David Burgoyne - The Creative Force Behind Luciana

 

I've profiled a lot of different pop stars on this site over the years but never anyone from the team behind them. My bad. Now more than ever, music is a visual medium. Like it or not but style and image counts - making artistic types like David Burgoyne an essential part of the creative process. The hirsute Brit has been working with Luciana for the best part of two decades. He looks after her luscious locks, helps choose her outfits and films her every move for documentaries. Together they make a formidable team. Here's what Luciana's gay husband has to say about working with the Queen of Clubs and his other creative endeavors. 

How did you get into styling Hair?
I always wanted to work in fashion. Ever since I was little I used to be fascinated with Hollywood and the stars of the '50s and '60s. I was addicted to the glamour, so it was only natural I would go toward hair and styling. I had a few false starts with my career but once I decided to train to be a hairdresser it all fell into place.

You're best know for your long association with dance diva Luciana. How did you meet?
Luciana came into Toni and Guy one day, where I was working. She pulled her hair out of a scrunchy and said "if you could do anything with my hair what would you do?" I thought she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She had amazing long dark wavy hair. I tied her hair back up in the scrunchy and said "nothing, it's perfect as it is!" She loved my reaction and told me she liked my style. Two weeks later I chopped all her off and dyed it black and white for the British Hairdressing Awards. She was always up for anything I wanted to do.

Can you explain the intense connection you have with her?
Our birthdays are the 22nd and 23rd of June. We always say we are like the same person. We kind of know how the other one thinks, it's always been this way. In nearly 20 years we have never fallen out, even when we go on tour and share the same space. We just seem to co-exist happily together. We always joke that I am her gay husband. I knew right away that she was my muse. She loved my ideas and loved the way I did her hair, so she was totally trusting. It still feels like we are kids and playing dress up.  

How has Luciana's look evolved over the years?
It has evolved in many ways over the years, Depending on fashion and what suits her. The one thing that always keeps it together has been her color. She suits being dark, it just goes with her Italian features. We started off quite punky, travelled through rock chic and paid tribute to the '50s and '60s glamour along the way. We keep coming back to a fringe (or bangs as they say in the States) because it's something that really suits her face.

How do you keep her look fresh and cutting edge?
I think by trying not to follow fashion and do what makes us happy always ensures she is cutting edge. We are not afraid to go against the grain, if ever I think things are too commercial, I steer far away.

What was Luci's best look?
For me it has to be the short sharp Louise Brooks style bob with bangs she wore for the "Bow Wow Wow" video. It was so dramatic and really suited her features.

Do you look back on any hair styles or outfits in horror?
No, I love all of Luci's looks. I know that sounds corny but it's true. Saying that we were bored in Russia once on tour and I let her talk me into giving her curls. She looked like a prostitute but it made us laugh!

Who else have you worked with?
I have been so busy with Luciana for so many years that I haven't worked with many other celebrities. I guess the most famous has to be the legendary Betty White. I styled the entire video for Luciana and Betty's duet "I'm still Hot". I nearly died when I saw her step out in the velour leisure suit with the silver bling. Yes, it was me that put Betty White in silver converse. She loved them and asked to keep the suit and shoes. What could I say, I wanted to sell them on eBay but I had to let her keep them!

You're also a budding filmmaker - what have you worked on lately?
I've just finished a behind-the-scenes film called "When Luciana met Cazwell". Basically following Luci and Cazwell when the shot their promo for "Guess What". I'm always working on something. I get so much out of film making. It's so satisfying.

What's next for you?
I want to stay in the States. I want to marry my boyfriend when it becomes legal. I'm going to keep on making art in film and photography with Luciana. As Luciana's career evolves, mine does too. I want to work on my love for film making. I'd like to say that my next phase will involve film but for now its still hair. It's what I do best.

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Q&A: Lianne La Havas Talks Older Men And Great, Great Music

If you haven't checked out Lianne La Havas yet, you need to get correct and buy her album today. Is Your Love Big Enough? is one of those rare critically-acclaimed debuts that actually lives up to the hype. She blends elements of folk and soul from different eras to create a timeless collection of songs that document a young woman with a clever wit and a big heart. I was lucky enough to have a quick phone chat with the rising star as she headed to Paris for what I'm sure was an all-conquering performance. Lianne was absolutely lovely and told me she'll be in Australia early next year. I can't wait to hear gems like  "Don't Wake Me Up" and "Au Cinéma" live! Read when she has to say about Prince, older men and the state of R&B below.

I hear you’re on a tour bus. Where are you now?
I’m just travelling to Paris from Oxford.

That sounds pretty good to me.
It’s a lot of fun.

Perhaps I should start by asking how you found your sound? 
[Laughs]. Well, I like to think it was natural. I always just wanted to play whatever I liked the sound of really. Eventually I arrived at the sound of the guitar I have and the subjects I chose to sing about. I guess it was also influenced by the music I was listening to growing up, the music I still am listening to.

Can you name a couple of the artists? 
There were lots of different things but I always remember responding to strong female voices. They made me really want to sing myself. I cite singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday and Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. All of these women share a strong sense of identity in their songwriting as well. So that really influenced me.

You mentioned a number of great soul singers. When Beyoncé came out with 4 she implied the genre had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Do you think that’s true? 
I do agree. The genre has moved towards dance music. That does seem to have happened but at the same time I think it’s become very broad. I always avoid putting things into a genre box because music itself is always growing and always developing. Music feeds other music. I can’t really explain why the change has happened but I think we should embrace it.

Who is making great music now? 
Laura Marling. I love her. I just don’t think she’s ever written a bad song. It’s always amazing what she can do with her voice and where her train of thought takes us, the listener. I love her. I’m also a very big fan of Little Dragon.

How good is “Sunshine”?
Yeah, great. Again that’s a voice that I really respond to. Their sound is just so… it makes me feel really warm and fuzzy. It also makes me want to dance. There’s a real purity and soul to it and you can’t put your finger on it, you can only say that it sounds like Little Dragon – the warmth of their sound. So I love Little Dragon. They’re my two favourite people who are around now.

Both of those acts are great storytellers like yourself. How much of your own experience went into the lyrics of your album? It sounds extremely personal. 
All of my personal experience! Each song is, in some way, based on a true event and has come from a real place. I don’t know how I’d make that up. [Laughs]. The thing that compels me most to write is the stuff that happens in my actual life. It’s such a great pleasure to me when other people want to hear that because I was just singing to express myself. To make myself feel happy. It’s a good job to have!

I guess Is Your Love Big Enough? is something of a diary then – capturing all the things going on in your life?
Yeah. Exactly. That’s exactly what I wanted to put across. To me when I listen to it, if you know me, you can listen to the journey – from me coming out of my late teens to my early twenties. Just the rollercoaster of emotions that you feel as a teenager and then the complexities of love and relationships once you’re not a teenager anymore. If you think it’s complicated then [laughs]… so I like to think of it as that but also I think it needed to be so candid because it’s an introduction to me as an artist and as a musician. So I wanted to offer the listener something that would help you get to know me and maybe wonder what else I could do.

I think you definitely achieved that. 
Thank you.

So “Age Is Just A Number” (below) was also based on real life? It really makes me laugh. I think it’s so cheerful but also oddly romantic at the same time. 
That’s a true story also. I wrote that a few years ago now actually. When I was 18 I wrote the first verse and I finished the song when I was 19. So I wrote the chorus a year later because it turns out I had chosen the older man in fact. So I needed to live of all that and decide what I wanted in order to finish the song. I always giggle at the same point in that song too. It’s always going to be close to my heart and my boyfriend’s heart.

