Whatever Happened to... Alex Parks?

By Contributing Writer on Sunday, October 26, 2008 - 18:55

by Natazzz - Contributing Writer

Alex Parks on Fame Academy

In 2003, I was watching a fun little show called Fame Academy on BBC. Fame Academy was like a cross between Pop idol, X Factor and Big Brother, where a group of hopefuls learned how to be great singers and songwriters while all living in a house together and being filmed 24/7. Unlike most of the contestants of talent shows these days, these guys actually had some talent.

One of the contestants was Alex Parks, who was supposed to go to clown school (yes, seriously), but her dad entered her into Fame Academy instead. Alex stood out from the start, not only because of her unique style and outspoken demeanour, but also because of her amazing voice. Week after week she received both the jury’s praise as well as the audience’s vote.

Even though she was only 19 at the time, Alex had no problem with being out as a lesbian during the course of the show. In fact, I recall her mentioning she had been out since she was 14 and she did not really understand what the big deal was. How cool is that?

I remember watching Fame Academy faithfully each week, each time being more and more impressed by Alex’s performance. She sang covers of all the songs I loved (like I'm Not In Love and Tainted Love) and I thought she often sang them better than the original. Ok I admit, I might have been a little biased. Watching her every single week I might have become a little obsessed with Alex. Perhaps obsessed is too strong a word, but I did have a little crush on her. How embarrassing.

Well, whatever the case might have been, there were plenty of people who agreed with me, as she went on to win Fame Academy. The grand prize consisted of a record deal, a fancy car and an awesome apartment in London. Soon after winning Fame Academy, Alex released her first album entitled "Introduction", which included most of the songs she sang on the show, as well as a few new tunes. And yes, I was among the first to buy it. In fact, I had it shipped over from England especially.

The album was quite successful (it went double platinum in Great Britain and gold in several other European countries) and many sold out concerts followed. In 2005 she released her second album entitled "Honesty", followed by another successful tour through the United Kingdom. At the beginning of 2006, Alex decided to part ways with her record label Polydor and she hasn’t signed a new deal since.

I did a lot of digging, but I could not find out what Alex Parks is up to these days. Most of her official or fan websites are no longer working or haven’t been updated in ages. All I could discover was that apparently, she is living with her girlfriend Scottish singer Jill Jackson and is still committed to continue her music career.

No longer do I understand why I was so obsessed with her. I guess I grew out of it (or grew up or something like it), but I still think she has an amazing voice. It was such a pleasure to listen to her CD’s again after such a long time. Therefore, I wish she would hurry up with her “comeback”. The world could use a few more awesome out lesbians in the public eye.

Alex Parks’ albums "Introduction" and "Honesty" are available through Amazon, Bol and iTunes.

Picture by www.bbc.co.uk