Musician Rick Astley was asked what he was most proud of on a podcast—no one was prepared for his response
We spend our lives chasing the things we love the most and rightly so. Amidst that journey, we encounter other priceless experiences and realize there’s more to life than what we set our focus on. Musician Rick Astley sat down with the podcasters of “High Performance” to share his life lessons and reveal much about himself. As he navigated his career, life, and living, hits and more, when asked about what he was most proud of, the artist had a response no one saw coming. His certainty about it is an added proof that he has his priorities in place and we couldn’t love him more for it.
Appearing on the podcast, Astley shared a lot about his life, including his childhood struggles, road to stardom, and other aspects before becoming the man he now is. One of the major aspects revealed much about Astley’s career and music, how it began, how it was inspired, and whether it became something he hoped it would be. In one of the glimpses, the musician addressed his iconic hit, “Never Gonna Give You Up,” and said that it was one of the most rewarding legendary pieces. “If you cut me open like a rock... it says ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ in the middle,” the singer remarked. He added how the hard work put into the song brought him more than just fame.
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“It brought me security,” Astley said, explaining that he was able to buy “every house,” and also keep the “wolf from the door.” One might think that his career and music or at least this very piece, would be the thing he’s most proud of. However, when he was asked, there was no hesitation in his response. “I’m most proud of our daughter,” Astley said. Emilie Astley, a talented and passionate garden designer, is the artist’s greatest joy and for the most heartwarming reasons. In a previous interview with The Times Magazine, Astley mentioned that he “fell in love with being a dad” when he had Emilie at 25.
Though she had the best life during her childhood, her dad was proud that “she’s in no way spoiled and has never taken anything for granted.” He was glad that she decided to take after her grandfather and pursue her love for garden designing. “She’s pretty solid, talented and amazing, yeah, that’s what I’m most proud of,” Astley said, getting teary-eyed. More than anything, he pointed out that his identity as a father is what gives him his greatest joy. “The music's nonsense. It's lovely, glorious nonsense and I wouldn't swap it with anybody. I really wouldn't. But it is nonsense,” he said, in comparison to his life with his daughter.
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Sharing more about why he thought so, he revealed how she has been firm and level-headed throughout. “She's been pretty incredible with the choices she's made in her life and everything,” the musician remarked. He credited his wife, Lena, for passing on her strong “drive” that doesn’t waver to their daughter. “Emilie is like that. She really gets stuck in and she just gets on with things and she copes with things. She takes things in her stride a lot,” he added. Emilie is also grateful for her dad being himself and doing parenting as authentically as possible. “All things considered, he has done pretty well,” she remarked.