Strictly Come Dancing’s youngest contestant of 2020 is singer HRVY – whose real name is Harvey Leigh Cantwell.
But why is the 21-year-old boy from Kent taking part in the 18th series of Strictly Come Dancing?
Read more: Strictly Come Dancing plans moving TV special tribute to Caroline Flack
Who is HRVY?
Harvey Leigh Cantwell is a pop singer and TV presenter who hosts Friday Download on CBBC.
He says about taking part in the 18th series of the dancing show: “Being on Strictly is going to be such an amazing experience and I’m so thankful to be taking part this year.
“I think my mum is more excited that she’ll be able to see me every Saturday night now.”
The 21-year-old star is from Kent. His real name is Harvey Leigh Cantwell; he was born to parents Nicky and Leigh. He has two brothers named Ollie and Elliot.
What is HRVY famous for?
He started out singing song covers on YouTube, before going on to carve out a successful music career. He has been described as the UK’s answer to Shawn Mendes or a Gen-Z Justin Bieber. Praise indeed!
He released his first single Thank You way back in in 2013 and has also toured the world as a support act for various big names like Little Mix and Jessie J, who he hit the road with when he was just 15.
I think my mum is more excited that she’ll be able to see me every Saturday night now.
He remembers: “I went from singing in my kitchen, playing in front of no one, to playing in front of a massive, massive crowd.
“They said I could only do one song and we ended up doing a big mash-up that lasted like seven minutes.”
He has 4.5 million Instagram followers! Wow!
Read more: Strictly Come Dancing: Neil Jones is ‘devastated as he is DEMOTED to a backing dancer’
Read more: Strictly Come Dancing: Jamie Laing is confident he will win this year
Why did HRVY become a singer?
HRVY said he first realised he wanted to be a musician when he was 13 and realised he was useless at sport.
“All my mates were playing football and I couldn’t play to save my life,” he told GQ.
“So I thought, ‘This definitely ain’t for me.’ I went back home and was trying to find something I loved doing and I realised music was the thing that I loved.
“I started singing covers, but on my own because I was embarrassed. Then I started recording them, but not putting them anywhere. But my friends found them and told me to put them on Facebook. So I posted them and it kind of went from there.”
Has HRVY released an album?
HRVY releases his first album Can Anybody Hear Me? in November 2020, which features the catchy hit Personal and most recent tune Nevermind.
“I’d love [this album] to be huge not just for me but for the fans,” he told Rain mag recently. “So many people have been with me since I started music. It’s like we are all on this journey together.
“I’m most excited for people to hear the new songs, especially some of the slower ballads since most of my singles have been dance or up-beat songs. When I started singing, I always sang ballads so I feel this will show off what I enjoy the most.”
Is HRVY a wild child?
He might look squeaky clean but the young scamp got totally wasted when he was underage. “I was 15 or 16, it was in my house, so a safe environment,” he insists.
“I was with my two other mates and we found a bottle of Baileys and other spirits. We were trying to do shots, but the Baileys tasted disgusting – I just thought that’s how Baileys tasted and that’s just how alcohol tasted.”
From there it went from bad to worse.
“I can’t remember the night, I was sick all over my carpets. My mum came down the next morning and we had to strip the living room and redo the carpets. Turns out the Baileys was six or seven years out of date, and it’s got milk in it, so it curdled. That was the reason why I was so violently ill on top of being so drunk and never to this day have I gotten that drunk, ever. That still haunts me.”
Is HRVY dating anyone?
HRVY has been linked to TikTok creator Loren Gray, who appeared in the video for his track Personal. However, he recently revealed that he is single.
“I’m currently single so I mean… I might be looking for some love on Strictly,” he told KISS BREAKFAST hosts Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely.
“If it comes my way, if I find some chemistry with someone and they’re like, ‘I’m down’, 100%.
“It happened to Joe [Sugg]. I feel like dancing is so intimate, it can spark up something.”
He also admitted he’s not sure he’s ever been properly in love.
“If I’m being honest, I don’t think I’ve ever properly been in love. I might’ve been ‘kind of’ in love.”
What is HRVY’s net worth?
Apparently HRVY is worth a whopping £68million, which might help him attract the ladies.
Can HRVY dance?
As a popstar, he has most definitely thrown a few shapes. But, in an interview in April 2020, he admitted he had been having dance lessons for his live shows.
“I’ve been working on my dancing and constantly striving to improve myself, so I feel like that aspect is a lot better this time around,” he told Music Feeds.
“We normally do a week and a half of solid rehearsals for dancing, just so everyone confidently knows the direction for each song.”
Strictly Come Dancing 2020 will be returning at the later date of Saturday 17 October
Is HRVY one of your favourites? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix.