Post by Inside Australian Idol on Dec 11, 2003 21:42:08 GMT 10
A chat with Guy
Interview by Cameron Adams
December 11, 2003
IT'S another day in the new life of Guy Sebastian. Everything is scheduled, right down to when he can eat and sleep.
"I'm becoming resilient regarding sleep,'' Sebastian says.
He has also quickly evolved into a media pro, answering any question he's asked with refreshing honesty.
It's why Hit decided to ask him the hard questions about his made-in-six-days album, Just As I Am, and being Australia's most clean-cut pop star.
Ever.
Do you feel like you're caught up in the Australian Idol hype? There's a theory that you could release anything at the moment and it'd go to No. 1.
No. I understand the reason behind my success is the show, but I'm not caught up in the moment.
OK, hand on your heart, did you really start your album from scratch as soon as you won Idol?
I'd done some writing for the album.
I'd written and recorded 1 4 U and then went in during the six days and recorded the lead vocals. I'd been writing a song called All I Need Is You, just finishing it off. I had some guys change some chords. There was a little bit done, but really, all the vocals, except a few background vocals, were done during that (six-day) period.
How much say did you get over the songs sourced externally, considering how fast it was all done?
I had a lot of say. I actually think I gave them a lot of grief. They gave me the liberality, if that's a word, of writing as well. They gave me a whole lot of songs and let me pick; I didn't pick many. I told them to go back to the drawing board and they did that quite a few times.
Not only BMG, but my producer and myself, we all went sourcing for songs. They had to be me, they had to be what I'm about and what the theme of the album is.
So in total, how many days did you spend making your debut album?
Maybe 5 1/2 days, close to six days.
That's not normal. It seems like you're churning out an album in six days just to meet Christmas deadlines and make money. It's not about the music.
It doesn't seem normal, people have done it before, but it's all part and parcel of capturing the show.
You could spend six months recording an album and still hear things you wish you hadn't done. If I'd ended up with something I was ashamed of, I would probably think differently, but I'm really proud of it, I think it represents me really well. I know it's not a normal thing to do, I know it's an extreme thing to do, but I'd rather have done that and given people the opportunity to put it in their Christmas stocking than to spend a lot of time on it. There's always album two, that'll be coming soon.
Soon?
Well, not soon, but I've started writing for it already.
You might get 12 days to work on that one.
No, I'll get a long time to work on that one. I'm glad we met the deadline with this album. Next album I'll be able to write a heck of a lot.
The single really stands out musically, but there are rumours you're not a huge fan of that cheesy ballad style .
No, no. I love the song. I think it captures the competition side of things very well.
What do you mean by that?
The whole journey, the lyrics are very directed to the journey and how I got here. Those rumours might come from the fact it's quite a difficult song to sing. But as soon as I heard it the producers were happy because I loved it. It's got a beautiful melody.
The rest of the album is more R&B, is that your forte?
I'm more into pop than R&B, probably. It's taken a bit of an R&B slant, but I don't think the next album will necessarily be so R&B. I love pop. It might be different next time.
But due to time constraints it's obviously hard to get my image, my style and everything perfect. Now it's a great opportunity to start working on that.
When you were sourcing songs from overseas, were there lyrics you wouldn't sing because of your religious beliefs?
Yeah. You'll never see an offensive language warning sticker on one of my albums, that'll never happen.
I'll never sing anything that's going to be damaging to the youth of today, there's enough of that around.
I think it's time for someone to stand up and be a little positive. All my songs are very positive. There's no crudeness, there's no sexual immorality, there's no ‘I'll sleep with you tonight and dump you in the morning'.
I 4 U has got that whole (Justin) Timberlake feel, but instead of saying ‘Check out that girl in the club, I'm going to get with her tonight and ditch her in the morning' it's more like, ‘Oh my goodness that might be the girl I might marry one day'.
It's a much more positive vibe.
Some rock bands like Creed have Christian beliefs, but are told to hush them up because some people might find it a turn-off or think it's not cool. Has that ever been a problem with you?
No, I've never had any negativity about my beliefs and I don't see why I would. I think the world is searching for a lot of things in the times we're going through. I'm not about conning people. I'm not about saying `You need to do what I do'. I've made certain moral decisions which everyone's heard about, but I'm not saying `If you don't do that I'll think less of you'. All I'm saying is I've made decisions to stick with what I want to do.
There's lots of young people who really sway from what they believe in, they might not want to smoke but they do because they think it's the done thing. I'm not promoting being like me, but being strong in what you believe in, sticking to your guns and being true to yourself. Don't do something because it's the cool thing.
What's the difference between promoting and preaching?
I'm not a preacher, I'm just a person. Anyone in the public eye is already viewed as a role model, whether they're a good role model or a bad role model so I just think it's a choice of speaking my mind.
I won't ever go out of my way to hit someone with what I believe, but if they ask me I'll tell them the truth.
That's refreshing, a lot of pop stars refuse to believe they're role models, but you've obviously seen the influence you've had up close.
