Fans of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! were in disbelief when they discovered N-Dubz star Tulisa has a famous dad who scored two number one hits
TV
Sam Huntley Senior Showbiz & TV Reporter and Katie Wilson Showbiz Reporter
13:58, 30 Nov 2024Updated 14:01, 30 Nov 2024
Fans of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! can't believe Tulisa has a famous dad.
The former N-Dubz singer isn't the only musical talent in her family. Tulisa first made waves in the music industry with her band's debut single 'You Better Not Waste My Time' back in 2006, but it seems she may have inherited her hitmaking talent from her dad.
Her dad, Steve Contostavlos, was a big name in the seventies, known by his stage name Plato. He was a member of the Mungo Jerry blues band, who topped the charts with their hit 'In The Summertime' in 1970 and scored another number one with Feels Like I'm in Love.
READ MORE: I'm A Celebrity star broke camp rules in unaired scenes – for crucial reason
Click for more brilliant Daily Star showbiz stories
Plato played the keyboard while his brother Byron - Tulisa's uncle and father to her cousin and N-Dubz bandmate Dappy - was on bass guitar. The band was led by Ray Dorset and were part of the early line-up.
Sadly, Byron passed away in 2007 as N-Dubz were just bursting onto the scene, but Plato is believed to be around 65 years old now. Fans were shocked to find out Tulisa's dad is famous, reports the Mirror.
One fan posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: "I did not know that Tulisa Contostavlos' dad was the keyboard player in Mungo Jerry."
A second queried: "Did you know that Tulisa and Dappy's uncle was in Mungo Jerry of 'In The Summertime' fame?" Another replied: "I did not! Turns out there are many N Dubz fun facts I didn't know."
Another wrote: "How have I only just realised that Mungo Jerry is Tulisa (N-Dubz) Dad? ! ? ! " Another was equally surprised, posting: "I had no idea her father was part of such a legendary band."
Despite suggestions of nepotism, another fan was quick to highlight N-Dubz's own merits: "They weren't even main members of Mungo Jerry-this was all about N-Dubz's talent."
A different user added their two cents: "I think they technically aren't nepo kids because N-Dubz first gained traction on pirate radio. But also Dappy's dad was their manager and their first album was named after him.. but yeah they weren't even the main guys in Mungo Jerry which no one cares about anyway."
It's not just Tulisa's dad who's got the musical chops; her Irish mum Anne Byrne used to belt out tunes in a swing band called Jeep back in the Eighties, crooning hits like 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy' by the Andrews Sisters – a far cry from Tulisa's later hip hop ventures. But whether she's a 'nepo baby' or not, it seems Tulisa was always destined for the stage.
She spilled the beans on Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast before her jungle adventure, where Fearne noted: "You grew up in a really musical household. Your mum was a singer, your dad was in Mungo Jerry and you had that sense that music was something that was important."
Tulisa has dished out on her early music roots, revealing: "My dad had a little studio in Dollis Hill and he used to bring me there sometimes when he was working. He put me on the mic at the age of five. I was singing Little Mermaid. I just knew there was nothing else I felt passionate about."
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
English (US) ·