So you’re still with the older guy? 
Yes. I guess that proves he wasn’t some weirdo [laughs]. He’s completely not. He’s a lovely guy. He just happens to be… what seemed a lot older than me when I was 18. But now I’m 23 and we’ve stood the test of time. It feels normal and cool. Our families completely accept it and love us.

How much older is he? 
He’s 14 years my senior.

It’s not that bad. I thought he was going to be 60. 
He's not that old! But we do make a lot of jokes about it. [Laughs]

You threw in one cover on the album. Was there a reason you chose “Elusive”? 
I love it. I remember first hearing it when I was about 14 and I was in my bedroom just listening to the radio. It came on and it’s almost like everything around me stopped. It was just me and that song for however long it ran for. I’ve just always loved it. I loved the delivery of Scott’s voice on the song. The atmosphere – everything. It really moved me.

Then I grew up and lived my life and then I rediscovered the song very recently – like maybe 10 months ago – and I just had that same feeling again and I just thought it would be really nice to have a cover of it on the album and it turned out to be the thing I felt completed the album because it was going to be 11 songs but I wasn’t quite sure about the order of the songs. With the cover, I knew exactly where I wanted to put it and then it felt like the album was complete. And just because of the way I interpreted it, it was a way of showing my sound.

Maybe you could tell me a little bit about your experience with Prince. I read in an interview that you had the chance to go and hang with him. 
Very crazy. Very surreal. Amazing.

He’s such a legend. 
He is! A living legend. One of the very few. It was a great honour. It turned out we got on very well and he’s lovely. We just hung out. We played guitar. We talked about music and we listened to music. It was wonderful.

*Dude from record label tells me I’ve spoken for too long*

Sorry. One last question. How do you compute the buzz surrounding the album? 6 months ago you were relatively unknown and now a lot of people are calling you the next big thing. 
That’s really nice. I love it. I’m happy about it. I always wanted it. I’m so thrilled knowing I made an album that I was happy with and then just knowing that other people like it. It’s just amazing. So I’m just going to enjoy that for as long as it lasts. It may not last forever!

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Cosmo Jarvis On His Dick, Why Hip Hop Sux & Selling Out (But Not Really)

I was reading on Twitter that the airline lost your bags. Welcome to Australia!
I brought a guitar with me. I brought two laptops, five hard-drives to edit some footage while I was here and a domestic bag. A few items of clothing. My insulin. My mandolin. All my leads... all that shit and it was just gone. They didn’t tell us until we touched down in Sydney but they lost it in Abu Dhabi. I hope they’ve given some kind of financial contribution because that’s bullshit. It’s fucking insulin.

You’re out here to promote your new album, which is really great.
Thanks man.

To me it sounds like a progression from your last album. We were talking about that last time. Is The World Strange Or Am I? was really weird and wonderful and experimental and had the white man rapping.
I’m not allowed to rap anymore!

Last time you said that you had been banned from rapping by everyone. Was it a conscious decision to make something that is a little more... consumer friendly, for want of a better description?
It was inevitable. It’s album three. The last two had done terribly in the UK. Well, my fans liked them but outside that it wasn’t really growing as much as it should. So the third one had to be as low a risk as possible, while still maintaining some kind of musical diversity and still being a legitimate thing. It’s 11 tracks and I tried to find a more cohesive sound. I would say I want this fucking rap song and the team would say leave it. They would say you can still be a little rock, punk and acoustic but it’s got to be within reason. So, yes. It’s a little bit more playing the game. I’m not pissed off with the product at all. I guess you’ve just got to do these things until one day you can just do whatever you want.

It turned out really well. It’s very cohesive and has a great sound but the topics and the themes are still very you. It’s unusual for that kind of an album...
Cool, thanks. Trying to maintain that at least to still have some interesting subject matter and things that I felt needed to be sung about rather than... what everyone who’s selling music sings about is the most bland, unspecific, widely relatable trash that isn’t even an artwork anymore it becomes music for the sake of music. It’s seen briefs that say things like “relaxed, jovial, think sunshine, think carefree” – those are the kind of things that obviously will make it or people who are smart about it. They know what they’re singing about and it is still legit to them but they word it in a way that is abstract and makes it relatable to the listener, so the listener projects who they are and what they are into the meaning of the song and that works too and that’s a good way of doing it. Sometimes I like to be quite blunt and you can’t really abstract that too much when it’s a story, like a narrative in the song. I’m happy with the way it came out. I’ve just got to figure what to do with the few rap songs that are left over [laughs].

You could put out an online EP!
Yeah. Free downloads and shit. I’ll put ‘em out somehow.

“Love This” (bottom of post) is getting a lot of airplay on the indie-stations. When you first hear it, the song doesn’t sound worlds apart from the Jason Mrazes of the world but then when you listen to the lyrics, you’re like... oh fuck! The single kind of speaks for itself but could you talk about what was on your mind when you penned that one?
It started off a long time ago. I made a short film called The Joke and in that short film there was a piece of music during a montage which all revolved around bass chords and just the four on the floor kickbeat. That’s why I think mainstream radio has given it a few plays. At first listen it has that kind of poppy, dance thing going on. But it was just an instrumental and I always thought about writing words to it because I liked the groove a lot and I had some old words lying around that I just kind of started. The concept was basically – anybody if they met God, if he manifested as a human-being, exploring the question of what is worth more to you – should you choose to follow his example, which could be really good but could also limit you as a human being from finding your own way of doing things and making your own choices. That was the question. God vs good. The chorus just refers to life in general. If you like what you’re doing, just fucking do it. As long as it’s not like massacring millions of Jews in the Holocaust. That sort of thing is quite bad. So, I just kind of put it all together.

Is that a common theme through the album – religion, relationships with other people.
There’s tonnes of that shit.

What is it about the religious thing that tortures you, that plays on your mind?
It just causes so much shit. I can’t believe that the human race got this face, that it’s capable of so much fucking shit, doing unbelievable shit – curing blindness and all kinds of crap – but people still allow religion and their faith to influence professional decisions. The White House, the whole USA. Even in music. A guy from Sony in this country wouldn’t sign me... why was it?

Oh the video with the pedophile priest.
Yeah! He didn’t like “Sure As Hell Not Jesus” because he was Catholic. But you shouldn’t make a professional decision based on faith because it can affect millions of people. Not just musicians but actual countries. That pisses me off a lot. How much weight the idea of God has. And if you were to ask somebody what is God? I don’t know what they’d say but to me the definition is an example of how to live. The overall concept has to be good... otherwise it would be bad! So why can’t people just say that they believe in good?

Talking about that video, I think one of the best things about you is that beautiful symmetry between your music and the visual aspect.
Cheers.

And I think “Love This” is another quirky little video. But I’ve got to ask. It’s a bit of a sausage-fest. What’s going on?
Ok, so I got the suit. We did a few takes and my really good friend Rosie was on the roof with a camera and we were shooting it. We did a few rehearsals and this girl came down from Cheltenham in the UK to be in the video because she was very good looking. It was all cool and then we watched the first take back and we were like fuck, that sticks out quite badly. So I tried duct taping my dick to the inside of my leg but that just kind of made it look a little bit abnormal. It made it look like something was wrong, so then we were just like fuck it. I didn’t really know how to get around it so in the end I was like fuck it, just leave it. Because I am the devil in that video, so he wouldn’t give a shit if his fucking balls were hanging around the place, you know? But yeah, I should have thought about that before wearing a skin tight suit.

It was definitely a talking point. That shit is wobbling all over the place.
Fuckin’ hell. I’m sorry.

It’s like the Olympic 100m final where you should be concentrating on the athletes but instead you’re looking elsewhere.
I should blur it out maybe. It’s bad news. I’ve seen a few blogs where people have talked about just that. I just want people to know that it wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t like, hey look at my dick. It just happened that way and we were literally on some street with some duct tape, a few cameras – so for us to go home and get some sort of codpiece would have been a huge mission.

