He almost got to play football for Liverpool, was awarded Face of the Year by Pride magazine and was a member of the heartthrob boy band, Blue. Being the first in the band to release a solo album, Simon Webbe proves himself to be more than just a pretty face, hot body and sugarcoated voice. With hits “All Rise,” “Fly By” and “One Love” under his belt, Simon has been termed the clever Jim Dandy of Blue with songwriting skill and a proven track record. His solo album Sanctuary also has a multitude of hit singles, including “Lay Your Hands” and “No Worries” on the top five of the UK charts.

Hip-hop is basically my background and that’s why people would expect me to do that for my first album. But I’m not just about hip-hop or R&B; this album isn’t really based on that. It is based on life and inspired by tragic situations in the world like 9/11, tsunami and the AIDS epidemic.

I don’t think there is much music out there that makes you feel good. I don’t know why but there is too much negativity in the world today. I just want to make music that will plug out a few of the harsh things in life.

I’ve lost friends through suicide in the past. Sometimes you can feel like life is beating you down, and you forget about your friends and the people that really matter to you. That’s what “Lay Your Hands” is really about. The song is a helpful track that says, “look at yourself, look at your friends, look at your loved ones,” just to check if they are OK.

“No Worries” is about life changing and learning to be patient. It’s the song I wrote for my daughter.

I want to dedicate this album to women to show how strong they are and how much they mean to men. Men know it well, but we don’t really say it because society has built us up to be macho figures that can’t show their feelings or sensitive sides.

If you think it’s a pop album, it’s a pop album. That’s fair enough for me as long as you like it and you get the message that I would like to share. But I call it urban folk.

I sacrificed my education for my dreams, and I’m a lucky one that is actually living the dream.

I used to think if I had to decide between playing for Manchester United or being with Blue, I would play for Manchester United. I’d always dreamt of being like Pele, scoring in the final goal of the World Cup with millions of people watching.

Music was never really my thing when I was growing up. I was always in the park, playing ball. That’s all I knew.

There’re a lot of people who have come to me and said “thank you” for this album and that my music has changed their life. Someone came to me with tears in their eyes telling me, “You know you helped me get through my husband’s death,” or “My dad and my mom got divorced when I was young but she still loves him. ‘After All This Time’ touches her and she keeps playing it and I know it’s about my dad.” If I were a footballer, I wouldn’t have that power.

It’s a lot of pressure being a solo artist, especially coming out of a boy band. Robbie Williams, Justin Timberlake—they are what every soloist who comes out of a boyband tries to be. You never know what will happen with you. I’m the only one who can let myself down.

I just feel like I’m meant to be here. I’m here to help people through music.