Potts' luck: the rise of a superstar

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It's a cliche to say "don't take things for granted" or "you never know what's going to happen in life." But it sounds more convincing from the mouths of certain people.

Among those may be a former cell-phone salesman who climbed to stardom at an unimaginable speed and became a multimillion-selling singer.

"I don't think you should ever take anything for granted," says Paul Potts, an Englishman who in June 2007 won the popular U.K. TV talent show "Britain's Got Talent," created by "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell. "Britain's Got Talent" offers contenders a chance to prove they can entertain an audience. If they succeed, performances in large stadiums and theaters beckon, as well as lucrative contracts with agencies.

"I would never, ever, take what's happening in my life for granted," Potts said in an interview in July, and it's probably fair enough for him to say so, given how the 37-year-old has transformed from a councilor in Bristol for the center-left Liberal Democrats to a global superstar in around a decade.

Click here for a good read from Japan Times