Chesney Hawkes is returning to music after 12 years (Picture: Mick Hutson/Redferns)
Chesney Hawkes is making a comeback in a bid to top the charts once more.
Most known for his smash hit The One And Only, the British singer started his career at age just 19 when he appeared in the film Buddy’s Song, which featured his best-known single.
The tune sat atop the UK Singles Chart for five weeks and even broke through in America, with Chesney having reaped the successes of the tune for decades to follow.
Now age 52, the musician is releasing a new song, co-written with top producer Jake Gosling, who has previously penned hits for the likes of One Direction, Ed Sheeran, and Lady Gaga.
Released on September 18, Get A Hold Of Yourself, will premiere on BBC Radio 2, marking Chesney’s first single in 12 years.
His last release was Aeroplane, which he released in 2012 along with the song Caught Up in Circles from his album Real Life Love. The singles failed to chart.
Now 52, Chesney is releasing a new single (Picture: Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
Speaking ahead of Get A Hold Of Yourself’s release, Chesney told The Sun about his return to music: ‘It’s really strange experiencing this all again – three decades later and with three decades worth of growing up.
‘It’s taken a long time to feel confident enough to really throw myself back into a project, but growing up and feeling much more comfortable and freer within myself has allowed that to happen.’
On his new tune, he added: ‘That’s what Get A Hold Of Yourself is about – getting hold of yourself and being free and not giving a f**k what people think.
‘I think people are going to be surprised that this is a Chesney track. I can’t wait for people to hear it and think they will be surprised by the video for it!’
Chesney has also spoken about struggling with fame and experiencing burnout due to his hectic lifestyle.
Appearing on the My Dirty Laundry podcast, he said he can relate to other big stars who found fame at a young age, such as Harry Styles, as he issued a warning to up-and-comers to ‘be careful’.
He rose to fame as a teen with his number one song, The One And Only (Picture: Jon Furniss/WireImage)
‘I did that classic thing when I first made it of just blowing everything,’ he admitted. ‘I bought a state-of-the-art studio. I bought everyone in my family a car. So yeah, we had fun.
‘My brother, Jodie, is my drummer and he was with me through the whole time. And yeah, we enjoyed it, because we were young. We were 19 and 17, and we toured all over the world – America, Japan, it was an amazing time.’
Chesney felt like he ‘was like living in the eye of a storm’ as he was ‘in a bubble’.
‘I would be thrown into the hurricane and I’d be gone. And then I’m off to Sweden and then I’m off to New York.’
He said he ‘never knew where [he] was waking up for that first year.’
‘It was mental. It was really crazy.’
Chesney’s last single was released in 2012, and it failed to chart (Picture: Nicky Johnston/Comic Relief via Getty Images)
He’s spoken openly about the turbulence of fame (Picture: Mick Hutson/Redferns)
The One And Only wasn’t only a commercial success for Chesney, but also financially, as he previously shocked everyone by revealing he made a whopping £8,200,000 from the track.
Chesney has also spoken about his struggles with his career fizzling out after peaking with his debut record.
During an interview with the Express, he acknowledged that he probably found it more difficult than he first realised when he was a teen.
‘At the time, I didn’t realise that it was affecting me because I think that kind of exuberance of youth and I’ve always been very tenacious, so it’s one of those things where you just, I just, dusted myself off and got on with it,’ he shared.
‘But, I’m totally fine now and grateful for it now, because I just feel like I’ve seen the ups and downs of the business and been through some s**t.’
He went on to hail his life as ‘incredible’ now he’s in his fifties.
Chesney has a wife and three grown-up children, which he describes as things that ‘take you to a happy place’.
‘I’m very much in love with my wife, and we have an incredible life, and I’m very, very grateful for it.’
Chesney Hawke’s new single, Get A Hold Of Yourself, is released on September 18.
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