Exactly. That's one of the biggest things I struggled with. People come up to me and say ‘I voted for you 900 times, can I please get a signature if it's OK' and I think ‘My goodness, people think I'm going to take offence to signing three little letters'.
It's nothing. They've texted my name. People are just so nice, so good to me, saying encouraging things.
I am the luckiest person at the moment.
Do you get the feeling people get too forward with you, they feel like they know you so might ask about your personal life more than they would someone else?
No, I don't think I've got any skeletons. I'm pretty straight and pretty boring! I don't mind sharing myself with people.
I think it's a beautiful thing not to be withheld all the time. It's like people almost have a right to know about me.
A lot of people from reality TV whinge about the way they were portrayed...
I'm stoked. I'm portrayed the way I am. Shannon (Noll) and I never acted like anyone else. We weren't trying to have attitude or behave like a rock star, because we were just singing covers in little bands before all this.
You've co-written three songs on your album, which was quite clever to show your talent but also make some money out of the huge sales.
I wish I'd written the single! I think it's the fastest-selling single ever. If I'd written that I'd be happy. The money's great, but imagine if I'd released an album I hadn't written any songs on when I'm a songwriter. I would have been really depressed.
I wouldn't have cared if I didn't get paid for the songs as long as I got them on the album. I changed a lot of melodies of songs I was given, but there was a clause that said if you change the melodies they won't authorise you getting a cut of the royalties, but I don't care about that.
I'd rather change the melody and make it suit me more than get money for it.
The Idol contracts have a reputation for being quite strict and restrictive. Did you go over it with a fine-tooth comb?
Not really.
I definitely had it assessed and looked at.
The guys in the final 12 have contracts where there's things they can't do. With mine, there's a clause that says as long as I'm promoting my music I can do anything.
For example, I'm singing at Carols by Candlelight, which is on Channel 9, but because it's promoting my music I can go on a rival network. The deal is sweetest for whoever wins.
Don't they own your image, your likeness?
Um, I'm not really sure. There's a lot of stuff like that, but there's a clause that says the artist has to be happy. Record companies aren't going to make the artist feel unhappy.
You've seen the lifespan other made-on-TV acts like Bardot have had. Are you worried about being replaced by the next reality TV music act?
No, not really.
I never thought I'd get here, I can't believe I'm here. It's not like I have to be in this position forever. I'll do my best while I'm here, but I can always go back and teach or open a school or sing at a church or play cricket for Australia.
Just As I Am (BMG) out now.
Australian Idol Tour, Rod Laver Arena, February 6-7, $72.60, Ticketek.
Herald Sun
entertainment.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4459,8132534%255E10431%255E%255Enbv,00.html
Interview by Cameron Adams
December 11, 2003
IT'S another day in the new life of Guy Sebastian. Everything is scheduled, right down to when he can eat and sleep.
"I'm becoming resilient regarding sleep,'' Sebastian says.
He has also quickly evolved into a media pro, answering any question he's asked with refreshing honesty.
It's why Hit decided to ask him the hard questions about his made-in-six-days album, Just As I Am, and being Australia's most clean-cut pop star.
Ever.
Do you feel like you're caught up in the Australian Idol hype? There's a theory that you could release anything at the moment and it'd go to No. 1.
No. I understand the reason behind my success is the show, but I'm not caught up in the moment.
OK, hand on your heart, did you really start your album from scratch as soon as you won Idol?
I'd done some writing for the album.
I'd written and recorded 1 4 U and then went in during the six days and recorded the lead vocals. I'd been writing a song called All I Need Is You, just finishing it off. I had some guys change some chords. There was a little bit done, but really, all the vocals, except a few background vocals, were done during that (six-day) period.
How much say did you get over the songs sourced externally, considering how fast it was all done?
I had a lot of say. I actually think I gave them a lot of grief. They gave me the liberality, if that's a word, of writing as well. They gave me a whole lot of songs and let me pick; I didn't pick many. I told them to go back to the drawing board and they did that quite a few times.
Not only BMG, but my producer and myself, we all went sourcing for songs. They had to be me, they had to be what I'm about and what the theme of the album is.
So in total, how many days did you spend making your debut album?
Maybe 5 1/2 days, close to six days.
That's not normal. It seems like you're churning out an album in six days just to meet Christmas deadlines and make money. It's not about the music.
It doesn't seem normal, people have done it before, but it's all part and parcel of capturing the show.
You could spend six months recording an album and still hear things you wish you hadn't done. If I'd ended up with something I was ashamed of, I would probably think differently, but I'm really proud of it, I think it represents me really well. I know it's not a normal thing to do, I know it's an extreme thing to do, but I'd rather have done that and given people the opportunity to put it in their Christmas stocking than to spend a lot of time on it. There's always album two, that'll be coming soon.
Soon?
Well, not soon, but I've started writing for it already.
You might get 12 days to work on that one.
No, I'll get a long time to work on that one. I'm glad we met the deadline with this album. Next album I'll be able to write a heck of a lot.
The single really stands out musically, but there are rumours you're not a huge fan of that cheesy ballad style .
No, no. I love the song. I think it captures the competition side of things very well.
