Remember Blue? The boy band that we all loved to hate? Who could possibly forget the catchy hooks of tunes such as ‘All Rise’ and ‘One Love’? There was one voice in particular that stood out from the squeaky quartet as having at least some charisma behind it.

Every now and then, one of the band’s tracks would break down into a hop hop-esque moment that gave Simon Webbe a chance to break the mould of traditional approaches to boy bands. Whereas the likes of 5ive gave the made-up genre of ‘pop-rap’ a bad name because they were so ridiculously untalented, Simon always managed to maintain an air of credibility in his approach, even if it was nothing groundbreaking at the time.

“I’m not ashamed of where I come from at the end of the day,” says Simon about his days with Blue. “It is nice, though, to be called Simon Webbe now instead of just Simon from blue. I feel like I am growing and have been able to get my own identity, which is very important to me.”

Last year saw Simon’s debut solo single ‘Lay Your Hands’ reach number four in the UK singles chart. The album, ‘Sanctuary’, peaked at number seven in March of this year. Now he’s back with an all-new album entitled ‘Grace’.

Simon talks a little about his new CD: “Fans can expect a similar feel to ‘Sanctuary’ but it is different. If ‘Sanctuary’ was white on black, this is black on white. The whole album gives a warm feeling to those who listen to it.”

‘Coming Around Again’ is Simon’s new single and it was released in the UK on October 30. “The song is related to anything that is important to somebody at the time they hear it,” he explains. “For example, a lot of people say it reminds them of Christmas. It’s a feel-good song. I thought of the idea for it when I was watching England play Trinidad during this summer’s World Cup in Germany. It can stand for anything: your birthday, anniversary, if the Summer’s coming. It can be used in any context.”

The new album has already been released in the UK. “I was taking a risk by only releasing one single before the album came out,” he continues. “I feel like I did well last year with the first album and I’ve been getting good reviews so far for the new stuff.”

He’s a man of many talents. He could have been a professional footballer had his dreams not been dashed by a career ending injury. He’s an actor and a businessman, and what’s more he writes most of his own songs and has an endearing voice to boot. He’s also a father to a nine-year-old girl: “My daughter is very proud of her dad,” he says. “She has the album already and she really likes it.”

Those with a good memory will recall Simon’s gig in February of this year at Flix in RCA. He explains about his fondness for his fans in the Land of Smiles: “The Thai fans are some of the best in the world. They’re so spiritual and all they want to do is support. I’m very lucky to have fans like that. It’s great that I can come to Thailand and have such a good time while I’m there.”

“In terms of the message behind my songs, well, I’ve been around the world and have managed to absorb different cultures,” says Simon about the influence of his travels on his music. “Thai culture is one of my favourites. I think a lot of my songs can be related to Thai people, but it depends how the fans take the words of each song what they get out of it.”

It’s clear that Simon wants to taken seriously. Long gone are his days of choreographed blandness; he is now an artist in his own right. “I feel privileged to be here doing what I’m doing,” he explains. “I just want to do more of the same. I want to give out positive energy and send out a good message and ignore all the negativity in the world.”

Simon had a few closing words for his fans: “I want to say to everybody in Thailand and in Bangkok that I love your country and your culture. This is your boy Simon. Word. I’ll be back early next year and I look forward to seeing you all when I return.”