Antony Costa
Encyclopedia
Antony Daniel Costa is an English singer-songwriter
and actor
. He is best known as a member of the boyband
Blue.
's sitcom Chalk
. He then went on to appear in the BBC children's drama Grange Hill
.
Career with Blue
Costa is a member of the boy band Blue, who went their own ways in 2005, but reformed to perform at Capital FM
's Summertime Ball in 2009.
In 2004, Costa, along with singer Peter André
, was given the opportunity to meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair
at the celebrations on the arrival of ten new members into the European Union
which included Cyprus. He was a contestant on the 2005 series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and was evicted from the programme on 3 December 2005 after fourteen days.
Costa released his debut solo single called "Do You Ever Think of Me
" in February 2006. The single made its debut and peaked at number nineteen on the UK Singles Chart
. He went on to compete in the 2006 Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up programme to find a competitor to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
, but did not win the honour, with "It's a Beautiful Thing".
In June 2006 Costa posed naked for Cosmopolitan
magazine's 10 Years of Naked Male Centrefolds, alongside other stars including singer Ronan Keating
, actor Danny Dyer
, Labour MP Jim Devine
, and TV presenter Craig Doyle
.
Costa's debut album, Heart Full of Soul
was released on 3 July 2006 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The album failed to chart and he was subsequently dropped by his record label, Globe Records.
On 28 April 2009, Blue announced that they had reformed and would soon return to the stage that summer. In 2011 Blue represented the United Kingdom
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
held in Düsseldorf
, Germany
.
; his contract ran to February 2007. From March, Costa toured the UK in the tenth anniversary tour of Boogie Nights. Costa had his first solo UK tour in February and March 2008, performing songs from his debut album. His UK tour had eighteen dates, which started on 16 February 2008 at The Brindley, in Runcorn
and finished on 26 March 2008 in Barrow in Furness. He modelled for Giorgio Armani
in late 2008.
Costa has appeared twice on the BBC pop quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks
in 2006 and 2008
Costa played Jack in the 2009/2010 pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, in Ipswich
. Costa toured with the production Popstar: The Musical, playing the part of Cal between April and July 2010, at a series of theatres, across the UK.
Costa took part in a celebrity version of TV show Total Wipeout
which aired on 18 September 2010.
, North London, Costa attended Hendon School
in Barnet, also in North West London. His father is Greek Cypriot
and his mother is Jewish
. He attended the American Academy
school in Larnaca
before moving back to England. He has a sister Natalie and a brother Louis who appeared on The X Factor
on 3 September 2011 and who was also in a pop band called The Chase with former S club 8
member Jay Asforis.
His ex-fiancée Lucy Bolster gave birth to his first child Emilie Olivia in Enfield
, North London, on 10 March 2004.
In February 2011 Costa was photographed urinating in public while using a cash machine. He was later reported as commenting, "I was just so disgusted with myself when I saw those pictures".
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He is best known as a member of the boyband
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
Blue.
Career
One of Costa's earliest television roles was as a pupil in Steven MoffatSteven Moffat
Steven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his...
's sitcom Chalk
Chalk (TV series)
Chalk is a British television sitcom set in a comprehensive school named Galfast High. Two series, both written by Steven Moffat, were broadcast on BBC1 in 1997...
. He then went on to appear in the BBC children's drama Grange Hill
Grange Hill
Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...
.
Career with Blue
Costa is a member of the boy band Blue, who went their own ways in 2005, but reformed to perform at Capital FM
The Capital FM Network
Capital is a radio network of nine Independent Local Radio stations in the United Kingdom which are owned and operated by Global Radio, launching on 3 January 2011. Capital was previously known as Mix, One, Galaxy and Hit Music at various times...
's Summertime Ball in 2009.
In 2004, Costa, along with singer Peter André
Peter André
Peter James Andrea , better known by the stage name as Peter Andre, is an English-born Australian musician, singer-songwriter, television personality and businessman. As a recording artist, he has achieving four top 10 UK albums and ten top 10 singles.-Early life:Andre was born at Northwick Park...
, was given the opportunity to meet with Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
at the celebrations on the arrival of ten new members into the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
which included Cyprus. He was a contestant on the 2005 series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! and was evicted from the programme on 3 December 2005 after fourteen days.
Costa released his debut solo single called "Do You Ever Think of Me
Do You Ever Think of Me
"Do You Ever Think of Me" is the only single released from Blue member Antony Costa's debut solo album, Heart Full of Soul. The single was released on February 6, 2006...
" in February 2006. The single made its debut and peaked at number nineteen on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. He went on to compete in the 2006 Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up programme to find a competitor to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006
Eurovision Song Contest 2006
The Eurovision Song Contest 2006 was the 51st Eurovision Song Contest, held at the Olympic Indoor Hall in Athens, Greece on 18 May and 20 May 2006 . The hosting national broadcaster of the contest was Ellinikí Radiofonía Tileórasi . The Finnish band Lordi won the contest with the song "Hard Rock...
