Asian adventure

INTERVIEWING Gareth Gates is stressful. Squeezing all my questions into the 15-minute slot is one problem. His reputation is another. Don't get me wrong. He is absolutely sweet and polite - and of course he's got that angelic voice. He does almost whatever is asked, signing autographs or posing for pictures. It's his speech impediment that is the problem.

The UK press describes his stammer as serious, adding he cannot say a word and needs to write on a piece of paper.

That's probably why record company BMG allows each group of journalists from southeast Asia - Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand - to interview the 19-year-old singer for only 15 minutes during his one-day stay in Bangkok. And for the rest of the day, he goes bowling with fans and sings - neither of which require talking.

The interview takes place at a suite on the 28th floor of the posh Plaza Athenee Hotel on his 19th birthday. The six-foot Gates looks different to his picture on the cover of his debut What My Heart Wants To Say. He is much more skinny in his tight T-shirt and hipsters. His brunette hair is much longer.

Gates, accompanied by his speech therapist, greets us with a warm smile and a firm handshake. We first ask him what he knows about Asia, and what his expectations are on his trip to Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea. He manages to give us clear replies, saying that he doesn't know much about Asia and hopes to get his music through to the world. Though his answers are not in full sentences, he doesn't sound bad.

The young pianist from Bradford, who was runner-up in ITV's popular talent-search programme Pop Idol in Britain, last year became the youngest British male solo singer to top the UK charts with his debut Unchained Melody at 17.