Slightly related topic... well, not really... you broke through with “Gay Pirates”. Even though you’re not gay, that song has made you a bit of an underground figure in the gay community. It’s really won you a following. Does that surprise you?
I’m honoured that a real gay person took something from my song. At first I was very worried that people would see it as me trying to do a novelty thing about gay men and I was very careful. If I was on a major label they would have had fucking queens doing the can can in the video. I just wanted it to be like any other love song that just happened to be about a gay couple. But it wasn’t just a gay thing – it was about men in general because I think men deal with love totally differently than women deal with it.

Not particularly well.
Yeah, not particularly well because they’re men, so there’s a certain logic there. Not that I’m saying women are illogical but there’s a different kind of logic than men have with regard to their emotional state. People don’t really explore that all too much, especially heterosexual men. I just kind of thought – if I was in love with a dude and we were two dudes on a boat, how would it happen? But I think it’s really fucking good that gay men like it. I’m honoured. It’s cool.

And that “Love This” video really helped seal the deal.
Yeah. Didn’t mean to but yes, there you go – that’s my dick.

What’s going to be the next single from the album?
It’s a toss up at the moment between “Train Downtown” and “Tell Me Who To Be”. Oh and maybe “Sunshine”.

Yeah, I like that one.
“Train Downtown” has a really strong chorus – or so I’m told – and is a good candidate but the problem is the subject matter. I’m not sure how that will differ in Australia because it’s... I’m not supposed to say what it’s about... this is really difficult to talk about. I’ve been told because of what people could perceive it as being about – connotations within the social and political states of countries, which may be detrimental to it being played on the radio. Even though it’s not about anything bad like that. There’s no way around it. I can’t re-record it or edit it. It’s either going to get played or it’s not. It would be great if it did. “Tell Me Who To Be” could be played because it’s simple and catchy. I wrote it when I was 12, so it’s a little fucking haunter. It’s been around for a long time. That’s like the fourth different recording of it that I’ve done. It started off as a reggae song, believe it or not. And I’d love it if “Sunshine” was a single but only if it had the end part in the single version because it would be as heavy as “My Day”, which JJJ didn’t take to, but I think it’s got a better chorus than “My Day”.

I was reading the album credits and you basically wrote, produced, did everything yourself. Do you ever entertain the thought of what it would mean to your sound if you worked with someone else?
Yeah, I’ve thought about it but many of the conversations that lead to me working with a producer start with “you need to work with a producer because it will help the record”. That’s not a good enough reason to work with a producer. If you’re going to work with a producer it’s got to be somebody that you met or jammed with or, I don’t fucking know, had a beer with or gotten blazed with or whatever and they think they can bring something to the table with your music. If that were to happen, I wouldn’t say no. I wouldn’t shoot it before I tried it. But you can’t go around shopping for producers. It’s dumb. I’m capable of producing a record on my own at the moment. I think I’m going to carry on producing stuff on my own but on the next record I want it to be much more rocky, verging on hardcore, acoustic-y, folky, bluegrass-y stuff. I want to get my live band to play on it. I’ll still produce it but I want it to sound more live. The only track I’ve ever done that’s like that was “My Day”. I liked how it sounded. I don’t know anything about micing up amps or anything like that, so I’d need a good engineer but I’d just produce it from there and see how it pans out.

Who are your influences? Who are you listening to?
Everybody. The Bronx, Frank Zappa, Grateful Dead, Tallest Man On Earth, Destiny’s Child.

Is there anyone at the moment?
Bronx. Fucking Bronx man.

Have you heard that Frank Ocean album? That’s good.
No, I haven’t.

I think you’d like that.
I’ll check it out. I like that single from Emeli Sande. The first one but I haven’t heard much of her other stuff but it reminded me of the Fine Young Cannibals, which is really cool. I like Corinne Baily Rae and there’s not a lot of other people. Generally it’s just shit. It’s all this bollocks. This shitty excuse for hip hop coming out of the US with all these well-moisturized rich fucking kids releasing their shitty songs about nothing. I look forward to when that era dies. Nobody makes real rap anymore.

Have you heard Azealia Banks?
Is she that girl with the lick my cunt song?

Yeah, she raps about her "cunt gettin’ eaten” on “212”.
I heard it last night and I really like it. But I heard what her other stuff is like and it doesn’t quite meet that single.

I like her but I think she’s someone who has let herself be mashed into a more palatable version.
But it’s really cool on that song though the way she has all these different voices on the record. There’s like that grimey, distorted thing, then there’s that other accent when she’s talking – which sounds totally sweet – and then, there’s the singing, which is like this evil, bluesy voice. I was like is this all her? And these girls were like, yeah. They loved it, they were playing it in the car on the way to the studio. It’s fucking cool, man. I really like that actually.

When are you coming back to Australia?
December 26. I’m going to come and do a bunch of festivals and then I’m going to do an Australian regular venue tour with my four piece band. I heard that it’s better then because it’s summer.

See you then!
 

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My Interview With Mya

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favourite turn-of-the-century urban-pop divas. Mya had a huge run in the early noughties with epic hits like "Case Of The Ex" (below), "Free" and her massive number one Moulin Rouge collaboration "Lady Marmalade". Sadly, she fell off the music radar almost as fast as she arrived. Devoted fans understood that she was stuck in label hell but most of us thought she had retired and currently knocking back cocktails on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean. It was interesting to hear all the challenges the now 32-year-old faced and inspiring to learn that she's still on the grind with her heart set on a major label comeback. Read the entire interview over at Idolator. Now excuse me while I dust off Moodring and party like it's 2003.

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Christina Parie Talks X Factor, Avril & Katy Perry

Christina Parie first came to Australia's attention as a contestant on last year's X Factor. Her rock chick attitude and quirky covers made her an instant fan favourite and she eventually placed 6th. Warner Music saw something special in the 16-year-old and recently released her debut EP - the surprisingly enjoyable 16 & Unstoppable. It's Avril Lavigne meets The Veronicas pop/rock for moderately angst-ridden teenagers but it works for me. I met up with Christina to discuss the EP and her future plans last week. Check it out.

"16 & Unstoppable" has finally landed. How does it feel? 

It’s a nice feeling. It’s a good feeling. I don’t think people realise how much work goes into putting a single together, putting an EP together. All the crap you have to go through. All the stuff you have to organise. So to finally see it was a nice relief. It was a great feeling.

Tell me about the song. Who did you work with? What was the inspiration behind it?

Unfortunately, I wasn’t part of the writing. I was writing with these guys at Hit City and one of them played the beginning of “16 and Unstoppable”. I was like - that’s cool, work on that. I want to hear more of it. And then the next time I came in they had finished the song. Hayley Warner was in and she was fixing the second verse and I was like – wow, the song’s already done. Great! They got me to sing on the track and then when we were trying to pick a single, it really stood it. We all thought it was really cool. We knew it was an instant hit, so we went with that.

And the video (below)? It looks like you had a lot of fun.

I come from playing in bands – pub rock punk bands – and now emerging as a solo artist, a pop artist, I wanted to keep a bit of me rock roots and the first thing I think of when I think of rock is rebellion. There were a few mixed comments about how people perceived it. There were a couple that said what is she doing? Her mother would hate her if she did this! And then there were others that found it really cool. I’m kind of glad there was criticism. That’s my rock side.

It’s good to get a bit of controversy...

Yeah, it means people watched it. That’s great.

You’ve talked about your roots. How did you start out before X Factor?

