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.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
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
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
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
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
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.
You can listen to a sample of the Khaled Mix below.
Latest tracks by AnthonyCallea
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
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
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