, but did not win the honour, with "It's a Beautiful Thing".
In June 2006 Costa posed naked for Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
magazine's 10 Years of Naked Male Centrefolds, alongside other stars including singer Ronan Keating
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
, actor Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer
Danny Dyer is an English actor, media personality, and chairman of Greenwich Borough, a non-League football team.-Biography:Daniel John Dyer was born in Custom House, an area of East London, to Antony and Christine Dyer...
, Labour MP Jim Devine
Jim Devine
James "Jim" Devine is a former British Member of Parliament, having been the Labour Party member for Livingston from 2005 until 2010 and Chairman of the Scottish Labour Party between 1994-95....
, and TV presenter Craig Doyle
Craig Doyle
Craig Doyle is an Irish television and radio presenter. To British viewers he is recognisable as working for the BBC and ITV...
.
Costa's debut album, Heart Full of Soul
Heart Full of Soul (album)
Heart Full Of Soul is the debut solo album from Blue band-member, Antony Costa. The album was released on July 3, 2006, but failed to chart in the UK and Ireland. The album was later released in Japan, however, it also failed to chart there. Shortly after, Costa was dropped by his record label...
was released on 3 July 2006 in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The album failed to chart and he was subsequently dropped by his record label, Globe Records.
On 28 April 2009, Blue announced that they had reformed and would soon return to the stage that summer. In 2011 Blue represented the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
The Eurovision Song Contest 2011 was the 56th annual Eurovision Song Contest and was won by Eldar & Nigar performing "Running Scared" for Azerbaijan. The event took place in the Esprit Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, following Germany's win in the previous year...
held in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Other Work
From 10 April 2006, Costa played the lead role of Mickey Johnstone in the London production of the long-running musical Blood Brothers, directed and produced by Bill KenwrightBill Kenwright
Bill Kenwright CBE is a leading West End theatre producer and film producer.He is also the Chairman of Everton Football Club, an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool....
; his contract ran to February 2007. From March, Costa toured the UK in the tenth anniversary tour of Boogie Nights. Costa had his first solo UK tour in February and March 2008, performing songs from his debut album. His UK tour had eighteen dates, which started on 16 February 2008 at The Brindley, in Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
and finished on 26 March 2008 in Barrow in Furness. He modelled for Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a...
in late 2008.
Costa has appeared twice on the BBC pop quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
in 2006 and 2008
Costa played Jack in the 2009/2010 pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, in Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
. Costa toured with the production Popstar: The Musical, playing the part of Cal between April and July 2010, at a series of theatres, across the UK.
Costa took part in a celebrity version of TV show Total Wipeout
Total Wipeout
Total Wipeout is a British game show, hosted by Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram, which first aired on 3 January 2009. Each week 20 contestants compete in a series of challenges in an attempt to win £10,000. These challenges are based in large pools of water or mud and generally involve large...
which aired on 18 September 2010.
Personal life
Born in EdgwareEdgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, North London, Costa attended Hendon School
Hendon School
Hendon School is a mixed comprehensive secondary school in the London Borough of Barnet. It specialises in languages, offering Japanese amongst others to its students.-Overview:...
in Barnet, also in North West London. His father is Greek Cypriot
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and his mother is Jewish
British Jews
British Jews are Jews who live in, or are citizens of, the United Kingdom. In the 2001 Census, 266,740 people listed their religion as Jewish. The UK is home to the second largest Jewish population in Europe, and has the fifth largest Jewish community worldwide...
. He attended the American Academy
American Academy of Larnaca
The American Academy Larnaca is a non-profit private school in Larnaca, Cyprus offering pre-school to University entrance education of the highest standard. It is a selective, co-educational, independent school, registered under the Private Schools’ Law, 1971, of the Republic of Cyprus.The school...
school in Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
before moving back to England. He has a sister Natalie and a brother Louis who appeared on The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
on 3 September 2011 and who was also in a pop band called The Chase with former S club 8
S Club 8
S Club 8, previously known as S Club Juniors, was a spin-off of the UK pop group S Club 7. The group's members, Jay Asforis, Daisy Evans, Calvin Goldspink, Stacey McClean, Aaron Renfree, Hannah Richings, Rochelle Wiseman and Frankie Sandford, were all in their early teens or younger when they were...
member Jay Asforis.
His ex-fiancée Lucy Bolster gave birth to his first child Emilie Olivia in Enfield
London Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
, North London, on 10 March 2004.
In February 2011 Costa was photographed urinating in public while using a cash machine. He was later reported as commenting, "I was just so disgusted with myself when I saw those pictures".
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 2006 | "Do You Ever Think of Me Do You Ever Think of Me "Do You Ever Think of Me" is the only single released from Blue member Antony Costa's debut solo album, Heart Full of Soul. The single was released on February 6, 2006... " |
19 | Heart Full of Soul |