A musician credits his studies in Leeds for helping him to secure the job of singing as Robbie Williams in musical biopic Better Man and a UK number one album.
Adam Tucker
Adam Tucker completed the Popular Music course at Leeds Conservatoire (was Leeds College of Music) in 2018. The 30-year-old stood out to film producers seeking a soundalike of the pop icon; showcasing his voice on recordings and highlighting how he met other requirements, emphasising experience gained in both television and recording studios as a student.
This includes winning BBC One’s Pitch Battle with Leeds Contemporary Singers, a vocal group comprised of students and led by staff member Craig Lees. Also spending ample time in the institution’s specialist facilities with expert tutors, including songwriter Danny Cope and vocal coach Anna Uhuru.
Adam sang most of the music heard in the film, around 90%, with some performed by the musical icon himself. He spent 200 hours in the studio re-recording some of the star’s best-known hits to fit the film and adopted accent tweaks to reflect the Stoke-on-Trent star.
He said, “I pretty much lived in the studios in Leeds and I think that had a massive influence on me, having studio time prior to working on this film. I just knew how vocal coaches worked and what I’ve realised is how my tutors were so industry standard. When I went to someone in the industry, it was like ‘I’ve worked for people at this calibre before’ so I never felt like I was out of my depth.”
Robbie Williams is represented on screen as a CGI chimpanzee, with the speaking voice and performance capture provided by actor Jonno Davies. Cameras trained on Adam’s mouth during recording so special effects artists could match the chimpanzee’s mouth movements to his own.
The film’s soundtrack album recently reached number one in the Official Albums Chart, meaning not only that Robbie Williams matches The Beatles with 15 chart-topping UK albums, but that Adam too is the proud owner of a coveted gold trophy.
Following the film’s success, Adam plans to release some of his own original music, noting that “not actually singing my own stuff and singing someone else’s has opened the door.” The Leeds connection continues with collaborators including fellow alumni, plus the original Brudenell Social Club piano being played on some tracks.
