The history of actors turning to a singing career may not be a happy one - Kylie apart - but Where The Heart Is star Danny Seward believes he will prove to be another exception.

ONLY one thing stood in the way when Where The Heart Is heartthrob Danny Seward was offered a recording deal - the thought of being labelled another actor trying for singing success.

"It was a tough one because the media is very cynical about actors who turn singers, and so am I," says the Manchester-born performer. "Everyone I've seen has been a complete disaster, apart from Kylie Minogue and a couple of others."

On the other hand, music was a passion of his and he'd been writing his own songs for a decade since teaching himself to play the piano when he was 15. He auditioned for a couple of boy bands but failed to win a place in a group designed to replace Take That when asked if he could dance. "My answer was no," he recalls.

"I got disappointed in the music industry, especially at that time, and after I got a role in Emmerdale, my first telly part, my acting totally took off."

He put singing on the back burner while appearing in a succession of TV series including The Cops, Red Cap and Peak Practice. Most importantly, he's been in the last four series of Where The Heart Is. Seward owes his record deal to his small screen role as Joe Beresford in ITV1's Sunday night feelgood drama.

It wasn't so much what he did on screen as off screen that appears to have won him the chance to sing. "I was playing piano while someone else was doing the songs during a cast singalong, we were just having a few drinks and laughs," he says.

"About three weeks later, I got my script and read that my character burst into song. I think the producers must have heard about the singing on the grapevine."

He thought to himself that maybe something could come out of singing on the popular series. And it did. "The day after the episode was shown EMI gave me a call and said they liked my voice," he recalls. "And there was a good response from viewers on the phone lines with people saying, 'we can't believe Joe is a singer'."

What he knew was that any deal would have to have the say-so of ITV Granada, which makes Where The Heart Is. Seeing a chance for gain valuable exposure for the show, the producers not only approved his EMI deal but let him sing in the current series.

The ten tracks on his debut album include I Got You Babe, That's Amore, When I Fall In Love and We Can Work It Out. The title, Where My Heart Is, is taken from one of Seward's own songs featured. He's keen that any future album will be more about his songs and not just classic covers.

"This time I've managed to find classics - strong, familiar music and beautiful melodies that I personally like listening to. It's music people love, across all ages," he says.

He has his own recording studio at his Manchester home and worked on the album while filming the current series of Where The Heart Is in Lancashire.

Seward is not about to turn his back on acting, feeling that others have made the mistake of separating acting from singing. "It's important you stay true to your roots. Granada helped me marry the two, acting and singing, together. It's perfect," he says.

He has no idea whether Joe will figure in the next series of Where The Heart Is. If he's asked back and he wants to return, then that's what will happen. "It's difficult to say at the moment," he says.

"I'm happy people enjoy my music. I want to do a second album with my own songs on there. But I'm aware you shouldn't cut off your audience on album number two."

He launched his album with a live performance and signing at his local HMV store at the Trafford Centre, Manchester. "It was great, good fun," he says. "I love performing live and playing the piano. You can talk about it until you are blue in the face but hearing is believing."

During the current series of Where The Heart Is, viewers will hear several songs from the album. Plugging your singing in front of more than six million viewers is a helpful boost for his new career.

He was also able to ask new co-star Denise Van Outen, a singer herself, for advice about the music world. "She said it's very tough and there's a lot of work involved, but very exciting as well," he says.

He was shy as a youngster and acting gave him confidence. He needs no such boost to sing and play piano. "Music is in my blood. I'm not nervous because I find it a very natural thing to do. It's second nature," he says.

* Danny Seward's debut album Where My Heart Is is released on EMI Liberty Records.

* Where The Heart Is continues on ITV1 on Sunday at 8pm.

Published: 23/07/2005