Sunday, December 25, 2011

What A Christmas Cracker!

As is becoming a Carols By Candlelight tradition, Anthony Callea once again thrilled the crowd with his brilliant performances. With thanks to Mairanya, enjoy the stunningly beautiful Mary Did You Know and the upbeat, joyful Do You See What I See?

Monday, November 7, 2011

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Callea and Christmas


CHRISTMAS ON THE BROADWATER

It will be a Callean Christmas for those on the Gold Coast with news that Anthony Callea will be headlining the annual Xmas On The Broadwater event.

Mas Entertainment is delighted to have secured the great talent of Anthony Callea to headline the “Xmas On The Broadwater” Free concert for Gold Coast City on December 10th at Broadwater Parklands in Southport between 6pm and 9pm. Also on the bill is Australian Recording artist Mark Watson along with the sensational talents of FIGARO and the acclaimed group MASKE who are returning from USA for Xmas. Chase Creations Dance will open the show and for three hours the Gold Coast will be entertained by some of the best artists in Australia.

http://masentertainment.com.au/wordpress/2011/11/anthony-callea-x-mas-on-the-broadwater-dec-10/

Fresh Voice For Callea

Fresh voice for Callea



















Ara Jansen
The West Australian
November 4, 2011,

Breaking preconceptions and being incognito away from his fame in Australia has helped Anthony Callea find his next musical step. The runner-up in 2004's Australian Idol created a career which led to two studio albums, performances in musicals Rent and Wicked and television shows such as It Takes Two. Now with a new single out called Oh Oh Oh Oh, the Melbourne singer hopes it changes people's perception of what he can do.

The new single is a result of two years spent globetrotting and writing with other artists, mainly in Los Angeles, to help define the next stage of sound for a guy who turns 29 next month.
Co-written with DJ Poet, best known for his work with Black Eyed Peas, the song is a cheeky piece of 70s disco meets dance-floor pop bursting with joy. Oh Oh Oh Oh is very much unlike the angelic ballads for which we've known Callea.

"This is where I am musically and I just wanted to create a track that was fun," Callea says. "I wanted to use my voice as the instrument and give it the kind of production which makes it sound like an anthem."

Unlike in Australia where his profile and recognition factor is high, Callea says writing in LA was so much easier because people had no expectations. The writers and producers he worked with didn't really know what he could or couldn't do, nor what he was willing to try in order to expand his musical boundaries.

"I was in a new environment and going to new places," the singer says. "With all the fun I was having, I just wanted to put that into a track."
Callea is no longer signed to a label and says being an independent artist was liberating because he didn't want anyone deciding or getting in his face about what they wanted from the tracks and sessions. He might not have the sexy marketing budget, but he's banking on the music speaking for itself.

The ARIA Award winner is working towards a third album and the single is the first step towards redefining himself as more sophisticated than a post-Idol, boy-next-door pop star.
"When you write with someone you don't know, you bare your heart and soul and it can be a little scary," Callea says.

"That pushed me in different directions, which was great.
"I can be anyone now."

Oh Oh Oh Oh is out now.

source - http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/music/11342345/fresh-voice-for-callea/
Photo - Peter Brew-Bevan

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

One On One With Anthony Callea

Chapter Oh: One on one with Anthony Callea
Five years since his last release, Anthony Callea is back with a new sound and a new lease on life. He talks to AXN about his upcoming album, his boyfriend Tim Campbell, and refusing to be a martyr to the gay rights movement.

  I remember when a 21-year-old Anthony Callea took to the stage of Australian Idol and stunned the country with his inspired rendition of ‘The Prayer’.

Despite my not inconsiderable reservations about the televised singing contest, I was genuinely moved by Callea’s performance. He may be slight in stature, but he has a potent tenor voice that hammered home every note of the demanding bi-lingual ballad.

On Australian Idol, Callea was a good Italian boy, all crisp collared shirts, sensible black pants and a smart blazer when the song called for it. He was polite and awkward, with a hint of shy camp – very different to the Callea who greets me in the foyer of Vibe hotel in Sydney on a Tuesday morning.


Now 28, Callea is confident and affable, clearly comfortable in his own skin. His sentences are punctuated by wild gesticulations and a big, hearty laugh. He’s never short of sentence and has an amusing wit – slightly catty, but charming. He makes a joke about Taylor Dayne, whose video is playing on a nearby television, but I won’t repeat it here. His hair is fashioned into a short Mohawk and there’s a subtle element of Euro trash to his urban-casual outfit. It appears he’s recently had a spray-tan – he did perform at gay nightclub Arq on the weekend after all. His smile and the way he chortles is infectious, and he has sparkling bedroom eyes.

After a five-year hiatus, Callea has just released a new single titled ‘Oh Oh Oh Oh’. Written with DJ Poet, who’s known for his work with The Black Eyed Peas, in Los Angeles, the song fuses a 70s disco vibe with modern pop and R&B. It’s light, catchy and fun – and a major change of direction for an artist known for his chesty power ballads.

“Poet is loopy!” Callea tells AXN. “But when you work with The Black Eyed Peas and live in LA, you have to be somewhat loopy! But I say that in the nicest way possible – it’s a good loopy! And I come from an Italian family so I’m used to keeping up! “It was just good to be in a new environment and work with new people constantly. To be able to walk into a room without anyone having preconceptions about you was refreshing.”

Callea’s vocals are almost unrecognisable on ‘Oh Oh Oh Oh’ – they are treated with heavy effects and auto-tune.

“I wanted to use my voice as an instrument,” he says. “Especially in the verses, I didn’t want it to be: ‘there’s the track, there’s the melody and I’m just going to sing that on top’. So obviously it opens up in the chorus and it’s a lot more anthemic, but I know what you’re getting at in terms of the vocal effects and the auto-tune – and a few people have said it – but I see it as more of a production effect. I did sing it in tune!”

