Michael Ball
Singer, Musical Theatre Actor
Michael Ball is one of Britain's best-loved musical theatre stars and recording artists, celebrated for his powerful voice and career spanning West End hits including Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera and Aspects of Love, for which he had a huge hit with 'Love Changes Everything'. He represented the UK at the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest with 'One Step Out of Time', finishing runner-up.
Although born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, Ball's Welsh heritage comes through his mother, Ruth Parry Ball, whose family roots lie in Mountain Ash in the Cynon Valley. His maternal grandfather was a coal miner, and Ball has spoken of childhood summers spent in Mountain Ash, absorbing the choral traditions and cultural warmth of the valleys - influences he has credited with shaping his own vocal talent.
Alongside his stage career, Ball has released numerous solo and duet albums, hosted television and radio shows, and remains a familiar face on British stages and screens. His mother's family connection to Mountain Ash, including relatives who sang with the local male voice choir, has remained a point of pride he returns to in interviews.