Real People: Life begins at 40, so they say!

In the case of Stephen Lloyd-Morgan it really has! This is the story of a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ lifestyle Stephen has chosen to live on the Costa del Sol.

Stephen’s open and friendly face does not give away how hard he actually works, and how determined he is to succeed. A patriotic Welshman from the Rhonda Valley, South Wales, Stephen works as an investment banker in Gibraltar, and during the week he travels back and forth to work from his house in the residential area of Duquesa Golf. In the evenings, however, he entertains audiences along the Costa del Sol with his professionally trained classical voice, singing a wide range of songs to suit all tastes. Hence he calls himself a bit of a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’!

Stephen moved here with his partner, Nick Holland, in April 2006 but didn’t manage to live here full-time until 9 months later. During this time he split his week between Spain and the UK traveling backwards and forwards between the two. Although his life and home was in Spain, financially he needed to make ends meet by carrying on with his banking career in the UK. Stephen and his partner did not make the move here lightly. They took 2 years thinking about it after discovering the Duquesa Port area whilst on holiday, giving them a taste of what the Spanish lifestyle could be like. They both prefer this end of the coast, being a calmer and quieter area to live in.

Before moving to Spain they lived in Hastings, and after 10 years of working in investment banking, and at the age of 32, Stephen decided to go into acting. He had trained initially as a classical singer and had worked the cabaret circuit and now felt it was time to push further on with that side of his two careers. He enrolled in drama school and whilst on his course would commute to the City of London and then on to drama school. He was so tired that in the relaxation classes he would actually fall asleep!

After giving up his banking career and concentrating on his musical career Stephen performed a number of musicals and operas in the UK and Ireland but found that after a while he missed using his brain and therefore made the decision to go back into banking. He is the sort of person that has to stretch himself, at the moment he is half way through doing a MBA Masters Degree with the Open University.

As from February this year Stephen brought back his singing career and is now so popular he has a dedicated following. He calls it Lloyd-Morgan sings Lloyd Webber! Working both sides of his life is certainly very tiring and because of his day job in Gibraltar he limits his performances to 2 or 3 times a week. Although he thoroughly loves living on the Costa del Sol he admits as a foreigner it is not easy – the lifestyle may be more relaxed but you have to work just as hard as in the UK, if not harder.

Singing is something Stephen has done his whole life, something that is essential for him, and he has an absolute passion for. Of course his roots as a Welshman and the fact that his father is a singer who runs the local Working Man’s Club may have had something to do with it, but he feels fortunate to have a skill that he thoroughly enjoys. Being able to go to drama school later in life was certainly a bonus for him and now he has the best of both worlds, musical theatre and banking.

Another string to his bow on the Costa is singing at weddings. His popularity has grown so much he actually has to turn some down. He was asked out of the blue to sing at a wedding in Benalmadena, the previously booked singer couldn’t make it, and was such a hit that his phone hasn’t stopped ringing since. He is asked to sing songs from ‘Ave Maria’ (Schubert) to ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ (Elton John/The Lion King), but he does point that you do get asked to sing the same songs. He doesn’t remember how many times he has sang ‘A Moment Like This’ (Leona Lewis) or ‘From This Moment’ (Shania Twain)!

So what about relaxation time? Well, although he really does not have much spare time, he likes to spend time on his terrace socializing with his friends, having barbeques and a few drinks. He has far more friends here than he ever had in the UK! He feels that this is really what it is all about, part and parcel of living in Spain and why we are here. Twice a week he also enjoys eating out at a local fish restaurant and this helps him with his Spanish, which he doesn’t have enough time to learn, although he does have Spanish friends who are helping. After living on ready meals in the UK he loves Spanish food and feels his lifestyle now is so much healthier.

If you would like to catch one of Stephen’s performances have a look at his website www.fhmgt.co.uk. He is certainly worth checking out!