The Callea of today seems thoroughly unconcerned with expectations. To a large extent it seems LA was an escape – a chance to just create in an unfettered way, without the weight of expectation.

 “In eight years, hopefully I’ve learnt a few things along the way,” he muses. “One of them is just to go with your gut instinct. Everyone is always going to have an opinion and that’s great, but don’t let that cloud you.”

With a second single set for release soon, Callea is looking to drop the as-yet-untitled album early next year.

“‘Ohx4’ is definitely a taste of the album,” he laughs. “I worked with some really cool dance and pop producers, so that definitely comes through in a lot of the material, but there are also some ballads as well. There’s a positive, fun, Euro element to a lot of the tracks.”

Callea has been hitting the gay clubs to promote his new material, including a set at Homesexual’s White Party in Sydney on the October long weekend alongside British pop diva Sophie Ellis Bexter.

“I was a little bit nervous because it was the first time I performed those tracks live,” he admits. “But at that time of the morning, most people are off their chops! Or they’re definitely on their way! So you know what? It doesn’t really matter!”

In 2007, after speculation and tabloid rumours dating back to his time on Australian Idol, Callea came out publicly as gay. He has been in a relationship with fellow performer Tim Campbell since 2008.

“When I went through Idol I was 21,” Callea says. “I was still trying to find myself I suppose. But I got to a point where I was just comfortable. There’s no right or wrong way of doing it, and at the end of the day it’s really no one’s business. But I understand that when you do the job that I’m doing, there’s an element of interest there.”

Although Callea recorded a message for Mardi Gras’ ‘Say Something’ campaign earlier this year, he is reluctant to become a martyr for the gay rights cause.

“Me just doing what I do and living a normal life – I think that’s just as positive and big a message,” he muses. “Just showing that I live with my partner in the suburbs in a normal house with a dog – life is just normal for us.”

Nevertheless, Callea refuses to judge those who choose not be open about their sexuality.

“We don’t know what’s going on in their heads, and we don’t know their background, situation or upbringing. So I’m not going to sit here and judge anyone. Nobody’s perfect, and at the end of the day we all have choices.” The gay community can actually amplify the issue as well, Callea continues. “If you constantly harp on about the differences of sexuality; if it’s always written as different and argumentative, then I think that creates an issue and a divide.”

Even though Callea’s family is Catholic, they have been nothing but supportive.

“I was at my cousin’s wedding with Tim and we were sitting in this church and there was a massive crack in the roof. He took a photo of me during the ceremony with the crack in the background on his iPhone and sent it to me in a text, with the message: ‘This is what you did. This is what happens when you walk into a church’. It was very cheeky!”

As he talks about Campbell, Callea’s face literally lights up. He is one loved-up man. “I’m comfortable in my own skin and I’m happy.” ‘Oh Oh Oh Oh’ is available now on iTunes.


 For more information on Anthony Callea, head to www.anthonycallea.com.
Author - Garrett Bithell Gay Network News - 2-11-2011
Photographer - Peter Brew-Bevan
source - http://gaynewsnetwork.com.au/feature/feature/2573-chapter-oh-one-on-one-with-anthony-callea.html

Friday, October 28, 2011

Oh Oh Oh Oh OK Magazine

OK Magazine interviewed Anthony Callea. about his new single and the ups and downs of being an independent artist . As always, click on image to read full sized.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Remix it up

Time for all you Callea fans to pop on over to iTunes to partake of Anthony's latest offering - Oh Oh Oh Oh - The Remixes.

Choose the '$5.06 'Album' option of the original single plus both remixes and your purchase will count as a sale for the single on the ARIA Chart.




CLICK HERE










Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Anthony out and proud

Anthony out and proud in life and in music

Star Observer
Posted on 18 October 2011










Anthony Callea returns to music this month with an infectious new club track, Oh Oh Oh Oh (or ‘Oh squared’, as he shorthanded it to the Star Observer in his umpteenth interview of the day), almost five years after his last album release.

But given he’d spent half a decade away from the fast-moving world of pop, did Callea ever worry his music career might be defunct rather than dormant?

“Not at all. Especially in this country, I think it’s so important to be versatile, so I did live TV, I was a mentor on a show for Foxtel [Ultimate School Musical], I toured with Whitney and Celine, I did Wicked and Rent,” he said.

“Then I got to the point within the last two years where I decided I wanted to get back into the studio, but take my time doing it.”

On first listen, Oh Oh Oh Oh sounds like a pretty standard pop song circa 2011 — autotune and all.

“Autotune has a bit of stigma, but if you use it in the right way, it can be great. Obviously you still have to sing in tune — I didn’t sing out of tune and use autotune to fix it!”

Listen closely, though, and you’ll notice a few individual quirks to the track. Firstly, the sweeping disco strings of the chorus, courtesy of producer (and Black Eyed Peas tour DJ) Poet.

“It does have that nostalgic ’70s feel with the strings. It makes me want to put on my rollerskates and wear flares.

“Actually, no — a shortarse should never wear flares. It’s all about a skinny leg jean and a point on the shoe — hence what I’m wearing today,” he said, pointing to his carefully selected outfit. “It’s all about elongation.”

Secondly, there are the lyrics — “You activate my soul, boy” among them — that acknowledge that the Callea of today is openly, happily gay, as opposed to the closeted pop star of his previous albums.

“I’m definitely a lot more comfortable in my own skin. I did Australian Idol in 2004, so you’d hope in the past eight years I’ve evolved both creatively and as a person.

“References to ‘boy’ are naturally what I’d say anyway, so why wouldn’t I put it in a lyric? I’ve got nothing to hide, I’m an open book.”

