Paul Potts (born 1970 in Bristol, England), from Port Talbot, Wales, is a s… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Potts (born 1970 in Bristol, England), from Port Talbot, Wales, is a singer who became the winner of the first series of ITV's Britain's Got Talent, singing operatic arias and impressing the judges in all of his performances.

At the time of his victory on Britain's Got Talent, he had been working in The Carphone Warehouse, but following his win he has been signed by the show's judge Simon Cowell to record an album.

Potts has previously worked in unpaid opera productions from 1999 to 2003, however, illness in 2003 brought an end to his amateur opera career

On June 9,2007, Potts' audition of Simon Cowell's new search-for-a-star show Britain's Got Talent was televised on ITV in UK. The actual audition was held at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff on March 17, 2007. Paul sang a condensed version of Giacomo Puccini's "Nessun dorma", which impressed the judges and received a standing ovation from the audience of 2,000 people. Potts' rendition of this has currently been viewed on video upload site YouTube tens of millions of times and exists among Youtube's all-time most viewed videos.

In the semi-final on June 14, 2007, Potts performed main verses of "Con te partirò" with praise from the audience and judges. He progressed to the final after receiving the highest public vote in that show. He performed a full-length "Nessun dorma" for his final on June 17, 2007 as well as an encore after he won the competition. Potts defeated co-favourite with the bookmakers, Connie Talbot and received the highest public vote out of 2 million votes cast to win Britain's Got Talent, winning the chance to perform at Royal Variety Performance in front of the Queen.

In the United States, he was profiled on a National Public Radio programme called "Day to Day" on Friday June 15, 2007. NPR is a non-commercial network that reaches several million people every day in the U.S. On Monday, June 18, 2007, a commercial US Television network, NBC, highlighted Potts's victory on its broadcast network's NBC Nightly News and on its Cable news outlet MSNBC. Then on Thursday, June 21, 2007 he appeared live on NBC's programme Today.

On July 8, 2007, Potts performed at a Katherine Jenkins' concert at Margam Park, "Katherine In The Park". Jenkins extended an invitation for him to sing his rendition of "Nessun Dorma" at the concert.

Passione, his second album, was released in 2009. Potts spent nearly a year recording Passione in Prague and Stockholm.

Panis Angelicus
Paul Potts Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Panis Angelicus

Panis Angelicus
Fit panis hominum
Dat panis coelicus
Figuris terminum
O res mirabilis
Manducat Dominum.

Pauper, pauper,
Sevus et humilis.
Pauper, pauper,
Sevus et humilis.

Panis Angelicus
Fit panis hominum
Dat panis coelicus
Figuris terminum
O res mirabilis
Manducat Dominum.
Pauper, pauper,
Sevus et humilis.

Pauper, pauper,
Sevus et humilis.

Overall Meaning

The Latin hymn "Panis Angelicus" was written by the great theologian and saint, Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century. The hymn's lyrics speak to the miracle of the Eucharist, where bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ during Holy Communion. The first verse describes the bread of angels, or the heavenly bread, which also serves as the bread of mankind in the form of Holy Communion. It gives a sense of awe and wonder to the miracle of the Eucharist.

The second verse emphasizes the idea that the Eucharist is a miraculous event where the humble and poor can come and partake in the glory of God. It highlights the inclusion of all in the sacrament, regardless of their social class or status. The repetition of "pauper, pauper, servus et humilis" emphasizes this idea of humility and service in the presence of God. Overall, the hymn carries a sense of reverence and wonder for the sacrament of Holy Communion and serves to remind us of the inclusiveness of Christ's message.

Line by Line Meaning

Panis Angelicus
Bread of Angels

Fit panis hominum
Becomes bread of mankind

Dat panis coelicus
Gives the bread of Heaven

Figuris terminum
Ends in figurative sense

O res mirabilis
Oh wondrous thing

Manducat Dominum
The Lord is eaten

Pauper, pauper,
Poor, poor

Sevus et humilis.
Slave and humble.

Pauper, pauper,
Poor, poor

Sevus et humilis.
Slave and humble.

Writer(s): Andreas Romdhane, Josef Larossi Copyright: Phatfly Musik AB, Pop Notch Music AB

Contributed by Lucas V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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