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Ben Thapa: Powerful Operatic Tenor and G4 Star from the Original X Factor

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“One minute we were struggling to work out where the next month’s rent was coming from,” said Ben Thapa, reflecting on his journey. The next, they had a £1.5 million Sony record deal.

Ben Thapa, a tenor who recently passed away from kidney failure at the age of 42, was a member of the “pop-eratic” vocal group G4. Despite being dismissed by Simon Cowell as “fat buskers,” the group secured second place in the inaugural series of The X Factor in 2004.

A Powerful Stage Presence

Thapa was known for his commanding stage presence, a “dark and swarthy” figure whose voice could penetrate the soul of music. He brought drama and excitement to his roles, notably in Scottish Opera’s Katya Kabanová and Pelléas et Mélisande for Opera on the Move. His dynamic portrayals showcased his great physicality and musical talent.

The Formation of G4

Thapa met the other members of G4—Jonathan Ansell, Mike Christie, and Tom Lowe—while studying music in London. The group started by busking in Covent Garden, where Thapa’s perfect pitch ensured every performance began in the right key. Initially singing barber-shop, they found greater success with renditions of Nessun Dorma and Bohemian Rhapsody. “We could do four hours and come away with £650,” Thapa recalled.

X Factor Breakthrough

G4’s big break came when they noticed an advertisement for The X Factor auditions. Their success on the show led to a £1.5 million deal with Sony Records and appearances on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night Is Music Night. Thapa reflected, “One minute we were students, busking in the streets, struggling to work out where the next month’s rent was coming from, and the next we were on a TV show.”

The Downfall and Dissolution of G4

Despite their rapid success, tensions grew within the group. After three albums, two million sales, and five sell-out tours, they could no longer stand each other. G4 dissolved acrimoniously in April 2007, with Thapa candidly declaring, “I am not a team player. I don’t want to be Ben from G4 anymore.”

A Difficult Childhood

Ben Vishala Thapa was born in Cambridge on March 2, 1982. His father left when he was three, and his mother, Jenny, struggled with rheumatoid arthritis and depression. At the age of 11, Thapa was fostered.

At school, he faced bullying both for being in care and for his love of singing. He was also teased for being “quite big.” However, Thapa persisted, continuing to sing in a church choir and play the clarinet, despite the adversity he faced.

Musical Education and Early Recognition

After attending Hills Road College in Cambridge, Thapa won a place at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester before transferring to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. His career gained attention in 2003 with his moving performance in Cavalli’s Didone at the Guildhall. He also studied at the Royal College of Music and the Wales International Academy of Voice.

Post-G4: An Opera Career

After G4 disbanded, Thapa devoted himself to opera. He delivered an incisive reading of Melot in Longborough Festival Opera’s Tristan und Isolde and played a manipulative Salieri in Errolyn Wallen’s The Paradis Files about the blind 18th-century pianist Maria Theresia von Paradis. His work also included singing the President in Stockhausen’s Mittwoch aus Licht in Birmingham.

Reunion with G4 and Later Years

In 2009, G4 reunited for a performance at Jonathan Ansell’s wedding, and in 2015, they embarked on a reunion tour. Thapa stayed with the group until 2018 while also performing as a lay clerk with the choir of St George’s Roman Catholic Cathedral in Southwark.

Final Days

Just days before his passing, Thapa underwent an emergency nephrostomy and, with his typical sense of humor, introduced his social media followers to the dialysis machine he called his “new dialysis friend,” asking them: “What shall we call them?”

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