In keeping with that, he’s been plugging ‘Oh squared’ for predominantly queer crowds over the past few weeks, including a performance at Sydney’s Homesexual White party, opening for Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

Fans were treated to the single and another new floor-filler called Last To Go, a track that’s been getting such a strong reception Callea said it had shot to the top of his pile of possible second single choices.

It’s one of a bank of almost 50 songs Callea will choose from when putting together his upcoming third album, the fruits of many successful writing sessions both here and in the US.

“In this country, there aren’t that many writers and producers, so basically within three weeks you’ve worked with everyone. You go over to LA and there are a shitload of people to work with — it’s so inspiring,” he said.

Oh Oh Oh Oh came about after a particularly relaxed three-hour recording session with DJ Poet.
“I sat there on the couch with a coffee in one hand and my mike in the other — that’s how casual and easy it was. I just had fun, and hopefully that comes through in the track.”

The fun extended to the song’s video, shot at swanky Sydney nightspot Beach Haus.

Now an independent artist, having left Sony BMG, Callea cheerfully admitted his video budgets had dropped (“My mum came to the video shoot and, God love her, she started helping out with the catering. When you’re doing it all yourself, Mum’s gotta help with the catering!”).

Fun though the video is, Callea said he still hadn’t quite got the hang of hamming it up for the camera.

“I enjoy doing clips to a certain extent, but I do get very self-conscious. Making love to a camera in a club for eight hours is not natural, particularly when you’re not a blonde with big tits. It’s harder than it looks.”

Perhaps it’s because Callea long since gave up clubbing for a happy, settled home life with partner Tim Campbell in Melbourne’s suburbs.

“We’re such nannas at times. Sometimes we’ll look at each other and go, ‘We should really leave the house, shouldn’t we?’

“But honestly, after a long day in the studio, by the time I get home, I just want to put my ugg boots on, sit on the couch with Tim and open a bottle of Yering Chardonnay.”

Oh Oh Oh Oh is out now on iTunes.

source - http://www.starobserver.com.au/play/entertainment-play/2011/10/18/anthony-out-and-proud-in-life-and-in-music/63998

Monday, October 17, 2011

OH OH OH OH it's a bit of S&M!

On the publicity trail to promote his new single Oh Oh Oh Oh Anthony stopped by the offices of noise11 for an interview...

http://www.noise11.com/?vinterviews=anthony-callea

and for something very . very special

http://www.noise11.com/?vsessions=anthony-callea-sessions

Oh Oh Oh Oh - The Remixes

Not content with making us go Oh Oh Oh Oh once, Anthony Callea announced today that he intends to make us feel Oh Oh Oh Oh again this Friday.


Yes folks it's Remix time with the release of The 'Khaled' and the 'DK Club Mix' available on iTunes from this Friday.


The single debuted on ARIA 's 'Australian Singles' chart at no 17 - the only truly independent song to chart, and at no.6 on the Jagermeister Chart - the official chart for Independent releases.


You can listen to a sample of the Khaled Mix below.

Latest tracks by AnthonyCallea

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Inside Story - Anthony Callea

Singer Anthony Callea on how to make the perfect roast chicken plus why his jelly-bean machine runs low every few days.













Who -Award-winning singer and songwriter. Anthony’s latest single, Oh Oh Oh Oh, is now available for download from iTunes

Born - Melbourne, 1982

Lives - In Melbourne with partner (actor/singer) Tim Campbell, dog Oscar and two fish.

Typical Saturday morning - A sleep-in, walking to the local cafe, ordering coffee and breakfast, and reading the papers.

Your idea of luxury at home - A few really nice bottles of wine, the kind you would normally only have if you went to a restaurant.

Signature dish - I’m not the best cook. Still, I do make a nice roast chicken, along with my signature peas. It’s my mum’s recipe, but I’ve added a few things to it.

1. Award - I won this ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) award for The Prayer (the highest-selling single in Australia in 2005). As a kid I always watched the ARIAs and thought it would be great to go. That was all I wanted. So it was very cool to actually walk away with one. It’s very heavy. I know because I dropped it on my foot once. I’ve won a few awards and it’s great to get these things as an acknowledgement of what I do – but the ARIA is the pinnacle of all of them.

2. Jelly-bean machine - A friend brought this for me from Italy. It’s quite large and it’s a really nice one. Whenever I fill it up, it only lasts about two days and then I’m left with a jar of black jelly beans, because I hate black jelly beans. And I’m on edge from all the sugar.

3. Yoyo - I love a good yoyo and I found this Coca-Cola one in a vintage store. I like to think I am pretty good with the yoyo but sometimes I hit myself in the face with it, especially when trying to do the ‘around the world’ trick. There was a stage at school when it was a really big craze. I was totally obsessed. Even now, I take it to gigs with me and when I have time to waste backstage, I play with my yoyo.

4. Piano - When I bought this piano, I intended to write songs and learn to play it really well. Really, though, it’s just great for massive alcohol-induced sing-a-long nights. They usually start about 11pm and we go through all the classics. Our poor neighbours! My mum sent me to piano lessons growing up but I was really slack and never practised. I just wanted to sing. Do I play any other instruments? Well, I can hit a good tambourine .

5. Dog - We think Oscar is a labrador-cross-kelpie. We had just moved into our new home and went shopping for furniture and lamps one day and instead came home with a dog. We had decided to stop at the RSPCA on our way home, just for fun, and we ended up playing with Oscar for an hour. We just had to bring him home after that. He is the most beautiful dog. He was found at five weeks of age with barbed wire around him and his tail chopped off. And yet he’s a placid and fun dog. Tim is really good with him; he’s like Cesar Millan, the dog whisperer.

source -Herald Home Magazine Liftout

Friday, October 7, 2011

Anthony Callea Interview

Anthony Callea - Out In Perth Interview
Out In Perth 8th October 2011



You’d think Anthony Callea would be used to the limelight by now but the 28 year-old admits he’s not the most confident person when it comes to shooting a video clip.

