Cwmbran tenor Lee Cander is singing on a new TV show this weekend.
Tune into Channel 4 at 9pm on Sunday 3 May to watch Lee Cander appear on Your Song.
Presented by Alison Hammond, the show takes a stage and live band to cities across the UK, giving people the chance to perform the one song that tells their story.
Mentors Paloma Faith and Sam Ryder watch from a hidden spot before stepping out to share their reactions with the performers.
The press release for this week’s show said: “Lee is a former Royal Navy officer from South Wales who discovered he had an operatic voice at 26, practising alone in the metal hull of a warship. He sings Nessun Dorma and brings the Bull Ring to a standstill.”
Lee, 34, told Cwmbran Life, about the experience singing for TV in front of an outdoor audience in Birmingham.
He said: “It’s why you love singing a song and what it means to you. Then you get to perform a song of your choice.
“Singing outside is notoriously difficult as you can’t hear yourself. People were doing their shopping. It was nerve-racking for sure. I was running on half a tank of fuel.
Paloma Faith and Sam Ryder
“I didn’t notice until after I finished. Paloma Faith and Sam Ryder, came out to speak to me.
“I’m so glad I didn’t notice until I finished that would have thrown me. My fiancé was up front with Alison Hammond in front of the crowd.”
While in the navy, based in Scotland, he spotted an advert on a Tesco noticeboard for singing lessons and signed up to “develop his voice”.
He added: “I started having lessons and still have a lesson once a week.”
He also plays the piano and guitar. Since leaving the Royal Navy, he’s played in several bands, including rock, blues, hard rock and metal.
Earlier this month, he performed as a special guest at Pontnewydd Male Choir’s annual concert.
Alison Hammond said: “I’m there clapping, crying, dancing, the whole Hammond rollercoaster! It’s proper special watching ordinary people do extraordinary things.”
Your Song airs Sundays at 9pm on Channel 4.