Nineteen Facts about… Paul Hardcastle

With the upcoming release of the paperback version for Paul Hardcastle’s The Hard Way later this month, we’d like to share with readers nineteen facts about Paul’s life and career – in honour of his massive 1985 single “19”

Paul started his career aged 6,

performing with his father around Europe

Paul loves motorbikes

but he had a near fatal crash in 1978

Paul’s first band was called “Direct Drive”

and played their first show called “Splash”

Paul watched Vietnam Requiem,

using it as inspiration for his track “19”

Paul knocked Madonna off the US No.1 spot

on the US 12” charts with his track “Rainforest”

This caught the attention of Simon Fuller,

who would go on to form 19 Management - named after Paul’s track “19” - with Paul as his first client. Simon would become one of music’s most successful managers.

Paul has worked as a producer for many famous artists,

including Phil Lynott, from Thin Lizzy

Even before the success of “19”

Paul was remixing tracks by artists including The Style Council, Squeeze, and Ian Dury

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince sampled Paul’s song “19”

on their song ‘The Magnificent Jazzy Jeff’.

“Last Forever” by Russ, featuring Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross

sampled Paul’s song “Wonderland”

After performing on Top of the Pops with Carol Kenyon,

who also featured on Heaven 17’s “Temptation”, he was asked to write the next theme tune for the show

Paul was invited to play the Montreux Rock Festival in 1986

and played after Queen, before Genesis

In 1991,

Paul Hardcastle signed a deal with Motown Records

In 1993,

Paul Hardcastle was shot at while touring America

Paul experienced a huge earthquake while staying in LA to make a music video,

having to leave before the video was able to be made, but he returned after a few months to complete filming

Paul has a record for staying at No.1

for 16 weeks in the NAC chart

Paul scored the Spice Girls movie Spiceworld

for which he won the award for Best Score from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

In 2008,

Paul won the Billboard Smooth Jazz Artist of the Year

And finally, in 2023,

Paul Hardcastle sat down with Paul Zanon - together they began to write The Hard Way

Pre-orders for The Hard Way paperback edition are open now, with signed editions also available.