‘Oh my God, I’m so self-conscious when it comes to things like that,’ said Callea.
‘As much as we had fun recording it… it’s just really hard making love to the camera for eight hours really,’ he laughed.

The video clip in question is his new dance-pop single out this month, Oh Oh Oh Oh.

The single is the first we’ve heard from Callea since his 2007 single, Addicted to You. Callea has been busy working in Los Angeles on his new album due out next year.

‘I didn’t put any pressures or restrictions or barriers on me creatively and I just wanted to take it as it came.’

‘There were so many nights that we went out with people and just had a great night when we went out to a club and I wanted to bring that feeling and that vibe into this track.’

DJ Poet, renowned for his involvement with the Black Eyed Peas and having worked closely with Will.I.Am, helped Callea put together the single in LA.

‘What better person to create some sort of track in terms of a dance pop track than Poet? I remember walking into that studio and in the first 30 minutes, I knew we were onto something and we just clicked. ‘He’s totally loopy but I say that in the nicest way possible, you know you have to be somewhat loopy to work in the music industry in LA and [be] part of the Black Eyed Peas.’

The Melbourne-born artist hailed the DJ as a ‘musical genius’. The pair wrote Oh Oh Oh Oh together in three hours and recorded most of it there and then.

Callea found his time in LA far more relaxed than ever before. He recalled sitting in the studio with a coffee in hand and recording vocals when his dad commented that Fergie, the Black Eyed Peas lead, had recorded some of her vocals on the same lounge.

‘If she’s done it, it’s good enough for me,’ he said at the time.

Since taking out the runner-up of Australian Idol in 2004, Callea has been supporting well known artists like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Diana Ross and Westlife on tour. He also starred in the first run of the Wicked in Australia as the lovable munchkin, Boq.

‘For me it was a completely different experience doing live theatre, you know, going out on stage and not being me and not doing my songs and not having my band and sticking to a script, it’s a completely different frame of mind.It was a great learning curve for me and it taught me a lot of discipline. Eight shows a week doing the exactly same thing and keeping it fresh, eight times a week is a challenge.’

Callea hasn’t forgotten his links to the gay community here in Australia, though – he recently performed his new single at the Homosexual White Party in Sydney along with British pop star Sophie Ellis Bextor.

‘It went off and it was great for me, you can spend so much time in the studio but I have to get out there and perform live…’ The 28 year-old was a little coy about the line in his new single, ‘You captivate my soul, boy,’ but said the line could be taken anyway.

‘Well I suppose you can take it two ways – you know, I’ve got nothing to hide and that’s what I would naturally say and as a songwriter, I’m just putting my words into songs…’ he said. ‘You can take it anyway you want really.’

As for his relationship with Australian television and stage actor, Tim Campbell, Callea said the couple wanted to keep it as a normal one.

‘We’re very honest about our relationship but it’s our relationship, no one else’s relationship and you know, that’s somewhat how we’d like to keep it. There’s no reason to throw it in people’s faces and at the end of the day, I do my job and he does his job. Like any relationship, when you get home at night you clock off and sit on the couch and have a glass of wine and just talk shit. We like to keep it a normal relationship, I suppose.’

For the rest of the year, Callea will be busy promoting the single while heading towards releasing his third album next year.

Callea appears to have gone all-out for the album, enlisting help from American songwriter Matt Morris. Morris has worked with artists like Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake, having written Aguilera’s Fighter and tracks for JT.

‘I’ve always been a fan of dance-pop music and that’s something I listen to constantly, that was what I was surrounded by for the past two years and it really influenced my writing and my recording. The last two years I’ve done a lot of listening to people and listening to myself and being a fan of music again and putting that into my music.’

Anthony Callea’s latest single is Oh Oh Oh Oh and is out now on iTunes.

Benn Dorrington Photograph by Peter Brew-Bevan

http://www.outinperth.com/index.php/music/anthony-callea

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Oh Oh Oh Oh - It's time!



At last the long wait is over for Anthony Callea fans with the release date of his new single Oh Oh Oh Oh finally here!

Follow the link below and head over to iTunes to put a real party starter on your ipod, it'll be the best $1.69 you'll spend today.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

4 minutes with Anthony Callea

Four Minutes With... Anthony Callea


by: By Cameron Adams
From: National Features


October 06, 2011 12:00AM


CAMERON Adams interviews Anthony Callea about his new album release, Oh Oh Oh Oh.

1. OH BOY


For the first time, 28-year-old Anthony Callea sounds his age. New single Oh Oh Oh Oh is a party anthem written with DJ Poet (Black Eyed Peas). "I was writing R&B dance Euro stuff at 16," Callea says. "I still love ballads and pop, but this is what I'm enjoying now. If I don't do music I love, I can't expect anyone else to believe it."

2. AT THE END OF THE DAY


Callea is enjoying a musical challenge. "People say, 'It's so different to The Prayer, you've got such a big voice suited to the ballads'. This song is 10 times harder for me to sing than The Prayer. People underestimate well-produced, well-written pop/dance tracks. You have to think about your voice as an instrument."


3. DO IT YOURSELF


The former Idol is releasing his music independently. "The business model of the music industry has changed. There was no A&R guy ringing up producers saying, 'We need a track like this'. I had no restrictions. I swallowed my pride, I emailed producers myself to write with them when I went overseas. It's liberating."


