Take That star Jason Orange says it's his turn now to Shine

Mar 7 2009 By John Dingwall

 
JASON Orange believes he is finally getting the chance to shine after being given lead vocals on a new Take That song.
The 28-year-old's voice is behind the track 84, which is the B-side to the group's new single Up All Night.
And Jason admits he always saw himself as the weakest link in Take That, having lacked the belief to step up to the mic when the band shot to fame first time around.
"I didn't have confidence in myself, so it didn't happen then," Jason said.
"There wasn't enough encouragement from the others to change my lack of confidence. I was consigned to doing backing vocals and dance routines. That was my job description at the time."
Struggling to dazzle under the management of Nigel Martin Smith back in the Nineties, Jason insists he is still trying to prove himself an equal to his bandmates, Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Mark Owen.
"Nigel had his vision of how things would be and that's how they were," Jason recalled. "We pretty much all fell in line with his vision. It was frustrating. That's human nature.
"I was with a bunch of lads and wanted to prove myself in among them. Although we are all friends and care for each other, there is a rivalry we all share.
"You always want to appeal to the people around you. I was frustrated, I'm sure all the lads were in their own way.
"It is why we are doing what we are doing. We want to prove things to ourselves."
The new song is helping boost Jason's self-esteem however.
"I like it for that reason," Jason explained. "It's only the third time I've done a lead on a Take That song. It is a rarity.
"We're trying to be more democratic across the board. As far as the songwriting is concerned, we are all contributing more than ever. Likewise with who gets to sing what. I am probably the weakest - well, not probably, I am the weakest singer in the band."
The song 84 features on the flip side of the new single and marks a new direction for Take That as it provides a nostalgic look back to the Eighties and life before Take That.
It name checks the miners' strike, which was staged 25 years ago to prevent pit closures against abackdrop of confrontation. But Jason describes those days as the best of his life.
"It is semi-autobiographical," he said. "That stuff happened and the facts of the miner's strike are there. I wanted a staccato rhythm and to tell a story and we decided to tell a nostalgic one.
"It's a story from my childhood.
Back then, I was breakdancing on the corner of the street with my lino on the ground and my breakdance crew. We were just kids. I was 14 or 15 years old.
"I look back with huge fondness."
As well as singing fondly of Margaret Thatcher, he fast-forwards into the 21st century to name check "lies about Iraq" in the lyrics.
But he denies it is his chance to get on his political soapbox.
"We don't want to be a protest band," he said. "It wasn't written for that reason.
"I wanted to make reference of the fact the Conservatives were in power and go on to sing about what happened with Iraq. That and the fact Iraq rhymed with 'heart attack' from the first line.
"It doesn't express opinions about things back then. It makes statements of what's happened. It is quite innocent in that way."
Jason says the Take That boys are looking forward to heading to Scotland in the summer for their record-breaking three dates at Glasgow's Hampden Park.
"We can't wait," he said. "It's going to be brilliant. It's the biggest tour we have ever done.
"It'll be summertime and we are playing so many stadiums, it's awonderful honour.
"We're going to try to grasp it and be fully involved with it and not let things go by too fast.
"I remember we did a big tour at the start of the Nineties. We came to Scotland and it was the first time we were outside Manchester.
"We did mainly gay clubs around Glasgow. It was brilliant.
"We've always had a fantastic reaction there."
Meanwhile, Jason says he has nothing but praise for his bandmate Gary Barlow's on going climb of Mount Kilimanjaro, in aid of Comic Relief.
Gary and fellow climbers Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Fearne Cotton, Ronan Keating, Alesha Dixon, Denise Van Outen, Ben Shephard and Chris Moyles, have now passed the £1million mark in funds raised for the charity.
Speaking from the mountain yesterday, Gary said: "I am overwhelmed at the generosity of the public. We're all near to reaching mental and physical exhaustion up here, so to know everyone is behind us and giving whatever they can is so humbling.
"Knowing we've raised this fantastic amount of money in cashstrapped times is the push we need to get us to that summit."
The team have struggled on their climb and both Fearne and Cheryl have been treated for altitude sickness, but all the climbers made it to High Camp and were due to reach the mountain summit today.
That means it is left to the other band members to promote the new song, which has Mark singing the A-side, Up All Night.
Mark, 37, said: "We're left behind to do all the hard work."
Jason quipped: "We'd have to wear high heels and short skirts for the rest of us to have been invited on that mountain with him. Have you seen who is up there? It's Cheryl, Denise and Kimberley. You have got to be a really pretty girl or have influence with the BBC, like Chris Moyles.
"I'm kidding, of course. We all got invited, but we left it to him."
He added: "Gary hurt his back before he left, but he'll be fine.
The effort he is making is brilliant.
"He is making loads of money for charity and having a great experience in the process.''