Former child star Nathan Cavaleri makes a VERY rare appearance on morning TV after rising to fame as a guitar prodigy in the early ’90s
Former guitar prodigy Nathan Cavaleri was a household name in the early 1990s.
And the now-38-year-old made a rare television appearance on Monday, speaking about his childhood fame and battle with leukaemia.
Nathan, who is about to release his first solo album in 26 years, said on The Morning Show that his memories are a bit of a blur these days.
Fame: Former child star Nathan Cavaleri, 38, (pictured) has made a very rare appearance on The Morning Show on Monday, after rising to fame as a child guitar prodigy in the early 90s
‘It was quite a blur. When I was diagnosed with leukaemia I was lucky enough to be granted a wish by the Starlight Foundation to meet Mark Knopfler,’ he began.
‘It all just kind of snowballed from there. I went on the road with Jimmy and Diesel and then got taken to the States and spent a lot of time there.’
Nathan had secured a recording contract with Michael Jackson by the age of 12, and toured alongside legendary jazz musician B.B. King.
‘It was quite a blur when I was diagnosed with leukaemia I was lucky enough to be granted a wish by the Starlight Foundation to meet Mark Knopfler,’ Nathan said on the morning show
Nathan also did the rounds of the American late night shows.
Reflecting on this time, he said: ‘I had some pretty epic experiences but I didn’t take the time to reflect on until much later in life.’
Despite these incredible experiences, things took a turn for the worse when he began experiencing mental health issues in his late twenties.
Awesome: He later went on to perform with jazz musician B.B. King (pictured)
‘I found myself dealing with mental health challenges,’ he said.
‘Things that I didn’t even know existed. And because of my lack of education to deal with those challenges, it ended up corrupting so many areas of my life.’
He added: ‘It ended up corrupting that one place I thought I was untouchable, which was the stage, which was my cue to just step away.’
Nathan said not all of the fame was good with him struggling with depression and anxiety in his later years. Pictured here with his wife Amy
Nathan said he not only struggled with performing, but also had difficultly dealing with everyday situations, like spending time with friends.
‘While at that time it felt like a battle… it was an awakening,’ he said.
‘It taught me so much about myself and now I have a completely different understanding on what adversity is.’
Adversity: ‘It taught me so much about myself and now I have a completely different understanding on what adversity is,’ Nathan said. Here: with wife, Amy
He added: ‘When I think about my years growing up, adversity has been my biggest teacher and most of my growth has happened on the other side of that.’
Nathan is about to release his first solo album in 26 years, and acknowledges that making it has been part of a healing journey.
‘These songs, I wrote them when I wasn’t intending on returning to music. When music became about self expression and not career goals and what people might think,’ he said.
Star: Nathan is now releasing new music for the first time in 26 years. Here: At the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000