Rick Astley... has announced a full UK Tour for March and April next year, starting at The Sage, Gateshead, to coincide with the release of his new album. Astley's career has spanned more than 28 years and he's sold in excess of 19 million records and has a string of eight consecutive top tens.

In 1987, aged 21, people were shocked by the powerful, mature soulful tone to his voice and the UK sent his debut single Never Gonna Give You Up to the top of the charts within two weeks of its release. The record reached Number 1 in 16 other countries including most of Europe, Japan, US and Australia. The following 2 years saw Rick continue to dominate the charts around the globe. In the UK, Rick was in the Top 40 every week for the first 6 months of his career. It was Britain's largest selling single of that year.

Whenever You Need Somebody sold 15.2 million copies worldwide, and Astley reinforced American success with a second Number 1 single Together Forever. It Would Take a Strong Strong Man became another Top Ten single and the album sold close to two million copies. Astley took a 13-year break from the music business, returning in 2004 to tour all over the world. This will be his first major UK headline tour in four years and the singer's Gateshead debut.

n Thursday, March 31, Tickets are on sale Friday, November 20, at 9am. Box Office: gigsandtours.com; ticketmaster.co.uk 0844-811-0051, 0844-826-2826

Seal... has been added to nine of Duran Duran's 11 upcoming November/December arena shows in the UK, including the MetroRadio Arena, Newcastle, on Saturday December 5.

British sould and R&B singer and songwriter Seal, whose new album, 7, was released on November 6 (Warner Bros Records) to both fan and critical acclaim, has sold 30 million albums and his addition to their dates in the wake of the release of his new record (which sees him reunited with producer Trevor Horn), will make this one of this year's most anticipated tours.

Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel is known for his numerous international hits, including Kiss from a Rose, which appeared on the soundtrack to the 1995 film Batman Forever. He was a coach on The Voice Australia in 2012 and 2013.

He's won three Brit Awards, Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an MTV Video Music Award. His songwriting took the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award, for Best Song Musically and Lyrically, in consecutive years for Killer (1990) and Crazy" (1991).

n Tickets costing from £35 are available online, or from the booking hotline number 0844-493-6666