I started off acting. I went to acting school. Then I started singing lessons on the side. I was like, I don’t wanna do it. But that’s where I met Victor Reyes who has been the mentor of my whole career. He started teaching me when I was 10. Then at 14 he introduced me to the first band and we did a few gigs and then I got my own band and started doing more gigs. Then I did the whole festival thing and band competitions. Now I’m here! Loved a lot of Blink 182 growing up. Loved Avril Lavigne. I love The Pretty Reckless - stuff like that.

I was going to ask if those younger pop/rock chicks like Taylor Momsen are the artists you look up to.

Yeah definitely. Girls like Hayley Williams, Avril Lavigne but I also like my pop/rock as well – like Katy Perry, P!nk and Kelly Clarkson. They’re all great but Avril Lavigne is my favourite. Growing up I used to wear the boy shorts and the chain.

She’s awesome. Do you have a favourite song?

You know what? I don’t know why but I’ve always just loved “Sk8er Boi”. I love her older stuff. You go into my mum’s car and it’s full of all Avril’s old CDs – Under My Skin, Let Go. All that stuff!

I guess that takes us to X Factor. For someone that was singing in rock bands – was that a bit of a shock to your system to be doing pop covers?

You know how that came about? My friends and family said I should do it. My whole life I was always like – I’m not going to go on a TV show. They’re just going to judge me. It was a week out from auditions and I just thought – whatever. I’ll give it a go. And yeah, I got a lot further than I thought I would. When I made it past the TV auditions and got to boot camp, I was like – I’m happy with this. I remember walking down the first day at boot camp and I thought it was like being surrounded by barbie dolls. They were all wearing the dresses , poofy hair and beautiful make-up and I was wearing purple jeans and a t-shirt. Yeah, X Factor – it made me pop but now I’m mixing in a bit of rock. It’s a good mix for me.

Were you expecting to progress and do so well in the show? You were one of the fan favourites.

I really did not expect it. After every round I was like – I’m happy with that. I’m happy with that. I eventually came 6^th. I’m happy with that. That’s great. I only decided to audition a week out. It was all so last minute.

How soon after the show ended did you hear from Warner?

At the beginning of this year, they were like – look, go down your stuff and come back to us with what you’ve got. They liked it and then they signed me. They had their eye on me and then when the final product came around, they were cool.

So you had quite a lot of control over your own sound then.

Exactly, yeah.

So what was the brief when you went into the studio?

For the first single I knew I was going to have to lean towards pop. That’s what’s current. You can hear on my EP, it just gets more rock and more mature. You can hear in the stuff I’m writing now – I’ve already grown a lot and I want people to grow with me. I love how they gave me creative control by saying – go into the studio and come back to us.

What’s the plan from here? How are you going to get your song hear?

I’m going to do a few shows and a lot of radio and TV. I guess we’re just going to see how well the song sells and go from there.

You’ve got a really strong online following. How important is that?

Online is where it’s at these days. I go home and get on Twitter. It’s great and my following is incredible for someone that placed 6^thin a show and didn’t even make the grand final. I’m incredibly grateful. Usually after the show, it all dies down but to have so many people still following me is great.

How are you going to separate yourself from the other X Factor alumni?

I’m just doing my thing. When you come off those shows, you don’t know exactly what you want and end up doing what everyone tells you to do but being with Warner – they’re so open-minded and ask me about everything. I have a say in everything. They’re putting it in my control. This is me shaping me. This isn’t someone telling me this is what Christina Parie is going to be like. It’s so personal and it’s me driving it... I think that’s what really separates me. Well, I hope so.

Are you still in touch with anyone from X Factor?

I think we just end up seeing each other at places like the Katy Perry movie premiere. I saw Luke Jacobz and Reece. It’s so friendly when we see each other. We have a chat and a catch up but we definitely need a reunion or something.

One last question – if you could pick anyone, whose career would you most like to have?

After seeing her movie, Katy Perry. I want to make a difference like her. I just don’t know how I’m going to do it yet! We’ll see. That’s my goal.

Good luck with that! All the best.

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11 Questions With Carrie Underwood

Last week saw the release of Carrie Underwood's hotly-anticipated fourth album. Blown Away is another flawless affair that showcases the 2005 American Idol winner's powerful pipes and evolution as an artist. The sound is still very much contemporary country but the 29-year-old shows her dark side on the positively Hitchcockian "Two Black Cadillacs" and lands an emotional knock-out punch on "Good In Goodbye" (ie. the country "Someone Like You"). There's even a reggae-tinged country-pop explosion called "One Way Ticket" that has crossover hit written all over it. Carrie is heading our way to promote the album with her first Australian tour in late June. I saw her perform an industry showcase in Sydney last year and she was brilliant. It's not too late to buy a ticket. I'm seeing her in two different cities! The Oklahoma-born beauty did some local press to promote the album and I was lucky enough to ask her a few questions. An edited version of this interview appeared on Idolator a couple of days ago but this is the full conversation.

“Good Girl” is adorable crossover country-pop song. Was it a conscious decision to spearhead the album with a more commercial track?
I really don't get into that whole "which song gets released when" game. I just try to make great music and, hopefully, can give everyone 14 tracks that could all be singles to choose from!

With the exception of “Good Girl”, “Blown Away” explores some dark themes on the title track and epic revenge-fantasy "Two Black Cadillacs". What inspired the change in direction?
We just seemed to go in that direction. It wasn't on purpose. I heard "Blown Away" and loved the song. Plain and simple! Then we ended up writing a couple more that were a little edgier. Like I said, I didn't make a conscious decision to sing songs that were darker. That's just the way the album wanted it.

You co-wrote most of the album. Was it exciting to bring your own point of view and life experience to the lyrics?
It's always fun to write. I love creating a song out of thin air. That said, I submit my co-writes like everyone else and the best songs are the ones that make the album. I love to write, but it's not imperative that I write every song on the album. I just want the best album possible.

You’re leading the CMT award nominations – who do you think is your main competition?
You never know who's going to win awards. But, we're such a tight community of performers, that we all support each other and love to get together and celebrate country music. That said, I do hope I take home something!

Your duet with Brad Paisley “Remind Me” is up for a couple of awards. How did the collaboration come about and what was it like working with him?
Brad and I know each other pretty well. We toured together a few years ago and have been hosting the CMA Awards for the past four years. A duet was inevitable at some point in time...we were just waiting on the right song. He came up with "Remind Me" right before he wrapped up his album and asked me if I would come sing on it. A few days later, I was in his studio laying down my part. He is such a great guy and I am happy that I can call him and his family my friends.

You look amazing on your new Billboard cover. Tell us about your new super-glamorous image!
Thank you! I love fashion and love to try new things. It was all about "stepping it up" this time around! I wanted this album to sound, feel and look different from my previous three albums. I got to create more drama in my looks and play around with some styles that I haven't tried before.

Despite your initial reluctance to use Twitter, you already have a huge presence due fan accounts. How do you feel about that level of fan loyalty and do you read tweets that people send you?
The whole Twitter experience has really opened my eyes to fans that I have in other countries. So far, I am having a lot fun with it. It really can be a great way to communicate instantly with fans.

What was it like touring with Keith Urban. Is he as nice as he seems from interviews?
You guys should really be proud to call Keith Urban your own! He is a very nice, talented guy who truly loves music. Touring with him was so much fun and was an experience that I learned so much from and will never forget.

You’re about to embark on a huge tour. What can fans expect from the show?
We have a lot of fun on stage and we want the people in the audience to do the same. I think people can expect to show up and have a great time! I love singing and I think that it really shows in our live concerts.

I saw you perform at a record label showcase in Sydney last year. You were brilliant and won a lot of fans that night. Were you surprised by how well you were received?
I was so happy that we had such a great time in Sydney and in Australia in general. Now I'm happy that I get to actually perform for the public there. I can't wait to get that opportunity! We will be performing at the Sydney Opera House (where I got to take a tour the last time I was in Sydney) on July 2.

