Aled Jones On Singing, Setbacks And The Snowman

The singer, TV and radio presenter recalls becoming the soundtrack to everyone’s Christmas as a 14-year old soprano, and releasing a children’s book

- By Nicola Venning

ALED HIMSELF WAS still a child when he joined Bangor Cathedral choir as a cherubic Welsh boy soprano. The outstanding quality of his voice was soon recognised and before you could say “rising star”, he was singing “Walking in The Air”, the song from the animated film, The Snowman. He was 14 when it catapulted him to stardom and worldwide success.

“It was only meant to be an ad for Toys ‘R’ Us [a now-defunct children’s toy store]”, says Aled. But when the song was released in 1985 as a single, it became a hit, reaching number five. “No one had ever followed that path before. I was one of the first to make that kind of music popular. Little did I know it would become part of everyone’s Christmas for years to come.”

However, Aled insists he was not a child star. “I was just a singer who was given great opportunities,” he says. “Monday to Friday I was a normal, football-playing comprehensive schoolboy, then the weekend would come and I would be jetting here, there and everywhere meeting my heroes. I had the best of both worlds.”