Biography

Richard Paul "Rick" Astley (born 6 February 1966, Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known for his 1987 hit single in 16 countries, "Never Gonna Give You Up". Astley holds the record for being the only male solo artist to have his first 8 singles reach the Top 10 in the UK and has sold approximately 40 million records worldwide. After fading into obscurity in the 1990s, Astley made a comeback in 2007 when he became an Internet phenomenon, as his video for "Never Gonna Give You Up" became part of a popular Internet phenomene known as "Rickroll". Astley was voted by Internet users "Best Act Ever" at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008.