“Jesus Take The Wheel” is one of my favourite songs of all-time and has really struck a chord with fans around the world. Why do you think it has connected with so many different people?
I think we've all had those moments in our lives that we realize we need to change some things about ourselves or change the way we've been living our lives. It's a very real sentiment that everyone can relate to. It is certainly one of my favorite songs to sing!

Blown Away is in stores now. Download it from iTunes now. 

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Jay Brannan On Touring, Dysfunctional Relationships & Angry Lesbian Music

Earlier today I had a quick chat with American singer-songwriter Jay Brannan about his new album and forthcoming Australian tour. Since his star turn in the mind-raping sausage-fest otherwise known as Shortbus, the 30-year-old has carved out a niche as the gay equivalent of Ani DiFranco or Aimee Mann. You know, an insightful wordsmith with a knack for getting under your skin with honest lyrics and pretty melodies. His latest single "Beautifully" is already at radio and his third album Rob Me Blind gets its official Australian release on June 1. Both are winners and should be downloaded as soon as they grace iTunes with their presence. Keep reading to see what Jay has to say about his tour, current playlist and the depressing state of gay relationships.

Hi Jay, how's it going?
I’m alright. How are you?

I’m really good. A lot of people are talking about your tour. Are you looking forward to coming back to Australia?
Yeah I’m really excited. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been there. It will be my third trip. The first two were both a lot of fun. The first time I only went to Sydney, the last time I got to expand to three cities and the shows were all great. The audiences were really supportive, so hopefully people will show up again!

I’m sure they will. What can we expect – is it going to be another stripped back, acoustic tour?
I’m kind of a minimalist. I just like to write songs and sing them for people and I’m able make a living doing it that way, so I don’t have to pay big bands to come with me or anything but I like it. I think it’s fun and people respond to it. It’s intimate, laid-back. I try to create an informal atmosphere with a lot of interaction with the audience. It makes me less nervous and it’s personal. People connect with the songs I write. That’s what I do. It’s my singer-songwriter thing.

I saw you last time and it was a great show.
Cool. What city were you in?

Sydney.
Ok cool.

It’s going to be great to have you back and hear the new album live. I’ve actually had a chance to listen to Rob Me Blind and I think it’s a really meaningful album. I just wanted to ask – what was the inspiration behind it because for me there seems to be a bit of a recurring theme of dysfunctional relationships...
[Laughs] I’m pretty sure that’s the only experience I’ve ever actually had in life. That is very much a theme on the album. Dysfunctional relationships as you put it – not just romantic but professional and familial. Frustration and anger and fear and pain – those are the things that inspire me to write. That’s kind of what I do and that’s where the music comes from. I think there’s a little bit more hope on this album than there has been on previous albums. But just a little bit, not too much. I don’t want to be boring.

It’s funny because I was going to ask about the bio on your website. Is your relationship history really that disastrous?
[laughs] Yes. It’s totally accurate. You can decide whether or not I was raised in the mountains by monks but for the most part it’s pretty accurate. That’s the true story. I haven’t really had a relationship in the past ten years, so that was the last one I had.

I think it’s quite reflective of the gay experience at the moment. I don’t know anyone that’s having happy, healthy relationships. Do you feel like a bit of a spokesman, holding a mirror up to the emotional retardation of the gay community?
I don’t know. I don’t think that’s true of lesbians. I think it’s more about men than it is gay or straight. You know what I mean? If straight men had relationships with each other it would never fucking work out.

[Laughs]
I think women in general want relationships more and will put more effort into it, whether that’s because of how we’re conditioned or the way we’re raised or the way society views us because of our gender... I don’t know. All the lesbians I know have relationships. So I think you just need a woman in there to make shit happen.

Maybe that’s the key but I don’t know how that would work for me...
[Laughs]

“Beautifully” is being pushed over here as a single at the moment. What’s the story behind the song and the awesome video?
I wanted to write a kind of he said/she said song with country-style storytelling. I wrote it from the perspective of the girl actually because that’s always the position I find myself in. You can’t write a good he said he said song because you can’t always follow it. To me the story is bigger than gender. It’s about falling for someone who doesn’t return the feeling. That’s something universal that everyone can relate to and the video, which I’m really happy with, was the idea of the filmmaker we used. The idea is that it takes place at the end of World War II, it’s on a movie set and there’s this actress who is in love with her co-star who doesn’t love her back and I keep popping up in all of the scenes as an extra. So I guess the idea is that I’m an actor working on the set and I’m sort of the only one noticing what’s going on between the actors and how she’s feeling. It’s intercut with performance footage of me singing the song. I’m observing her story, writing it and then performing it. And that’s my story too on set later after everyone has gone.

It’s very impressive.
Thank you.

You’re welcome. I have to ask, who are you listening to at the moment? I was reading your blog and I know you’ve written a bit about Lana Del Rey, who you recently covered (above). Who else is on your iPod at the moment?
Well another person who made an album with the same producer as me is Ingrid Michaelson. I’ve been listening to that album. She’s super-talented and I really like how her music is put together. Do you know Ingrid over there?

I like her. She’s best known here for “Parachute”.
That’s a good one. She’s done a tonne of music over the past couple of years – I don’t know about Australia but she’s done lots of commercials, so she made an album with the same guy that made my album and it’s really great, so I’ve been listening to that one. I love the Lana Del Rey album. I actually kind of obsessed with Nicki Minaj...

[Laughs]
I am! That music isn’t necessarily my thing but I think she’s really awesome, so I listen to that a lot. [Laughs]. I listen to a lot of female singer-songwriters from the ‘90s so there’s a lot of that still on my iPod. So like Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos, Sinead O’Connor – who I just discovered five years ago and her voice just blows me away. Sad women.

So you basically have an angry lesbian’s iPod?
Exactly! Tracey Chapman, you know.

I wanted to ask you about being an independent artist. How hard is it to make a living without a label these days?
It’s really hard. I mean it definitely takes a lot of persistence. I always kind of like to warn people that the best way to ruin your art is to go into business with it and try to monetise it. Then there’s all of these other things you have to worry about. It’s not as pure as when you’re making music for the sake of making music. I do have to remind myself. I like to write songs, I like to sing and that’s what I have to keep at the forefront of the whole thing. It takes a lot of work and getting industry help, industry attention – you know everyone is vying for this very limited amount of support out there and the support comes from people who are very afraid of taking any kind of risk. They’re always the last people on board with any sort of change or evolution as to what’s going on in the world.

It’s not an easy path. It’s a lot of trying to beg people to care and that’s not really my style. It is difficult to find a balance but I’ve been very lucky. I’ve made a living for four years just from music, I’ve traveled the world several times. I’ve seen so much of the world. I chill out in these rooms full of strangers who know your songs and they’re singing along and you know the fact that I’ve even written a song blows my mind. So having all this music on iTunes and getting to tour – I never dreamed I’d get to do stuff like that. It’s awesome but it’s definitely hard work and it’s very scary and I also think what am I going to be doing when I’m 60? I don’t have a retirement account, I don’t have health insurance. There are a lot of practical things that are terrifying but I guess I’ll figure it out when it happens.

That’s a bit grim but I definitely think you’re building momentum. The last time you were here it was a bit underground but this time there’s an awareness about you. Have you noticed your profile building?
It’s good to hear that [Laughs]. It ebbs and flows, it comes and goes. I started off as an actor in a movie that put my music in front of a big audience and got lots of traffic to my website. I got a lot from that and then I released a couple of albums in a row. Then I took of two or three years to make this album but definitely the live audience has been growing. Pretty cool, yeah.