4. CALLEA PTY LTD


Being his own boss is scary. "I'm my own travel agent, my own everything. You're calling the shots. It's like I'm running my own small business. You haven't got six-figure marketing budgets, but if you concentrate on the music, hopefully that speaks for itself."
Oh Oh Oh Oh is available October 7

'>http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/four-minutes-with-anthony-callea/story-e6frfn09-1226159586421#ixzz1ZwDGhK7D">

Picture: Manuela Cifra

the auspOp interview - Anthony Callea


INTERVIEW : Anthony Callea

auspOpWednesday, October 5, 2011

It's hard to believe that it's coming up on seven years since Anthony Callea dropped the fastest selling single in Australian chart history - the all-conquering 'The Prayer'. Equally hard to believe is the fact that it's been almost four years since we've heard so much as a skerrick of new music from the former Idol star.But Anthony's back - armed with a new sense of independence and a collection of new recordings, some of which will form the tracklist for his forthcoming album.We caught up with the singer after his break from the music biz ("I just wanted to go away, not sing, not talk to anyone and just chill.") and discovered what's taken him so long to furnish us with new Callea tunes.

"There have been a few things going on," Anthony tells us. "But I’ve spent the past two years just going back and forth to L.A. I think I’ve been about four or five times. It’s been great because I really wanted to hone in on the songwriting, get back into the studio and have no restrictions," he says.

Anthony's enjoying plenty of creative freedom since he parted ways with Sony Music a few years back after his last album project 'A New Chapter'. But he quickly discovered that there's much more to being an independent artist than enjoying the benefits of creative freedom. There's also a hell of a lot of hard work involved.

"I swallowed my pride for the first time, because when you're with a record company, the A&R department is setting up all the songwriting and recording sessions. Everything’s done for you from even the tiniest things - like we have to book that accommodation, we have to book those flights. Basically I’m my own travel agent now. And of course, I've got a team working with me, but it’s my team.

"I went over to L.A. the first time and I sat at my computer and thought ‘who do I like? What music am I singing? Who am I listening to? Who am I digging in terms of production?’ and I simply sent them emails. At the end of the day they can only say ‘no’. Or they don’t get back to you.

"But I got quite a few responses and to be able to walk into a room and for them to have no preconceptions of what you’ve done beforehand and no restrictions in terms of creatives, it’s refreshing," he says.

Although Anthony does admit that being cut free from the relative safety bubble of that record company contract after such success was a daunting prospect.

"I suppose you’re just on your own all of a sudden, which can be scary," he tells us. "It’s like a relationship – when you’ve been in a relationship for a while and all of a sudden you’re on your own, it’s different."

Just to clarify, Anthony IS definitely still in a relationship.
"Yeah, I’m not talking about THAT one," he laughs. "It’s a different frame of mind that you have to get yourself into. But it’s a positive one and I’m happy at the moment. Obviously it’s always scary, but it’s good."

Anthony's new single 'Oh Oh Oh Oh' is released to digital retail this Friday. It marks a departure in style from his previous outings and sees him heading straight for the dancefloor. He explains the reasons behind the switch from ballads to dance/pop.

"That’s what I first started recording when I was 16," he admits. I remember being in a studio in South Melbourne. All those first demos and writing sessions that I did were dance/pop tracks."
"It’s music that I’ve always loved and I suppose that at this point in time, this is where I am musically. Like anyone with any job, hopefully there’s an evolvement with what you do."
We ask him if perhaps there may be the possibility of an Anthony Callea 'lost recordings' album somewhere down the track.

"No. I do have them in a little private folder on my laptop, which no-one hears," he says. "The funny thing is that one of the songs that I originally wrote as a ballad ended up on my first album. I recorded it when I was 16 and we never re-recorded the vocal."

We also probe Anthony as to whether he made a conscious decision to pop the word 'boy' ("You captivate my soul, boy") into the lyric of 'Oh Oh Oh Oh' instead of 'girl'.

"You know what? When we were writing the track, that didn’t even pop into my head," he admits. "A few people have picked it up. But you know when you make a statement you just exclaim ‘Oh boy’? That’s what I was actually thinking at the time. But I don’t care if that’s the way you want to hear it – it’s perfectly fine."

The official video for the clip is due to premiere tomorrow night. It sees Anthony and a bunch of party-goers taking over two floors of an exclusive club in Sydney and is designed to show a less serious side to the singer.

"It's just a fun clip," Anthony says. "Every video that I’ve done in the past has been very serious and very straight to camera and very rehearsed, so I just wanted to have fun with this one. Let’s not be too serious about it – listen to the track – let’s not over-complicate it. At the end of the day, especially in this country, we don’t have the budget of a Lady Gaga video, so don’t expect a Lady Gaga video! I did have a few Coke cans that day, but I decided against it," he laughs.

Anthony co-wrote the 'Oh Oh Oh Oh' with DJ Poet, who's most famous for his work with the Black Eyed Peas, and he's gone on the record a number of times over the past few weeks describing the producer as 'loopy'.

"He IS loopy!" Anthony exclaims. "In a good way. I so mean it in the most positive way, because musically he’s a genius. I remember walking out of that session feeling mentally drained because he just doesn’t stop.

"I like to sit back and take things in and get my thoughts about something and then attack it, but he’s completely the opposite 24/7. It was really inspiring to work like that. Over there, it’s all about the music – and especially when certain writers and producers get major cuts with internationals. They’re not doing it because they need to, they’re doing it because they want to – and it makes such a big difference."

Poet isn't the only producer Anthony's been working with to craft his new album. There are more big names, both in the US and here at home, who've joined him on his latest musical venture.

"I’ve worked with Paul Mac, the DNA boys and I’ve worked with Jaakko who’s from Finland who did all the Bomfunk MC's stuff. And Matt Morris who wrote ‘Figher’ for Christina (Aguilera) and who works quite heavily with Justin Timberlake," he says.

"I was so scared the first day that I knew that I was going in to work with Paul Mac because obviously I knew what he’d done and I didn’t think that he’d want to work with me," he admits. "I walked in there thinking ‘don’t fuck it up, don’t fuck it up. Just be cool ‘cause he’s really cool and I’m so not cool’. And out of everyone that I’ve worked with, he was the loveliest, most encouraging person to work with. I wrote three tracks with him.

