10:05 am today

Rick Astley on his music, fame - and the weird way he got a new generation's attention

From Nine To Noon, 10:05 am today
Rick Astley and the cover of his autobiography, Never.

Photo: Alex Lake

Never Gonna Give You Up is, of course, the song that propelled British singer Rick Astley to sudden stardom in 1987.

He followed up with other chart-toppers, including Whenever You Need Somebody, leading the boy from Lancashire off on a life of TV appearances, world tours and celebrity attention.

But as he reveals in his new autobiography, Never, there was always a yearning for stability, something he didn't have growing up in a Portakabin with his volatile father.

Rick found it for a while, a quieter life with his partner - later wife - Lene and daughter Emilie.

Then came rickrolling - the bait-and-switch trick to get someone to click on the Never Gonna Give You Up music video.

The video's generated well over 1.5 billion views and introduced a new generation to his music.

And his music rolled with changes in life too.

In 2016 he released his album, 50, to mark the milestone birthday - it shot to number one.

His latest - and ninth - studio album Are We There Yet came out last year.

Rick talks to Kathryn about his struggle with fame and why it was finally time to make peace with the unusual trajectory of his life.