Speaking of Shortbus do you think that helped or hindered you in the long run? You must be sick of hearing about it... 
I have nothing but great feelings about Shortbus. People ask me that all the time. I’m not sick of it. I’m not sick of talking about it. It was one of the most meaningful and special things I’ve been a part of. I made some of the most amazing friends you could ever ask for, they’re still my closest friends to this day. We had an amazing time. It was such a creative, organic, nurturing atmosphere and I got lots of opportunities. I got to travel because of that film making its ways around the world. It opened up a lot of doors. I’m really proud of that movie. I feel really good about it. It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. I’m happy to talk about it forever. [Laughs].

I love Shortbus. People talk about how explicit it is but for me it’s more graphic emotionally.
Yeah totally.

Porn everywhere, who cares? It’s just a dick. But emotionally that movie really fucks you over.
Yeah everybody goes in thinking of there’s sex in it, there’s sex in it but when you leave the theatre that’s the last thing you’re thinking about. I think.

Do you have any plans to do another film?
Desires, yes. Plans not yet. I’m still working on it. I’ve been focusing a lot on my music because I can sort of push that on my own and because I’m travelling and touring so much I’m not in town a lot to go to auditions but I would like to. I’m still trying.

Thanks so much for the chat. I can’t wait to see the show.
Thank you so much. I’ll see you soon.

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Labrinth - Tunes, Tinie Tempah & A Glass Of Remy

One of the biggest musical revelations of 2012 has been UK electro/hip-hop pioneer Labrinth. "Earthquake" made a slow but steady rise into the national top 10 with its bone-crunching beats and irresistible chorus and his debut album "Electronic Earth" is an absolute knock-out punch. There are soulful tunes (his duet with Emeli Sandé is gorgeous), sprawling electronic anthems and cameos from urban superstars like Tinie Tempah and Busta Rhymes. The 23-year-old's star is definitely on the rise and I was excited to have a brief phone chat with him while he knocked back a few drinks in what sounded like a rather busy nightclub! Here's what he had to say:

I should probably start by congratulating you on the success of “Earthquake” in Australia. It’s just jumped into the top 10. How does it feel to be so popular on the other side of the world?
Yeah man, I’m really happy about that.

Did you expect the song to work so well internationally?
Not at all. You know, we just make records and hope for the best. It’s lovely to see people responding and enjoying what we enjoyed in four corners – you know what I mean?

“Earthquake” has such a fresh sound. It’s a collision of so many electronic sub-genres. How did you come up it?
You know what - I just lead with what I love, man. It’s like if you go into someone’s bedroom and see all the posters on their wall. You see what makes them who they are and for me that’s what those sounds are – the posters up on my wall. It’s an example of what I go through and what I see. Hopefully people enjoy that and it seems like it’s been the case so far. I’m good, man. I’m happy.

Your next single “Last Time” is also tearing up the charts in the UK...
Yeah, man! Mid-weeks number three. I’m honestly fucking... I’m like, what’s going on? God’s got a plan for me.

This is going to be your third top 3 single in a row. How do you explain the success? You’ve really tapped into something.
You know what? I’ve been in the industry for a bit now and I think if I tried to explain it, I’d be an idiot. All I’m doing is doing me and trying to be me as much as possible and it’s really good right now that people are really receptive and hopefully that keeps going.

You’ve worked a lot with Tinie Tempah. How did you guys join forces?
Do you know what? I hate that guy, man! I really do, man. He’s such an arsehole. It took him so long to get on that record... nah I’m being silly! I met Tinie a while ago and we made “Pass Out” in 2007. The relationship has grown and we really work well together so I thought it was only right that we got on another record together and made it happen.

Who brought you together?
He heard a record I produced and really enjoyed it, so he came to me and asked to work with me. My publisher set us up and the first song we made was “Pass Out”.

Who...
One second, bro. Where’s the ice? Oh there’s an ice machine. Sorry, my friend.

No worries. Are you having a drink?
Yeah, I just had to find myself a nice little Remy and juice.

That sounds good!
It is that time of night, so why not? Time for a little bit of juice.


Go for it! On your album “Electronic Earth” you also work with some other cool people. I particularly love Emeli Sandé. What was it like to work with her?
It was a pleasure, man. She’s one of the best singers in the UK for me. I didn’t want to get a famous singer – a boring, famous singer – that’s doing great in the charts. I just wanted someone that’s amazing. And it’s really cool to see that we chose someone who was gonna do great things and now she is doing great things. I’m happy but personally for me it was just about talent and now seeing her talent take her to places that people wouldn’t dream of going. I’m so happy for her.

You also got Busta Rhymes on the bonus track. How did that happen?
He just called us up and asked if he could work on the record. I was fucking lost when he said that. I used to listen to his shit when I was young and my brothers used to be bangin’ out his records when I was younger, so that was insane for me. It was a pleasure to work with him.

What’s going to be your next international single?
I don’t know what’s going to happen with the record. I don’t think all the UK singles are gonna be released internationally. We’ll see what happens. “Earthquake” has been doing well, so hopefully people will get a taste and then buy the album.

What were your influences on “Electronic Earth”? I read somewhere that your influences were “Adele meets Justice”. Can you explain that a bit?
For me, I wanted to be electronic but I wanted to have a little bit of soul in there and I hope that’s come across on the album. For me it was about being electronic and organic all at the same time. I just wanted to be musically free and for me electronic and organic is expressed in all types of music. It’s the only way I could be 360 in the whole matter and that’s what I wanted to be.

So who are you listening to at the moment?
I was listening to some Jimmy [Hendrix] the other day. He was a fucking G, man. I love him. Also Sam Cooke and some Danger Mouse. All different types man. I listen to everything. There’s a jazz band called Weather Report that I really love and Yellow Jacket, I listen to them as well.

And when are you coming to Australia?
Very soon! I’ve just been talking to my management. Tour agents are setting it up. So hopefully I’ll be there soon and we can all have an earthquake together [laughs].

That would be awesome. Thanks for the chat.
It would a pleasure to talk to you, bro. Take care.

Labrinth's awesome new album "Electronic Earth" is in stores now. Check out his current smash hit "Earthquake" below.

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Radio INK - Pop Trash Q&A

Radio INK is one of the most exciting independent pop acts in Australia. The three-piece band has already churned out some killer singles ("Physical" and "Rocket" are stand-outs) but they have taken things to the next level by supporting Danish pop legends Aqua on the extremely successful Australian leg of their tour and by releasing one of the year's catchiest singles with "Who We Are Tonight". I recently spoke with lead singer Miss S about that dreamy pop anthem and their experiences recording their soon-to-be-released debut album in America. Check out what she had to say below.

You've just completed an Australia-wide tour with Aqua. How did that come about and how were you received?
Yes what a whirlwind! We had a blast with the Aqua crew - 11 shows over 15 days I think. The crowds were incredible, so much fun and energy. The first time I've ever performed to someone dressed as a teletubbie!

Were you Aqua fans before the tour or did you have to do your homework?
We were! Hello, "Dr Jones, Dr Jones wake up now". Haha. Aqua know how to put on an entertaining show. Not only did their hits bring the house down but their new album was cool too. Lene is such a strong front person. Rene (aka Dr Jones) did a DJ set in Sydney at a club after the Enmore show, he surprised us all by playing a remix of our last single "Rocket".

Speaking of great singles, your latest "Who You Are Tonight" is another great electro-pop anthem. What was it like working with producer Diamond Cut in New York?
I was in stitches of laughter working with DC. He has a great sense of humour which helps when you're doing long hours in the studio. We pretty much recorded the vocals for our new single in near one take which is always a good sign - we were feeling it and it just happened naturally. We then met up again in Studio City, Hollywood to hear the final master. Performing "Who We Are Tonight" live around Australia was a buzz, the chorus felt BIG and the crowds received it like an anthem, which was very cool.