"Then Matt Morris, again I looked up what he’d done and I thought ‘I can’t work with this guy’. He’s an amazing singer as well and as a singer you don’t get to work with many people that are singers too, so he actually got it. He understood it from a male vocal perspective as well. I said to him ‘I need to come to Denver and write with you again – or you need to come back to Australia – I’ll just put you in my suitcase'."

We wonder how Anthony would go about explaining that kind of concealment on 'Border Security'.

"I also did some work with this DJ in L.A. called ‘Baron Von Luxxury’. He was very, very cool to work with. The sounds that he was pulling and the way that he produces tracks was just ridiculous. He was asking whether I liked what he was doing and I said, ‘I fucking love it all – just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll just sit here and have my coffee and when you’re ready for me to write the top line, I’ll do it’."

Anthony admits to having "forty to fifty" songs to choose from for his new album, but he says that his dedicated legion of fans will need to wait just a little while longer for the long player to surface.

"Obviously I’m leading towards an album," he says. "I’ve got the second single up my sleeve hopefully ready to go. What I would like to do ideally is release a second single early next year and then put an album out in the first half. Obviously when you’re doing it independently, you have to think about things a little more strategically."

His fans will also be heartened by the upcoming announcement of some live shows, which Anthony clearly gets excited about.

"I love live performances!" he beams. "You can only coop me up in a studio for so long! I’m all about live performances and we’re locking some in at the moment. The more of them, the better," he says.

Looking back on Anthony's already amazing career, it's extraordinary to think how much he's accomplished in his almost 29 years - not just through the Australian Idol competition, but through various stage shows, support roles for visiting artists, Channel 7's 'It Takes Two' and countless industry and fan-voted awards. On reflection, especially on the last seven years since his second place result in Idol, Anthony says there is nothing he would have done differently.

"Obviously if I did it now eight years down the track, I'd know better. You evolve and you learn things. Hopefully you learn things in eight years. Idol was overwhelming at the time. It was the biggest series ever – over three million people voted.

"I remember walking down that red carpet at the Opera House for the finale and it was a complete head fuck. I literally wondered what was going on. It was ridiculous, but I wouldn’t change it for the world."

Anthony's single 'Oh Oh Oh Oh' hits digital retail this Friday (including a global release on iTunes).His new album is due in the first half of 2012.

http://auspop.blogspot.com/2011/10/interview-anthony-callea.html

Monday, September 26, 2011

Oh Oh Oh Oh it's the video!

Time to go Oh Oh Oh Oh at the first teaser of Anthony Callea's new music video




The song will be released on iTunes October 7th - don't forget to request on Radio and TV.



Monday, September 19, 2011

Carols with Callea

Christmas comes early to the city of Brisbane with the news that Anthony Callea is to headline Carols In The Park.

Merry Christmas indeed Brisbane!
.



Sunday, September 18, 2011

Oh Oh Oh Oh online snippet

The first glimpse of the artwork and a snippet of the audio of Anthony Callea's new single Oh Oh Oh Oh have been posted to the web.



Damn catchy little ditty!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Live Performance of Oh Oh Oh Oh!

Here's your chance to hear Anthony Callea perform his hot new single Oh Oh Oh Oh live!
Anthony will be hitting the dance floor at Sydney's Homesexual Night club.
Tickets available online  here






















source

All Mash And Peas For Callea



Wednesday, September 14, 2011

couch potato's caffine hit

Oh Oh Oh Oh - we have lift off!

Anthony Callea fans rejoice,  we finally have the release date and song title of his long awaitied new single.  The song is called Oh Oh Oh Oh and will be available from October 7th.

Overseas fans need not miss out, with the song being released globally through iTunes!

Time to buy those iTunes cards!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Anthony Callea is set to release a new single

Anthony Callea breaks his singles drought

Luke Dennehy
Sunday Herald Sun
September 11, 2011









ANTHONY Callea is making a comeback to music and he's doing it all on his own.
Callea will soon release his first single since Addicted To You in February 2007.
Once on the Sony BMG roster, Callea is no longer with the company and has funded the single himself.
He still holds the record for the highest  selling Aussie single for The Prayer, released after he finished Australian Idol in 2004.
That could well be broken by Gotye Featuring Kimbra's big hit Somebody I Used To Know, now selling through the roof.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/confidential/anthony-callea-breaks-his-singles-drought/story-e6frf96x-1226133863512

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Cinema, Coffee and Callea

Some very exciting news, with the debut performance of Anthony Callea's new single mere days away.

The filmgoers at the Lavazza Italian Film Festival 2011 will be the first to hear the new song, so if you have an interest in the Three C's - Cinema, Coffee and Callea hop to it and secure your ticket now!

click here for details

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Callea Cometh

Music to my ears...





















source  -  auspop

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Callea answers an SOS

The Christmas Spirit starts early this year for Anthony Callea with his inclusion in yet another Charity Fundraiser.

Always one to help a worthy cause, this December Anthony is set to perform at the seond annual Save our Sons Gala Dinner, an event held to raise money for  research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Vist the website  http://saveoursons.org.au/Save_Our_Sons/2011_Gala_Dinner.html  to learn more.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Gleeful - really!

Self confessed "Gleek" Anthony Callea must be pleased with the thought that a Iowa High School Show Choir has chosen to perform one of his songs during their 2011 - 2012 season.

Anthony's beautiful "Per Sempre"  has been picked by the West Branch choir as their selected Ballad component for the two-month competition season.

