Britain’s Got Talent winner left on brink of bankruptcy and living back with his parents after show success
ONE man knows better than most that success on Britain’s Got Talent isn’t a golden ticket to “happy ever after”.
Singer Jai McDowell found himself on the brink of bankruptcy a few years after taking home the £100k prize in 2011.
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He wowed audiences with his voice when 13million watched him get crowned champion.
But for the first time, he has spoken in detail about how the dazzling high was followed by years of lows.
With the latest series of BGT in full swing, Jai, said in an exclusive chat: “My experience of BGT was great.
“Afterwards, for the first year, obviously you get all the work and all the good things.
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“And that’s when it starts to go south.
“I had about eight months and then Sony didn’t renew my one album deal and it’s still quite a difficult thing to deal with.
“I went from a normal guy who wasn’t in the industry, to then being on the telly.
“People know your name before you know theirs and it’s such a mindf*** that it’s so hard to deal with.
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“It created such a tumultuous time for me that I didn’t deal with it very well.”
Jai said he erred on the side of caution after his win, choosing to have early nights to protect his voice instead of wild evenings out.
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But it wasn’t enough.
He added: “I’ve done OK. Twelve years on I’m still working.
“But there was definitely a period where it took a dramatic drop.
“Finances, work, all of that stuff took a very big dive to a point where I did actually think about bankruptcy.
“I didn’t do it because, thankfully, I’ve got a brilliant support network.
“But I did get to a point where I was like, ‘Is this it, is this over?’.”
He added: “I signed with a few people in Scotland and made some bad choices, spent loads of money.
“It came to a point where, on paper, you’re asset rich.
“But I was cash poor. That was pretty much me.
“I moved in with my parents at the time.
“I did have property but I had no money.
“That took a long time and a lot of grit and determination for me to get back out of that.”
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He is now flying high again and has joined operatic quartet G4, who released their new album, called 20, last month, and are currently on tour across the UK.
It’s a tough old industry but good on him for sticking with it.
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