His journey to becoming a full-time entertainer was not a straight path.
“When I left high school, I was sort of lost for a while,” Paul said.
“Then, at the age of 25, I was doing a lot of local music theatre shows, so I did a Bachelor of Music Theatre in Ballarat.”
After completing his degree, Paul returned to office work for about five years.
However, his passion for performance lingered.
He joined a Robbie Williams tribute show and performed at his workplace Christmas party.
“My boss saw me, and the next week said, ‘I think you should resign’,” Paul said.
“And I'm thinking what you mean, and he says, ‘You are wasting your time here. You work hard, but you should be performing’.”
Taking this advice to heart, Paul has been performing full-time since age 35.
His repertoire extends beyond Williams, including tributes to the Beach Boys, Frankie Valli and Michael Bublé.
Interestingly, Paul wasn’t initially familiar with Williams’ music.
“Funnily enough, I didn’t know too much about Robbie Williams in my late 20s, when he was really big back in 2001, 2002,” he said.
Only after being compared to Williams did Paul research the artist and successfully auditioned for a tribute band.
Paul enjoys performing Williams’ lesser-known numbers and ballads.
“I love singing Go Gentle,” he said.
“It is a great song, but it sort of never got anywhere.”
The Australian Robbie Williams Show promises an entertaining night of Williams’ anthems, with Paul channelling the star’s charismatic stage presence.
The show will be at the Rich River Golf Club on Saturday, November 2, from 9pm, with free entry.
For more information, visit richriver.com.au/events/