SHARLEEN Spiteri has said she would have been happy if her band had written “just one hit record” when she started out as she was awarded an honorary doctorate for her services to music.
The singer, who formed Scots rock group Texas in 1986 with her bandmates, said she never anticipated achieving global success as she sat recording debut single, I Don’t Want A Lover, which kickstarted the group’s path to fame.
On Wednesday, the University of Glasgow (UoG) recognised a number of individuals for services to their respective fields and industries, including: Spiteri; broadcaster Kirsty Young; political scientist Professor Sir John Curtice; and the author and journalist, Sally Magnusson.
Following the special commemoration day ceremony, which marked the foundation of the university, Spiteri, originally from Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, said it was “emotional” to have received such recognition for her career in music, and said she and her sister wished their mother could have been there to witness the occasion.
She told the PA News Agency: “When I got the call, the first thing I did was phone my sister, Corrine, up and said, ‘you will never believe this’ and both us us were wishing my mum could have been here to see it, which makes it really special.
“In the moment, you’re sitting in there and you’re surrounded by the other honoraries and you listen to their stories.
“You’re listening to what they’ve done and it gets really emotional because you’re thinking about all the people that got you here.
“It takes a lot of people to allow you to support you and to be successful. You don’t start successful, nobody does.”
Next year, the band marks 40 years together, and Spiteri said she had no idea the group would have ever become as famous as they are now.
She said: “Honest to God, I thought if I could just write one hit record, I’d be happy.
“Johnny McElhone and I thought that as the two of us sat there in a spare room, literally recording on a four-track, writing I Don’t Want A Lover and we thought, ‘we can write one song’.
“He had already been in successful bands before, he’d already written a few hit records, so I feel that I probably had a better chance than a lot of people.”
Asked if the band has any plans to mark the 40th anniversary, Spiteri said: “Well, if I tell you, then you know about it, don’t you? It’s what you don’t know about you’ll have to wait and see.
“We’ve got a big summer this year, we’ve got 30 festivals around the world. So we’re doing that and I’m actually heading off now to literally get back on the tour bus.”
Asked what advice she would offer any young, aspiring musicians hoping to get into the industry, she joked: “Don’t listen to people like me.”
“In a sense, it’s a recognition or a celebration of the fact that I have been able to work with Glasgow University over a number of years. And the fact that, although I’m a member of a different, somewhat rival institution on the other side of the city, it’s been perfectly willing to allow me to work, or to be involved in some of the work of this institution as well.”
Sally Magnusson (below), who was awarded a doctor of the university degree, added: “I’m absolutely thrilled to have got this wonderful doctorate, from the University of Glasgow.
Also honoured, Kirsty Young spent 35 years working as a broadcaster across a number of TV and radio outlets, including the BBC, STV, Channel 5 and ITV.
She was made an Honorary Doctor for her services to her industry, and said it means a “huge amount” to her.
She told the PA News Agency: “The thing about this honorary degree is it genuinely, deeply feels like an honour.”
She added: “My mother is a Glaswegian, my grandparents and great grandparents were Glaswegian, so to be in this great city and receive this award means a huge amount.”
