Michael Philip Christie (born April 21, 1981) is an English singer-songwriter,

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

, and

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

for the music group G4, along with

Jonathan Ansell Jonathan Mark Ansell (born 10 March 1982) is an English singer, best known as the high tenor of the vocal group G4 (band), G4. Early life Influenced by his mother's tapes of Pavarotti and the Three Tenors, Ansell joined the West Sussex Boys' Cho ...

. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, he released a song called "''Stay At Home''", to go with his other songs like "''September''". He is currently performing online concerts via CrowdCast named "The Mike Must Go On". He also performs after shows, known as "Aftershow Deflation".

Early life

Mike Christie was born in

Redhill, Surrey Redhill () is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead within the county of Surrey, England. The town, which adjoins the town of Reigate to the west, is due south of Croydon in Greater London, and is part of the London commuter belt. The ...

. He began singing professionally at the age of eight when he was offered a place as a chorister at Reigate St Mary's Choir School, and in 1993 he moved on to

Ardingly College Ardingly College () is an independent boarding and day school in the English public school tradition located near Ardingly, West Sussex, England. The school is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and of the Woodard Corp ...

, where he studied singing under John Dudley and Robert Hammersley, Director of Music. During this period, he appeared in the film ''

Four Weddings and a Funeral ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' is a 1994 British romantic comedy film directed by Mike Newell. It is the first of several films by screenwriter Richard Curtis to feature Hugh Grant, and follows the adventures of Charles (Grant) and his circle ...

'' as a member of a choir at one of the weddings, along with others his age. After his voice broke, Mike Christie took a couple of years out, taking A levels in Chemistry, Art & Design and Music before returning to singing at the age of seventeen. He later spent four years at

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

, graduating in 2004 with Honours in Singing and Piano.

G4

Before graduating, Mike Christie competed in ''The X Factor'' as a member of G4 with

, Matt Stiff, and

Ben Thapa Ben Vishala Thapa (born 2 March 1982) is an English opera singer, best known as the low tenor in G4 from 2004 to 2018. Born in Cambridge, Thapa was raised by a single mother from the age of four after his father left, and entered foster care wh ...

where they placed second behind

Steve Brookstein Stephen Desmond "Steve" Brookstein''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 10 November 1968) is an English singer, who is best known for winning the first series of ''The X Factor'' in 2004.< ...

. The group released three albums before their split in 2007. However, after a seven-year hiatus, G4 reunited for a reunion concert at the

Barbican Hall The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibi ...

, with Nick Ashby replacing Matt Stiff as he wanted to concentrate on his solo operatic career. The same night G4 announced that they would follow the concert with a Reunion Tour around the country. This was a success that led to Reunion Concert Tour across the UK. Mike Christie has also been on a Christmas By Candlelight Tour along with the other members of G4 in 2015, in 2016 and in 2017 as well. In 2016, G4 went on a Back For Good Tour with special female guest singers Margaret Keys, Katie Marshell and Alessandra Paonessa for the April leg of the tour but for September they were joined by Britain's Got Talent starts Vox Vortura. In 2017, G4 released their 5th album 'Love Songs' featuring

Merrill Osmond Merrill Davis Osmond (born April 30, 1953) is an American musician, singer, and occasional actor. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and bassist of the family music group The Osmonds and The Osmond Brothers, as well as an occasional so ...

and

Lesley Garrett Lesley Garrett, Order of the British Empire, CBE (born 10 April 1955) is an English soprano singer, musician, broadcaster and media personality. She is noted for being at home in opera and "crossover music". Early life Garrett was born in the ...

and taking it on a 32-date tour around the UK and Ireland. Along with The X Factor China winner

Mary-Jess Leaverland Mary-Jess Leaverland, or simply Mary-Jess, is an English singer and songwriter who won ''Min Xing Chang Fan Tian'' (or in English: ''I Want to Sing to the Stars''), the Chinese version of The X Factor, which was televised to 70 million people in D ...

and saxophone player Oli Nez, but for the show in London Union Chapel G4 were joined by

and

. G4 also took their Christmas by Candlelight Tour around the UK for the third year running. 2018 has led G4 to embark on a 36-night tour 'Live in Concert 2018' during March and September with a trip back through memory lane, G4 will then take to the stage again during November and December with the fourth Christmas by Candlelight Tour.

Solo career

In 2010, Mike Christie released his debut solo album ''To The Fore'' which was a departure from the classical crossover songs he had been known for, and included several self-penned songs including "Why Not Today"; prior to this, he had headlined his ''Showstoppers'' tour in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

and London. A year later, he featured in a production of ''The Glorious Ones'', and in 2013, his own opera ''The Miller's Wife'' – written entirely in English – was shown at the Arcola theatre. Mike Christie has been participating in opera at

Opera Holland Park Opera Holland Park is a summer opera company which produces an annual season of opera performances, staged under a temporary canopy in front of the remains of Holland House, a Blitz-damaged building in Holland Park, west central London. The venue ...

in London since 2016 and has appeared in

Isabeau ''Isabeau'' is a ''leggenda drammatica'' or opera in three parts by Pietro Mascagni, 1911, from an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica. Mascagni conducted its first performance on 2 June 1911 at the Teatro Coliseo, Buenos Aires. A retelling of the ...

in summer 2018. In 2017, Mike Christie was involved in performances of Verdi's Macbeth where he played the role of

Banquo Lord Banquo , the Thane of Lochaber, is a semi-historical character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play ''Macbeth''. In the play, he is at first an ally of Macbeth (both are generals in the King's army) and they meet the Three Witches together. ...

. Mike Christie went on a Solo tour in October 2017 with songs from his album ''To The Fore.'' Mike also announced that he was making a new album via

PledgeMusic PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects; such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist p ...

which was released on 5 October 2018 entitled '10 Years On' which was followed by a 5-date tour 'An Evening with Mike Christie Up Close and Personal' which included songs from this album and guests at certain venues

Daniel Boys Daniel Boys (born 26 March 1979) is an English musical theatre actor, who was a contestant on the BBC talent series '' Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007 before becoming known as a stage actor in various musicals including '' Avenue Q'', ''Spamalot'' an ...

& Kyle Thomlinson. In 2022, he did a valentine tour which included tea at The Ritz. He included this with his CrowdCast online shows, streaming from the stage. He included several merchandise with this tour.

Other work

Mike Christie worked in property development shortly after the G4's split. Since the reformation of G4, Mike Christie has opened his own production company 'Amick Productions' which promotes tours of which G4, Vox Fortura and the Chinese version of '

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

' winner

have been included.

The Wight Proms

Mike Christie's Production Company Amick Productions staged a 4-day outdoor prom on the Isle of Wight 'The Wight Proms' in August 2018 at Northwood House. The event featured

Blake Blake is a surname which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory, presuma ...

Kerry Ellis Kerry Jane Ellis (born 6 May 1979) is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at L ...

as well as other West End stars and local island talent.

References

External links

Mike Christie's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christie, Mike 1981 births People educated at Ardingly College People educated at Reigate St Mary's School Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama G4 (group) members Living people People from Redhill, Surrey