ABC - ABC STAR FRY GIVES HUGH GRANT VOCAL LESSONS

ABC STAR FRY GIVES HUGH GRANT VOCAL LESSONS

ABC frontman MARTIN FRY has become HUGH GRANT's unlikely voice coach as the movie star attempts to hit the high notes in a new movie. The POISON ARROW singer, famed for the gold lame suits he wore as a popular 1980s star, was hired to help FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL star Grant play an authentic pop singer in new DREW BARRYMORE movie MUSIC + LYRICS BY. Fry tells Billboard.com, "I was like his stunt double, vocally. Warner Brothers (studio executives) figured, 'If Hugh Grant was a pop star, who would he sound like?' And I guess my name came up. "Hugh listened to what I'd done, and then used that as a sort of springboard." Fry admits he was impressed with Grant's efforts: "I think his voice sort of sounds like (VELVET UNDERGROUND star) JOHN CALE." The BE NEAR ME hitmaker also recorded vocals for new songs, written by FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE star ADAM SCHLESINGER, which will appear on the soundtrack album. In the film, Grant plays a forgotten pop star attempting a songwriting comeback. Barrymore plays his florist muse. Fry is staging his own comeback with ABC and plans to tour Britain with fellow 80s acts HOWARD JONES and TOYAH later this year (06).