Do you find it hard to breakthrough as an unabashed pop act in Australia?
I think its tough for any indie artist, and in the pop world you're up against the major international popstars which makes for good competition on the radio airwaves. So it's a huge sense of accomplishment with each of our singles, hearing it on the radio and getting support from around the country. Touring has connected us with so many fans and also allowed us to meet the radio presenters in each state who've been showing us love. And the love is now coming from abroad, we've now got interest from USA after performing there at the start of the year, as well as from Japan and Europe.

Who are you musical inspirations?
Where do I start?! Susannah Hoffs lead singer and guitarist from the super all-girl band The Bangles, Kylie, Dragonette, the Ting Tings, Goldfrapp, Cut Copy, Ladyhawke... Seriously, I'm unashamedly pop I love it all and take inspiration from all pop artists or acts in various ways, even right through to classic Elvis thanks to Sunday visits to my Nan. Mixed to that the boys bring different layers of their inspiration which I also embrace - from Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx or Pnau for example.

Did you guys really meet on Myspace?
Sounds scary hey but yes it's true. The boys saw me in a Sydney nightclub performing with a DJ, and then they found me on Myspace. Stalkers!!! Haha. No seriously, they invited me to write vocals for a tracks of theirs. The studio sessions were successful and so I ended up joining them full-time and we reinvented ourselves as Radio INK.

Tell us about performing at private parties in America for the likes of the Kardashians?
You pinch yourself. Looking out in to the crowd you're thinking "seriously there is the cream of the crop here, Tinseltown's A-team and we are performing for them". And everytime we met one of them it would lead to another invitation. The boys were out having a drink on Sunset and half an hour later performing a DJ set at a wild party in a millionaire's pad in the Hills. I did warn the crew that if I saw a Kardashian I'd be army-rolling out of the car to meet them. I know it's sad but I am strangely addicted to their show. Luckily, no army-rolls were needed.

"Physical" was a very classy song about just wanting no-strings attached one night stands - is this the band philosophy?
Omg. Haha. No. It's certainly not about me or my personal experience. Or the bands. I did write it almost as a self-empowering anthem for single ladies however. While it was meant to be a bit of fun, it was a tribute for the girls. It's not a man's world, they can't call all the shots so to the women - don't be scared, be whoever you want and do whatever you want.

When is the album coming and who are you working with on it?
I was juggling the Aqua tour with studio work as there's no time to waste. And the boys have been busy writing new material. We're planning on it being here for next Summer so that's exciting. Most of the songs are written by Radio INK but recently we've had the great opportunity to start co-writing. Including the pop hitmaker Shelly Peiken (Jessie J, Christina Aguilera) for our single "Who We Are Tonight".

Will the songs from the EP make the cut?
Good question! We're not 100% sure at the moment as there's so much new awesome music. It'll come down to the final editing room. So stay tuned!

"Who We Are Tonight" is available to download now from iTunes.

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Toy Talk With RuPaul

In early February, I was lucky enough to interview drag-pioneer and generally flawless dance diva RuPaul for an article that later appeared in the Sydney Star Observer (read it here). It was a pretty nerve-wracking experience at first. I grew up worshipping the towering Glamazon and had to ask some relatively hard-hitting questions about relationships and gay politics. Ru's palpable kindness put me at ease and the interview went off without a hitch but I just couldn't put down the phone without probing the world's most famous Toy Soldier about our mutual idol, La Toya Jackson. What follows is about 10 minutes of unadulterated Toy Talk that didn't make the final article. It turns out that the average homosexual doesn't live to explore the Pope of Pop's era-defining impact on popular culture. Who knew? Please note - the Bruce we both refer to is a mutual friend who runs the best website on the internet. I'd like to thank RuPaul again for being so gracious and, dare I say it, toytastic.

Mike: I believe that my favourite, La Toya Jackson, makes several appearances on this year's Drag Race? [Note: Australia is only up to Season 3]
RuPaul: [Laughs hysterically]

Mike: I'm obsessed with Toy!
RuPaul: Are you the guy from Pop Trash Addicts?

Mike: That's me. Yes.
RuPaul: Oh my God! Of course! Bruce turned me on to that years ago. Actually, last year I guess. Oh my God that is so funny. I had no idea!

Mike: Bruce is a great friend. I was in LA last year and spent quite a bit of time with Bruce. I adore that man. But yeah, he's also the La Toya whisperer.
RuPaul: [Laughs] Oh my God!

Mike: It's so funny, I've got all of my serious Ru questions and deep down I just want to have this La Toya conversation.
RuPaul: [Laughs hysterically] Well, on Season 3 La Toya makes two appearances.

Mike: Oh my God, that's amazing! How do you utilise the power of Toy on the show?
RuPaul: [Laughs] Well, I tell you we couldn't get enough of her! She's a fabulous judge and her critiques are priceless as you would expect and it's amazing. She was on the once and I think someone fell through and I said 'please can we just have La Toya on again?' She's the only person we've had as a judge twice. [Laughs].

Mike: She needs to be a permanent cast member!
RuPaul: [Laughs] I wish, I wish! I'm not supposed to tell you this... [says something off the record]... She told them that World Of Wonder and Ru are the only associations that she's kept from the Jack Gordon period of her life. I've been obsessed with her forever. She was on my Christmas Special in...

Mike: I remember that. It's genius. You both look so amazing.
RuPaul: [Laughs]
Mike: That blonde wig! [Laughs]
RuPaul: Yes, yes! Oh my God! And then she was on my talk show years later and I think I did something else with her in there because I try to always do something with her because I think she's so brilliant. She's amazing.

Mike: Can I ask... is she in on the joke? I wonder with Toy sometimes - does she get it or...?
RuPaul: I think slightly, in a remote way. But she is the girl that you think she is.

Mike: Is she as sweet as she comes across? My read on her is that seems like a gorgeous person.
RuPaul: Oh absolutely! A lovely person. Absolutely. I gotta tell you, I rate kindness high at the top on my list of human virtues and she absolutely is. She absolutely is. And you know, Bruce used to read my blog and the reason I know him is that my friend Tom and I had a La Toya Jackson film festival once...
Mike: [Laughs]
RuPaul: The two of us! And I blogged about it and Bruce wrote me and said 'wow, that's awesome - you're a fan too. I'm a fan!' and I could tell he was someone I wanted to know and we became friends and we've been friends ever since and now he works on my show.

Mike: Isn't that crazy? La Toya brings people together!
RuPaul: Yes, that's right! She's bringing families of friends together.

Mike: One of her many virtues.
RuPaul: [Laughs]

Mike: Can I ask, as a Toy Soldier, why haven't you done a duet with La Toya? The world is crying out for a chest-to-chest!
RuPaul: You know what? You're absolutely right and I've thought about and tried to do it and you know what, we're gonna make that happen. I've always wanted that and we're gonna have to make that happen.

Mike: [Literally crying and shaking] That is the most amazing thing I've heard all year. I'm beside myself!
RuPaul: [Laughs] It's great. I would love it!

Mike: No offence but it's gotta be better than the Brigitte Nielsen duet. That was an amazingly hot mess but Toy could take it to the next level!
RuPaul: It was... oh my God, I could tell you stories. Oh my God. It was so messy in so many ways. In ways that you couldn't even imagine.

Mike: I think Brigitte's albums were hilarious but I can imagine she would be an interesting person to work with.
RuPaul: You're very kind [Laughs].
Mike: [Laughs]
RuPaul: You know, I've tried to erase that period of my life out of my memory.