West Branch will perform a set of five songs selected to demonstrate the team’s wide-ranging talent:

• Skillet’s “Hero” (hard rock)

• E-Type’s “Eurofighter” (techno)

• Anthony Callea’s “Per Sempre” (ballad)

• Marc Anthony’s “I’ve Got You” (Latin salsa)

• Bon Jovi’s “Have A Nice Day” (rock)

As anyone familiar with the Television series Glee is aware, these competitons are a very big deal, involving months of training for the singers, dancers and musicians involved.

Click on the uploaded article to read the complete story full size in a new window.



Monday, August 8, 2011

Callean Pride!

Please enjoy some pictures of, and quotes about Anthony's amazing performace at last weeks Stockholm Pride Event!



I'm so happy I got to see this live, really loved the version of 'Somewhere over the rainbow'.















I didn't really know your work all that well before last night, but was very impressed. Along with Alcazar, you were a real highlight



















Anthony Callea went amazing!




















As he sang “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”, hundreds of coloured balloons were released into the sky. He has a great voice and sings with a lot of passion and enthusiasm.


Management have hinted at the possibilty of video to be shared  -  lets hope so!

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Dueting It For The Kids






Stars of the Australian music industry are set to shine in aid of The Australian Children’s Music Foundation
 
Dueting it for the Kids is a unique concert unlike anything else staged in Australia. This event brings together the cream of the recording and concert industry – both legends and newcomers – in a concert of duets with proceeds going to The Australian Children’s Music Foundation (ACMF).

The concert is being held at the State Theatre on Monday 22nd August. The line-up is phenomenal with performances from artists including Anthony Callea, Marina Prior, John Waters, Caroline O’Connor, Jessica Mauboy, Lee Kernaghan, Diesel, Antoinette Halloran, Catherine Britt, Danielle Spencer, Dave Faulkner, Debra Byrne, Doug Parkinson, Leo Sayer, Murray Cook, Peter Northcote, Ross Wilson, Steve Balbi, Don Spencer, Steve Kilbey, Tim Freedman, Wendy Matthews and Glenn Shorrock, with more to be announced.

All funds raised  go towards music programs that the ACMF run for disadvantaged and Indigenous youth across Australia.

Tickets are $120 A reserve/$99 B reserve (transaction fees may apply). To book tickets, please go to www.ticketmaster.com.au or phone 136 100.
For more information about the ACMF, please visit www.acmf.com.au

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Party On

As mentioned previously, rumors have swirled around the net about the Swedish Pride Festival and a very special guest.  This morning those rumors wee confirmed - Anthony Callea will be heading to Sweden in August to showcase his new music to festival goers.

Below is an article from The Sydney Telegraph - double click on the picture to read it full sized.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Sweden Bound

Several sources on the web report that Anthony Callea will be performing in Sweden this August at the annual Stockholm Pride Festival.

Click on the article below to read one such story.



















http://www.stockholmpride.org/en/2011/Programblogg/Stockholm-Pride-presents-Party-Night/

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The Option Should Be There

Singer Anthony Callea is Pro Choice





Click the picture to read the article full sized.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Oh Joy!



Get set Melbourne... Anthony Callea and Tim Campbell are taking over the Radio Station for the next 4 weeks.

While Andy and Adrian take a break, Anthony and Tim will put their own spin on breakfast radio and you can be a part of it.

We’re giving you the chance to join Anthony & Tim on 21 July for a morning of mayhem. Over the next three weeks, while the boys are on-air, download the free JOY app, send them a message stating -‘why you want to be Anthony And Tim’s radio bitch’, and you’ll go in the draw to be their co-host.

 

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Radio Daze

Starting on June 30th Anthony Callea and partner Tim Campbell will be hosting the JOY FM breakfast show each Thursday for  the next 4 weeks while regular hosts Andy and Adrian are on holiday.

Anthony and Tim have both filled in as guest hosts singularly, and mirth and mayhem ensued, so look for double the delight when the boys are let loose in the studio.

Interstate and Overseas fans can listen online at or download a free Joy Fm iTunes app at http://www.joy.org.au/listenlive

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Blast From The Past

Posted by Anthony on his official FaceBook Page here is one from the vault!

Anthony Callea at just 16 years of age performing "When You Say Nothing At All" on TV Talent show StarStruck

That distinctive and powerful voice was very much in evidence even back then!

Monday, June 6, 2011

Photoshoot footage

Behind the scenes footage of Anthony's latest photoshoot!



Don't forget, you can now pop on over to his official facebook page and leave a comment! Let him know you 'liked' it.

Anthony on FaceBook

Anthony Callea Fans it's time to join the Official Anthony Callea Face Book Page.

Anthony is already interacting with the first members of his page and there are some stunning new photos uploaded and the promise of a 'suprise' within the next 24 hours.



















Follow the link below to join and welcome Anthony to the wonderful world of FaceBook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Anthony-Callea/230448893635280

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Every Dog Has It's Day

Every dog has its day

















Anthony Callea with Oscar . Photo: Melanie Faith Dove

More than 10,000 dogs - and a pig - united yesterday for the RSPCA's Million Paws Walk.
ZIVA the Great Dane isn't accustomed to canine challengers at her Nar Nar Goon home, but yesterday she found it was the little yappy dogs with a Napoleon complex you had to look out for at Albert Park Lake.

They'd run up courageously in a barking frenzy, only to be met with an expression of mild amusement as she strode past, careful not to squash them with her giant paws.

The blue harlequin Great Dane walked a lap of the five-kilometre lake course with her owners, Carol Smith and son Rylan, 14, along with about 10,000 other dogs and their 17,000 human companions yesterday in the Million Paws Walk.

The annual fund-raiser for the RSPCA is the biggest event on the social calendar for dog owners and their charges.

The lake's black swans retreated to the safety of the water to avoid the parade of all varieties of pooch, from fluffy handbag-sized dogs in pink woolly jumpers to the muzzled butch breeds with spiked collars.