What do you mean by that?
The whole journey, the lyrics are very directed to the journey and how I got here. Those rumours might come from the fact it's quite a difficult song to sing. But as soon as I heard it the producers were happy because I loved it. It's got a beautiful melody.
The rest of the album is more R&B, is that your forte?
I'm more into pop than R&B, probably. It's taken a bit of an R&B slant, but I don't think the next album will necessarily be so R&B. I love pop. It might be different next time.
But due to time constraints it's obviously hard to get my image, my style and everything perfect. Now it's a great opportunity to start working on that.
When you were sourcing songs from overseas, were there lyrics you wouldn't sing because of your religious beliefs?
Yeah. You'll never see an offensive language warning sticker on one of my albums, that'll never happen.
I'll never sing anything that's going to be damaging to the youth of today, there's enough of that around.
I think it's time for someone to stand up and be a little positive. All my songs are very positive. There's no crudeness, there's no sexual immorality, there's no ‘I'll sleep with you tonight and dump you in the morning'.
I 4 U has got that whole (Justin) Timberlake feel, but instead of saying ‘Check out that girl in the club, I'm going to get with her tonight and ditch her in the morning' it's more like, ‘Oh my goodness that might be the girl I might marry one day'.
It's a much more positive vibe.
Some rock bands like Creed have Christian beliefs, but are told to hush them up because some people might find it a turn-off or think it's not cool. Has that ever been a problem with you?
No, I've never had any negativity about my beliefs and I don't see why I would. I think the world is searching for a lot of things in the times we're going through. I'm not about conning people. I'm not about saying `You need to do what I do'. I've made certain moral decisions which everyone's heard about, but I'm not saying `If you don't do that I'll think less of you'. All I'm saying is I've made decisions to stick with what I want to do.
There's lots of young people who really sway from what they believe in, they might not want to smoke but they do because they think it's the done thing. I'm not promoting being like me, but being strong in what you believe in, sticking to your guns and being true to yourself. Don't do something because it's the cool thing.
What's the difference between promoting and preaching?
I'm not a preacher, I'm just a person. Anyone in the public eye is already viewed as a role model, whether they're a good role model or a bad role model so I just think it's a choice of speaking my mind.
I won't ever go out of my way to hit someone with what I believe, but if they ask me I'll tell them the truth.
That's refreshing, a lot of pop stars refuse to believe they're role models, but you've obviously seen the influence you've had up close.
Exactly. That's one of the biggest things I struggled with. People come up to me and say ‘I voted for you 900 times, can I please get a signature if it's OK' and I think ‘My goodness, people think I'm going to take offence to signing three little letters'.
It's nothing. They've texted my name. People are just so nice, so good to me, saying encouraging things.
I am the luckiest person at the moment.
Do you get the feeling people get too forward with you, they feel like they know you so might ask about your personal life more than they would someone else?
No, I don't think I've got any skeletons. I'm pretty straight and pretty boring! I don't mind sharing myself with people.
I think it's a beautiful thing not to be withheld all the time. It's like people almost have a right to know about me.
A lot of people from reality TV whinge about the way they were portrayed...
I'm stoked. I'm portrayed the way I am. Shannon (Noll) and I never acted like anyone else. We weren't trying to have attitude or behave like a rock star, because we were just singing covers in little bands before all this.
You've co-written three songs on your album, which was quite clever to show your talent but also make some money out of the huge sales.
I wish I'd written the single! I think it's the fastest-selling single ever. If I'd written that I'd be happy. The money's great, but imagine if I'd released an album I hadn't written any songs on when I'm a songwriter. I would have been really depressed.
I wouldn't have cared if I didn't get paid for the songs as long as I got them on the album. I changed a lot of melodies of songs I was given, but there was a clause that said if you change the melodies they won't authorise you getting a cut of the royalties, but I don't care about that.
I'd rather change the melody and make it suit me more than get money for it.
The Idol contracts have a reputation for being quite strict and restrictive. Did you go over it with a fine-tooth comb?
Not really.
I definitely had it assessed and looked at.
The guys in the final 12 have contracts where there's things they can't do. With mine, there's a clause that says as long as I'm promoting my music I can do anything.
For example, I'm singing at Carols by Candlelight, which is on Channel 9, but because it's promoting my music I can go on a rival network. The deal is sweetest for whoever wins.
Don't they own your image, your likeness?
Um, I'm not really sure. There's a lot of stuff like that, but there's a clause that says the artist has to be happy. Record companies aren't going to make the artist feel unhappy.
You've seen the lifespan other made-on-TV acts like Bardot have had. Are you worried about being replaced by the next reality TV music act?
No, not really.
I never thought I'd get here, I can't believe I'm here. It's not like I have to be in this position forever. I'll do my best while I'm here, but I can always go back and teach or open a school or sing at a church or play cricket for Australia.
Just As I Am (BMG) out now.
Australian Idol Tour, Rod Laver Arena, February 6-7, $72.60, Ticketek.
Herald Sun
entertainment.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4459,8132534%255E10431%255E%255Enbv,00.html
