Rick Astley looks back fondly on his time at The Hit Factory as he celebrates 35 years of his chart-topping career. 

The pop superstar launched into the charts in 1987 with his debut hit Never Gonna Give You Up, which hit No. 1 in the UK and the US, where he scored similar success with follow-up Together Forever. 

Ahead of the release of an expanded edition of his debut album ‘Whenever You Need Somebody’, Rick tells the June 2022 issue of Retro Pop how working with Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman helped him flourish into the star we see today. 

Recalling signing on with Pete on a Youth Opportunities Programme, Rick smiles: “It worked out really well, because I got to do an apprenticeship. 

“I got to sit in, go and get the sandwiches, make the tea, reset the desk every morning, like all the other kids did,” he notes. “But I’m doing it for producers and engineers, and we’re making No. 1 records.

“I was dual. I was an artist one minute, and the next minute it was like, ‘Go and get the tea, Rick. Go and put the kettle on, will ya?’ 

“So, I sort of snuck into areas that gave me an apprenticeship you couldn’t possibly have had. All the other artists weren’t around to see that.”

Revealing how getting close to the hitmaking trio helped them craft him the perfect hit single, Rick adds: “I stayed at Pete Waterman’s flat for months and went in with him every morning in the car, listening to him chatting on his massive ‘80s mobile phone. I went to the pub with the three guys every night. 

“When Pete finally got around to getting the guys to write Never Gonna Give You Up, he knew what sort of music I really loved.”

Read the full interview in the June 2022 edition of Retro Pop, out now. Order yours or subscribe via our Online Store or use our Store Finder to locate your nearest stockist.