Mike: It must have been a trainwreck!
RuPaul: Oh my God. OH - MY - GOD. You don't know the half of it!

Mike: One day I hope you'll share that. Can I quickly ask - What are your favourite La Toya songs?
RuPaul: "Wicked Love", "He's My Brother" and probably "You Blew".

Mike: That's a great song. I love that semi-urban kind of period in the late '80s. I think that stuff is great.
RuPaul: I only wish her Stock Aitken Waterman stuff were better, you know.

Mike: Yeah. She got the dregs, didn't she?
RuPaul: Yeah she did and I love, love, love Stock Aitken Waterman and they gave her crap.
Mike: I never really understood that because I think that if they had given her good material during that time she could have actually worked. That was her chance to click and have a couple of hits.
RuPaul: Yes, definitely.

The conversation then turned to our mutual love of Sneaky Sound System - particularly this song, which Ru discovered on my blog.

While you wait for the grand dame of drag to arrive in Sydney for Mardi Gras, watch clip from his iconic Christmas Special. La Toya's triumphant acting as RuPaul's long-suffering yet extremely glamorous much-younger sister RuPauline will rock you in ways that only Toy can!

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In Bed With Luciana

Here's a video interview I did with Luciana while she was in Australia to promote her recent top 50 hit "I'm Still Hot". That single has subsequently gone Gold and is still climbing the national airplay chart. I hear the much-loved dance diva is gearing up to release another single shortly, so stay tuned for more news. As for our intimate interview - it was definitely the most fun I've had in bed with a lady for a long time! Luci talks about her love affair with Australia, her longevity in the industry and songwriting duties for the likes of Cheryl Cole, T-Pain, PCD and Nicki Minaj. Kylie fans will be particularly interested in her comments about her involvement with the pop icon's upcoming 12th album. Enjoy!

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Stan Walker On Why Beyoncé Is The Best And Other Important Topics

Stan Walker is a man on a mission. The 21-year-old released this third album in as many years today and he's hoping it will propel his already hugely successful career to the next level. Earlier this afternoon I spoke with the Australian Idol winner about his move towards dance music, killer seagulls and the undeniable awesomeness of Justin Bieber. Even more excitingly, I discovered that Stan stans for Beyoncé and we had a good chat about why she is better than your fave. "Let The Music Play" is a great pop album that belongs in your collection. Pick it tomorrow morning, along with a copy of "4"!

You seem to have embraced dance music this time around. Are the first two singles a taste of what's to come on the album?
On the album it's more than just dance. Dance is the most prominent [genre] but there's a bit of gospel, a bit of R&B, a few culture-inspired songs. Dance is definitely the most... but it's really based around pop. I wanted to take people on a journey and not just restrict it to just pop and dance. So it's got elements of soul, gospel and R&B in there.

What prompted the move towards dance? Your last album was quite urban.
It's just me evolving as an artist. If anything this [album] is the greatest I've done because I've never sung like this. This is stretching me vocally, as a writer - because I wrote the album - and just being relevant and just being me. Expressing myself through music and where I'm at.

You said you wrote the album. Who else did you work with? I know DNA and Jon Asher have a couple of songs on there.
I wrote 85-90% of the album and then I had a few tracks from Jon. And I have a couple of covers. A Dave Dobyn one and an Eva Cassidy one. When I'm in the studio I worked with everybody in Australia and a couple of people in America. But writing was so awesome. I had to step it up. It was good. I found stuff in me that I didn't know I could do. I didn't realise I had the potential to write these sort of songs. The next singles that I bring out will all be songs I've written.

What inspired the Eva Cassidy cover?
"Songbird" is a great song. One of my favourite songs. One of my family's favourites as well. My mum sings this with me on there. A bit of a surprise. I've always wanted to have someone from my family do something with me. And I got my mum... it just shows more of who I am.

I didn't know you come from a musical family.
Yeah, my whole family sings and plays instruments.

Can you tell me a bit about your current single "Light It Up". How did the collaboration with Static Revenger come about?
That track was the longest process of getting the right mix. We sent it to him and he made it what it is today. We were trying different things, different people and it just wasn't hitting it and he just got that mix. It was the one. So he's the man.

You're also killing it with "Galaxy". Did Jessica (Mauboy) approach you?

It was originally mine! And then we ended up doing it together and then we ended up doing it more for her single. It was meant for us both from the start. We always wanted to do a song together. We're like brother and sister. We work together all the time, we're good friends and we've been looking for a song. We love it, ay. We love it so much. It's an awesome song.

Where did you film the video? It looks really cool.
We filmed it on the cliffs of Clovelly.

So it was just don't the road? I thought it looked familiar!
Man when people watch it they think it's a big international production but yeah just down the road. [Laughs].

Have you picked out the next single?
We're brainstorming it at the moment. Trying to work out which song we're going to do. How we're going to do it. I've sort of decided but I haven't. It's hard because I love them all and it's like what is the song that will carry me to the next level.

You've come a long way in such a short period. Already up to album number three. What's been the biggest change for you since leaving Australian Idol?
The growth, the character. I've grown up so much. I realised that this is quite a tough industry. It's challenging, it's hard work and it's caused me to grow up. Caused me to be stronger. I was definitely in the honeymoon period when I was on Idol and now this is the relationship. For better or worse if it was marriage.

What are you listening to now? You're always sharing your favourites on Twitter.
I'm loving David Guetta. He's incredible. He's my favourite dance act. He's a genius. He gets these full on dance-y beats and he puts vocal beasts on them - Jessie J, Usher, Chris Brown...

Jennifer Hudson
Oh my gosh that's my favourite song! And Sia. He's got vocal beasts on there and I just think that's so brilliant. So him and Justin Bieber. He's the man, ay? People underestimate his talent because he's a teen. I bought some of his Christmas songs on iTunes. He's gansta, man! I love him, ay. I just love his style.

And you were tweeting about your favourite R&B albums recently.
I love Amy Winehouse. She's a beast, man. But my favourite album is actually Beyonce's new album.

My favourite topic!
Man. I get frustrated how people can even criticise that and say this and that. They do not understand. People were like "Run The World" that's such a dumb song. I go, "you try and sing that. You try and sing it like she sings it!" And put all that into that simple song. There's no way anybody else could sing it. Beyoncé is the best. She's crazy. "Love On Top", man. That's already at a high level and she does four key changes. It's like listening to old Jackson 5. She said in an interview "it was never about radio, it was never about making a hit. It was about stuff I love" and I just admire her so much for doing that.

So what's your favourite song from "4"?
Track number two.

"I Care". Such a good song!
[Starts singing] "I Care" and "Love On Top".

Have you seen any clips from the Roseland concert?
Yeah I watched the DVD. It was incredible.

Speaking of tours. You've got your own coming up with Jessica Mauboy. What can we expect?
Everything! I think later next year I'll put on my own tour but this is definitely a big taste of what's to come. I don't want to give away too much but it'ds definitely going to be more than anybody's seen of me. I got a full band. I got my dancers. It's a full show. We get to show people who we are. We get to share the depths of us. Me and Jess we both pride ourselves on our live performances, so we can't wait.

Can I just ask about Twitter? I think you're one of my favourite people on there. You're so authentic.
I love Twitter. Twitter is really cool, ay? It's an awesome tool. Just to be able to connect with fans, friends. I'm quite straight up, ay? I talk about everything. Like when I was in New Zealand and I saw this giant seagull walk over and swallow another bird.

Sorry?
They are huge in New Zealand. It just swallowed him whole! I thought I was tripping. I couldn't believe it. So that's the kind of thing I have to tweet. Cannibal birds.

That's incredible. Thanks so much for your time!
Thanks heaps.

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