless magazines and regularly appearing on Top of the Pops.

Throughout this time Anthony was keeping his sexuality a secret, slowly developing a serious drinking problem and all while trying to stay relevant in the music industry where fame can be quickly taken away and second chances are few and far between.

In this episode, Anthony joins me to chat about growing up in Manchester with dreams of being a pop star and how he made those dreams a reality.

We talk about Smash Hits awards, sell out tours and being a pop star and we chat about what happens when the hits stop coming and the money starts to run out.

We also talk about 90’s nostalgia, the mental toll of hiding his sexuality, addiction, rehab, recovery and the beauty of finding humour and hope in the darkness.

His recent book ‘Popscars: A Memoir on Fame, Addiction and the Dark Side of 90’s pop’ is one of my reads of the year so far and it was wonderful to chat about why he decided to write the book and what he learned about himself from writing down his story to share with the world.

Anthony is a lovely man and it was absolutely lovely to chat! 

Connect with Anthony on social media @kavana_real

His book is available everywhere now and you can learn more here: Pop Scars - Bonnier Books

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Thanks for listening!