POP VULTURE: Shannon Noll on life after Idol, footy & his southern cross tattoo
Shannon Noll has had an amazing career over the last 13 years. What you may not know is that prior to pursuing a career in music, he played competitive Aussie rules footy. What a bloke! It was unsurprising that he identified with the (under) Dog's historic AFL Grand Final win last weekend.
“I always considered music to be a hobby... It always came second to footy”
Now, he is busy with promotion for his newly released single and upcoming tour. He is relaxed and well accustomed to all that industry biz:
Have you heard about Kim Kardashian? How crazy is it?
SN: Yeah, they reckon its an inside job for a bit of publicity. Wouldn't put it past her either. At the end of the day, as long as she didn't get hurt it isn't going to hurt her bank account!
Who would you pick to star play you in a Shannon Noll biopic & what would the title be?
SN: I suppose you gotta go with Hugh Jackman, he's an Aussie & he'd do a great job! As for titles, I always struggle with these. Maybe " I'm Not Always Coming Second"?
All jokes aside - do you think you were robbed of first place?
SN: Not at all. I was quite happy coming second. Guy (Sebastian) and I both agreed we'd both be happy with whoever won.
Are you following the US election?
SN: Yeah bits and pieces. I just hope the real candidates stand up soon. It's a scary situation, but it's inevitable that one will be in power.
I suppose it's about identifying the lesser of two evils.
SN: Yeah the lead changes every day and it will be a race to the end. It is what it is I suppose...
Do you have any plans to represent Australia at Eurovision?
SN: No plans as yet, but you know we'll cross that bridge when it comes. If the committee asked me to be involved I would. I was on the panel last year and I'd do that again in a heartbeat.
Will you ever get a second southern cross tattoo & where?
SN: I don't know about a second one, ones enough, but I might get it bigger and bolder! It's just an outline at the moment, and I want it to be embellished.
You probably get asked about Australian Idol all the time so we won't dwell on it but will touch on it a little. Personally, I think it is such an insane TV show. It has really changed quite a bit since 2003. You recently slammed shows like this, declaring it is a dangerous path for those wishing to pursue a legitimate career in music. If you had your time again would you have done it differently?
SN: It was a lot different for us because it was the first season in Australia. None of us knew what was happening from one day to the next. It was one big ride and a total unknown for all involved (except the production team). I felt like it was an honest journey but a lot of hard work.
It was a very different story for contestants who came after. They had expectations and thought as soon as they won, they had made it. The management side of the show was really interesting. They took the winners out of the public market and put them into corporate gigs because there is more money in it. By the time they get out of a 12-18 month cycle of corporate touring the fans who supported them and voted for them lost interest. The hard work over the next 4-5 years is what kept Guy & myself relevant in the market.
You've encountered so much success coming second. It's clear now that you have a cult status and there has been a resurgence in your popularity over the past 5 years.
SN: Oh I agree. Business is business. Mentally, I'm more together now compared with what I was back then. I'm lucky that its worked out like this. I'm ready to take the next step.
Are the fans getting worse or did they peak back in the oz idol days?
SN: It's pretty chilled now. Back in 2003 I did a show in Penrith and we found two fans in the boot of our car which was weird.
Jesus. That is weird. I suppose with the advent of social media, fans can appreciate you from the comfort of their own home now.Over a decade has now passed since your time on Australian Idol, outside the bounds of your contracts do you have more creative input into your music?
SN: I wrote a lot of the music with the first few singles after Idol, but it has changed significantly since. There are no more "pitched" songs or gift songs which is great. On this new album I've co-written every song.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to learn what he thinks of shit memes, or get his coveted fish taco recipe; what we did learn is that Nollsie is a self-proclaimed pineapple fiend (he is comfortable with it on pizza, but loves it grilled on the barbie too).
It appears as though Noll has embraced social media and all that comes with it. He is grateful for all of the support over the past 13 years and the recent resurgence of interest in him as an artist. He is looking forward to the future. Catch his show with Ronan Keating in Perth later on November 12 at Kings Park.