Some owners decided to show off - or humiliate - their pets in sunflower and bumblebee costumes, Collingwood coats, woolly turtlenecks or fur-lined jackets.

Regardless of their attire or neatly combed coats, most dogs delighted in splashing through the puddles and mud, then slopping paw prints on their owners. The Dalmatians appeared to multiply as mud-splattered white-coated dogs blended in with them.

''I don't think there was a clean dog in sight - or an owner,'' RSPCA spokesman Tim Pilgrim said.

''We were a bit worried about the weather, but the dog-loving community have shown us they will come out to support us in rain, hail or shine.''

In a re-enactment of the movie Babe, there was a major upset in the competition arena when a small pig called Polly outshone all the canine competitors to win the best trick competition with her fetching, hand-shaking and agility skills.

Singer Anthony Callea put his diamante-collared Labrador Oscar through the agility course in a celebrity event.

The dog was adopted from the RSPCA after being rescued as a puppy when he was found tied with barbed wire with his tail cut off .

''Now he is living the life of luxury,'' Callea said.

While working sheepdogs demonstrated their herding abilities in the arena, another dog aspiring to join the workforce received some training working the crowd.

Ross Jackson's young Labrador Neptune wore his L-plates to show he was in training to become a customs dog, although yesterday he enjoyed a day of strictly social sniffing.

''He's very affectionate and loves being around all the other dogs,'' his Cranbourne owner said of the third customs dog he has had in his care.

Was it hard to let the dogs go when they got their government jobs?

''Not at all, as you just get another one and you constantly have puppies,'' he said.

Lorna Edwards
The Age
May 16, 2011.
http://www.theage.com.au/national/melbourne-life/every-dog-has-its-day-20110515-1eo7r.html#ixzz1MRebwKtZ

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

'Oscar' Worthy

It's a Dog's life at the Campbell-Callea household!
Double click on the article to read it full sized.









Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Rumours and Retail

RUMOURS

Guests on the Warner Music Australia boat cruise for Bruno Mars last week were intrigued by the presence of a very fit-looking Anthony Callea.

The pop star has been missing from the music scene for the past few years, concentrating on television and stage work, but is now working on his first studio record in five years. Callea revealed he has been writing with hitmakers in LA since engaging celebrity manager Mark Byrne.

Could his new album be out on Warners instead of his post-Idol label Sony later this year?



RETAIL
Anthony attended the opening of Spanish Fashion Retail giant Zara's first Australian outlet. As partner Tim Campbell joked "Now we don't have to stock up on O/S trips. However, now we have to tread carefully around others wearing the same! "

Friday, April 15, 2011

Out On The Town

Anthony Callea and partner Tim Campbell were out on the town recently attending the Melbourne premier of the musical 'Rock Of Ages'.

A photo of the pair, and a video of red carpet interviews uploaded by the team at UndisoveredMusicAus, are posted for your enjoyment.

Anthony's interview begins at about the 2.50 minute mark.



Monday, March 21, 2011

Simply the 'Best'











The first ever  'Best Awards', an event which will be run annually by Guidetogay.com, have been announced.

The awards, voted for by readers local and international,  celebrate  "what the LGBTI GLOBAL community loves and thinks is best."

Congratulations to Australia's Anthony Callea for his success in the following categories.
 
Best LGBTI TV PERSONALITY

1. Anthony Callea (High School Musical Fox8)

2. Ellen Degeneres (Ellen)

3. Mike Ruiz (The A:List New York)

and

      GLBTI LIVE ENTERTAINER
1. Adam Lambert

2. Anthony Callea

3. Trevor Ashley
The full list of winners can be found at http://guidetogay.com/the-news/news-intl/632-guidetogaycom-best-awards-winners-announced

Friday, February 4, 2011

Something to Say

Anthony has made a video for The 2011 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras  Say Something  campaign.

The promotion is inspired by the 1978 equal rights event when activists bravely took to Sydney's streets to Say Something  about the criminalisation of sexuality and oppression of culture.


For this year's parade, to be held on March 5th, participants are encouraged to Say Something  about the issues that mean something to them.

Here is Anthony's contribution.



More infornation about the event can be found at  http://www.mardigras.org.au/

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Poker Face!

Anthony Callea and partner Tim Campbell attended/took part in the Aussie Millions Celebrity Charity Poker Challenge held Jan 19th at Crown Casino. 

From the look on Anthony's not so poker face, a career change as a gambler is not in the cards!





Monday, January 17, 2011

A Gift From Anthony

Yesterday's Fundraiser for Flood Relief was a  great success, with an estimated $2 Million raised .

Recognising that short notice made attendance impossible for many fans, Anthony Callea has generously recorded and uploaded a snippet of the day for
everyone to enjoy.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Anthony Rallies For Flood Support










With three quarters of the state of Queensland ravaged by food waters, and with rains now causing flooding in varying degrees in every other state, fundraisng efforts are now underway to help those who have lost so much begin the task of rebuilding their lives.

Always one to help where he can, Anthony Callea will be performing this Sunday at Tennis Australia's  Rally For Relief , to be held at Melbourne Park in conjunction with the Australian Open.

His message to his supporters on his official forum, confirming the news is as follows.
Hi gang


As we all know the floods across Australia have been devastating and everyone is trying to do what they can to help out.

You may have heard that this Sunday, Rally for Relief will be held at Melbourne Park featuring many of the tennis players about to play in the Australian Open.

This has all come about quite quickly but I wanted to let you know first that I too will be involved on the day performing outside at Garden Square at 1pm.

If you would like to join in on the day and help those affected in the floods please head to the link below to buy tickets.

http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/showtickets.aspx?sh=RALLYFOR11&v=RLA&p=EMAO2011616
Hopefully see some of you there!

Anth
------------------------------------

If you cannot get to the event and would like to help in some way,  click on the link below.

http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/