Exclusive Interview with Stan Walker
Catch Stan on 20/20 here
To watch Stan Walker interviewed on Good Morning click here.
We were lucky enough to catch up with Stan Walker, Australian Idol's hot favourite to win. Read on and find out what his favourite Kiwi bands are, why he loves smoothies and where he wants to be in ten years time.
tvnz.co.nz: How are you feeling now you've got
this far in the competition?
Stan: It's awesome, I didn't think I would get to this point
at all.
tvnz.co.nz: How far have you come since your
audition and the first week both musically and
personally?
Stan: I've really grown a lot. I've got stronger in my
character and musically I've come to appreciate lots of different
styles of music.
tvnz.co.nz: What was it like meeting Liza Minnelli, Suzi
Quatro and Harry Connick Jr.?
Stan: Oh man, they're awesome. It's so wicked because
when we go into the work shops, I don't go in there on a high
because they're celebrities. I'm not about that because at
the end of the day, we're all people and we're just people who have
accomplished stuff and they have too. They've got a lot of
knowledge and I love learning from them and the experience they
have to share.
tvnz.co.nz: What song have you enjoyed singing the
most?
Stan: I enjoyed singing Single Ladies by Beyonce the
most. It was so much fun it was a real challenge for me but I
had a lot of fun singing it.
tvnz.co.nz: Which contestant do you fear the most
and why?
Stan: We are all so, so different and so strong at what we
do. They're all my competition!
tvnz.co.nz: In your
Week Six Blog (on the official
Australian Idol website) you say you get nervous. What do you
do to combat your anxiety before you walk on stage? Do you
have any special rituals before you go on stage?
Stan: I always pray before I go on stage. I zone out
from the whole crowd, noise and lights and I humble myself. I
just do what Ive got to do and remember why Im there and do what I
love doing.
tvnz.co.nz: How has your Bible College and time at
church helped you musically? Is your religion a big part of
your music/who you are?
Stan: It's probably the biggest part really. Without
god, I can't do this. Hes the reason why I'm here and why
I've got this voice and do what I do. The least I could do is
to give it back to him and represent him. It's really helped
me a lot and helped me grow and helped me have integrity in my
character and standards in my life.
tvnz.co.nz: What message do you aim to spread to
your fans through your
music?
Stan: My biggest goal is to be an ambassador for broken
people who have come from nothing to gain everything. You
don't have to be anyone special or come from anywhere special to be
someone special. I just think no matter how many times we
fall and get back up, we've just got to keep on moving forward and
we can achieve what we want to do. Dreams are not
impossible.
tvnz.co.nz: You've talked about your love of
smoothies and juices, do you drink these to help keep your voice in
good condition?
Stan: Its a great start to the morning! I haven't had a
few lately, I've been a bit drained. It actually helps you
poo good (laughs very loudly). It is the bomb, it cleanses
your body out, it really does. I've been feeling a bit yuck
so I'd better get on those smoothies soon!
tvnz.co.nz: You've said you wanted 10 kids but
would settle for 7 as its more logical - thats going to be one hell
of a sing song!
Stan: I was bought up around family. I've always got
family around me and I love kids. I can't wait to get
married; I'd get started straight away. My wife better be
ready!
tvnz.co.nz: Please finish the sentence, Music for
me...
Stan: Music for me...is a refuge, a language that everybody
can speak and a passion.
tvnz.co.nz: What is it going to take for you to be
the winner of Australian Idol, Season 7? What are you going
to have to pull out of the bag?
Stan: I think just being consistent, to hold on to what I
represent and keep on pushing the boundaries with music and doing
what people haven't done before. I need to be creative and
take risks. A big part of standing out and being a great
artist is taking risks and doing things no-one has ever done
before. I try.
tvnz.co.nz: You're of Maori decent and from
Tauranga, New Zealand, how do you weave your Maori heritage in to
your music?
Stan: Im so proud of who I am and where I come from.
Every chance I can get, I always try to get my Maori thing in there
and make known to the world who and what I am. Were really
proud people. I'm so blessed to be in such a strong
culture. Anything I can be a part of back home (our Maori,
our language) Im all for it, man.
tvnz.co.nz: What Kiwi bands do you enjoy listening
to?
Stan: I love Katchafire, House of Shem, Che-Fu, Fat Freddys
Drop, Kora Im actually related to a few of them.
tvnz.co.nz: Will there be a trip to New Zealand
given your new found fame?!
Stan: Its definitely in my goals and future plans that I will
go back home and do a tour and hopefully do some collaborations
with people back home.
tvnz.co.nz: Apart from wanting to win the show
what are you looking forward to over the next few
weeks?
Stan: I'm looking forward to what happens after the show
regardless of winning it or not. I just want to get started,
I want to start making music and doing my stuff with this.
tvnz.co.nz: It's October 2009, let's fast forward
ten years. Where are you? What are you
doing?
Stan: Hopefully I will have a few albums and I will have
toured New Zealand and Australia by then and expanded in to America
and England. I'll be married and have a few kids I need to
get started on my tribe!
