Festivals, fashion and gay clubbing

No matter how famous Sam Sparro becomes he still has time to parade up Oxford St for a few bevvies. A few months ago he was spotted belting out a karaoke number.

I actually hate singing karaoke but I was kind of forced into it, Sparro laughed.

I was going to sing Black and Gold but they didn’t have it so I sang Careless Whisper by Wham, and I did a terrible job, I have to say. It was shocking.

With his self-titled album gaining five ARIA nominations, and his single Black and Gold a top ten hit around the world, Sparro has become one of the most exciting young musical talents in the world today.

Not only has his music taken the term new-wave edge to the next level, his chic geek fashion sense has also been getting publicity with critics describing him as a style icon -” having a stylist as a boyfriend comes in handy.

It definitely has changed a lot and is changing again, but this year I would say I’ve been inspired by a lot of early ’90s rave fashion with a bit of as you say -˜geek chic’ thrown in there, he said.

So what’s been his biggest fashion mistake?

I was really fortunate to have made a lot of fashion mistakes as a teenager. I think I learnt from them, thankfully. I used to dress very weirdly -” I’m not sure if I wanted attention or if I wanted to be a weirdo, he laughed. I would wear big fur coats to school and I was really into glam rock style.

At the 2008 ARIAs, Sparro had five nominations but won no awards.

It was funny, I really was not expecting to take anything home. I guess I just had a feeling about it, but it was really great to be there, he said.

I had my grandmother there as my date and she got quite drunk. Every time someone else won an award she would swear or something. I loved performing there, it was a lot of fun.
In 2009 Sparro will be getting down to work on the next album and will also be releasing his third single Pocket amidst producing and writing with other artists.

In the meantime, he’s preparing to embark on an Australian tour as part of the Good Vibrations Festival in Sydney on Saturday 14 February and in Melbourne on Sunday 15 February.

In his last interview with the Star he said his shows are high energy, like a Las Vegas gospel rave, so there is no doubt that his festival debut is going to be outrageously camp, high-fashion and a three-octave vocal showcase.

info: For more about Sam Sparro’s Good Vibrations debut go to www.gvf.com.au.