"IT'S my total priority and puts everything else in perspective," says Welsh singing sensation Aled Jones on becoming the proud father of a baby daughter last year.

Strange how time marches on, it only seems like yesterday he was topping the charts with Walking In The Air as a housewives' favourite angelic choirboy.

At the time, a media storm surrounded him over when his voice would finally break - closing a chapter in his life which saw him sell an incredible six million records.

The intervening time has been anything but wilderness years, attending the Royal Academy Of Music, where he formed a jazz band, studying drama at Bristol Old Vic and becoming a county level tennis player.

Returning to the music industry has felt entirely natural for him and his adult debut album, Aled, last year topped the classical charts.

Clearly relieved by its reception, he described himself as being like a proud grandfather on its release: "I was overjoyed about it, the day I found out about it getting to number one I was like a Dick Van Dyke character dancing down the street."

On the back of this comes a follow-up, Higher, which he is promoting with a first-ever full national tour including a must see date at the Basingstoke Anvil on October 2.

Enthusing about the album, he added: "I am singing songs that I have always liked. But this time it's a little different as my voice is changing and about four notes higher and I'm getting a lot more strength in it.

"There are some up tempo numbers, and songs such as Abide By Me. I also do a duet with Julian Lloyd Webber - who recently beat me on Ready Steady Cook."

Such antics are a far cry from enjoying a brilliant childhood spent on the mysterious Druid island of Anglesey.

As he says "everyone in Wales sings" and though none of his family were musicians (his mother was a teacher and father an engineer), they all took pride in singing at church. His grandfather was also known to strike up a tune at the pub.

A modest character, Aled was never pressured into his music, and it was a family friend who sent a demo tape to a record company which set the ball rolling.

"That was an incredible time, I don't know how I managed it. In those four years (between 12 and 16), I recorded 15 or 16 albums, and did every TV show going. That was an exciting time and no-one including my parents ever put any pressure on me and I just did what I wanted to do - It was just great."

In 1985, Aled-mania peaked with Walking In The Air, and he recalled with good humour his appearance on Top of The Pops as one of the first classical artists proved quite memorable.

"They tried to make me trendy by giving me trainers but my shoes stuck to the dry ice on the stage," he said. "But that was the only time I was cool back then. It seems like someone else was doing it."

These days he is enjoying life as a presenter on Songs Of Praise, which he rates as one of the best shows on the box.

"I love it although I do get a bit nervous when I go on stage and the producer reminds me that 44 million people are watching."

He lives in Barnes with his wife, Claire, who recently gave birth to their first child, Emilia. And he says that his motto in life is very much work hard play hard. In what spare time he has, perhaps his main passion in life has been supporting Arsenal.

Doing such "vile things" as going to the gym has kept him in good nick and he is eagerly anticipating the new tour supported by the New Zealand starlet, Hayley Westenra.

"It's going to be great as I have not done anything like it before, but I'll be pretty shattered by the end I think. Singing with me for part of the tour will be Katherine Jenkins, who is the unofficial mascot of the Welsh rugby team."

Conceding he could never be happy doing a 9-5 job, he feels more comfortable with his lot than ever before: "Singing means the world to me, and I think that I would explode if I could not do it."

Recently he was the subject of This Is Your Life. "That was the last show ever. It left me with a strange feeling of being happy, sad, and dry mouthed. It was a bit odd as I am only 32, but it was my life as a boy."