Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Teams podcast
from News Talks at b.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
The Stars and called Some Powerful with so Much hundred times.
Speaker 3 (00:35):
Guys Sebastian is an Australasian icon. His career has been extraordinary,
from winning the first season of Australian Idol back in
two thousand and three to carving out a place on
the charts mentoring the next generation of musical talent as
a coach on the Voice Australia. Guy has been in
the spotlight for more than two decades, and now he
(00:56):
is embarking on a new chapter with his tenth, yes,
tenth album. It's called one hundred Times Around the Sun,
and Guy Sebastian is with us in studio.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
No, Lis Yoda, welcome, thank you, thanks for having me.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
It is great to see you here in person. And
it has been a big few years. Right. One hundred
Times around the Sun took five years.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
Yeah, we're four in a bit years, four and a
half years. To way too long? Too long?
Speaker 3 (01:21):
No is it too long?
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Though?
Speaker 3 (01:22):
This is the thing because you wrote gazillions of songs
before whittling them down into the select few that made
this record. So talk to us about that process.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:31):
Look, look I love writing. I'm writing every day. I
might not finish ideas every day, but constantly hearing chord
progressions and melodies and always putting little things into my phone,
and so I'm constantly creating. And when it comes to
an album, I think early on, you know, I was
on Idol, so won the first idle two thousand and three.
(01:53):
I think it sort of makes you feel like it.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Just makes me feel so old.
Speaker 4 (01:56):
Oh yes, I mean I was twenty one. Then, don't
do the math. If people are watching, don't.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
You look great?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Guy?
Speaker 3 (02:03):
You've got just as energy because you've.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
Always forty three. But but just loving the writing process
and the creative process more than ever, I think, just
because I've honed in on all those skills of production
and engineering and musicianship and you know, writing lyrics and
so it's it's yeah, it's something that is a mentality
that I had to change. I think I felt this
(02:26):
pressure like, don't take longer than a year or you're
going to like disappear, you know, become like disappeared to obscurity.
And and then there's like the pressure of doing the
right thing by fans. You know, you don't want to
make them wait too long? What is too long? And
so I used to have that kind of mentality govern
(02:47):
a lot of my my process, whereas obviously I get
older and navigating being a dad and everything else, and
I just got to this point where like, I don't
want to release anything until I am stoked with it.
Like I want to love every song. I don't want
to filler on there. I want every song to be great.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
So do you find yourself sick and gissing there?
Speaker 1 (03:08):
Though?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
If you don't have a kind of end point, is
there a danger that you get into a bit where
you're always like, man, that song's ninety eight percent on point,
But I just want to just give it another couple
of weeks in case something comes up and I.
Speaker 4 (03:20):
Can give it a huge danger, massive danger. I think
that the thing I always try and remind myself of,
which can be difficult, is that an album is a
snapshot in time. It's a piece of art that reflects
those that time, and you've got to be comfortable with
that and then just hit you know, go like and
go all right, that's it. Yeah, I'm closing off the project.
(03:40):
I'm probably going to wake up, you know, in a
few weeks and hate this lyric. So I think that's
one of the best things about creating art is you
do look back in your cringe, and that's a healthy thing.
It's a healthy cringe because you know you've moved forward.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
I mean, I don't want to get to you know,
blow your trumpet too much, but it sounds like this
is wisdom what you're describing as wisdom having first of all,
the confidence in your own kind of creative to know
that actually you don't need to put these arbitrary limits
on yourself. You don't need to say, you know, I've
got to have this out immediately, I've got to prove this.
People are going to forget me. You don't have those
(04:16):
kind of concerns. But also you can look at a
piece of work and go, you know what, Adherently, there
are always going to be things that I'm not every
day of the week one hundred per satisfied with because
it's a snapshong time. That is wisdom to being able
to look at a piece of work like that.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
Yeah, And when it comes to art, I think a
lot of the way we look at things is it's
not necessarily better, it's just different. And so so there's
there's certain elements of like as a producer, sounds change.
I swear by the month you might use a snare,
and in the in the nerdy production world, that snare
(04:55):
is now dated like literally weeks lady, You're like, oh
what it still isn't from that sample batch. And so
you're just got to be happy and just move on.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
So you see you write every day and you do
it on your phone. Are you writing lyrics or are
you hearing something and then recording it as a voice memo?
You are you humming to yourself? How does that work?
Speaker 4 (05:15):
It's very interesting looking at I love looking at other
people who are songwriters. I love looking at their voice notes.
It's very interesting. It'll be mainly melodies, and I might
be with on my piano, I might be on a guitar.
I mean, I could play you some some things off
my phone. If there's someone else that phone, yeah, I
(05:36):
think I left it out there someway something. But it's
generally just things that are that pop into my head.
I've always been so mind blown by that pro like
like where sometimes I'm like, where did that come from?
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Me?
Speaker 4 (05:50):
And and sometimes it's good and you're like, where did that?
That sounds great? But like Battle Scars? For example, I
was driving down the one oh one in LA and
I just heard this melody in my head. I had
to pull over before I forgot and record it before
I forgot. So I've pulled over, I've hit record, and
I started actually singing the words.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
These battlescars don't look like their fade and don't look
like that gonna change.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
And so then I've you know, just resumed my drive
and I get to where I am, and I pick
up my guitar start playing some chords and and then
I listened to the voice note and I'm like, oh,
I sung Battle Scars that, yeah, that actually that really works.
So it was different to when I'm actually really kind
of feeling and processing something and I'm writing intentionally with
(06:39):
lyrics that I need that are coming from an emotion. No,
this was like I just started singing the words back.
I wasn't thinking about war or being damaged or trauma
or anything like that. Yet the words battle Scars came out,
and then it ended up being the biggest hit in
my career, and I'm I'm David Letterman, and like it
went platinum in the US and from it from a
(07:00):
little random idea while I was driving. So I've always
been just so fascinated. Where did that come from? You know,
why did that visit me?
Speaker 3 (07:10):
You know? Malcolm Gladwell had this theory where it was
like genius comes in two forms. One is where someone
just works and works and works and works and works
and works at their craft their entire career, you know,
dedicate sixteen hours a day their entire life. And another
is like you're like sting. You just wake up in
the area, like every breath you tag and it's like
(07:30):
it took for four minutes and there you go. I'm
you know, going to sell it, you know, fifteen million
of those records or whatever. And it kind of yeah,
it's either like incredible dedication to an art or just
like this kind of wave of the kind of inexplicable
and explained, unexplainable genius.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Which yeah, nature versus nurture.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
Yeah yeah, right.
Speaker 4 (07:49):
And I've got an eleven year old who I know
there's things that he is doing at eleven. I can't
teach that. No one could teach him. He's got this
instinct like he's he gets emotional when he sings and
he he does these runs and these scales and the
tricks that are so unbelievably musical that like, I know,
(08:10):
adults can't, like adult musicians can't do the same thing.
And I'm not being one of those dads that are
just like gushing about my kid.
Speaker 5 (08:16):
Oh he's really good, he's.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
Going to be. But Archie is actually he's really musical
and really got it, really great instinct. And but but
you know, some may say, well, genetically he's you're a
musician and you're an artist. He's he's he's a Sebastian.
So but it's actually such a combination of the you know,
(08:40):
one huge thing is I grew up in Salisbury and Adelaide,
this tiny suburban Adelaide, So it wasn't necessarily conducive to oh,
dream big, you know, you can be anything you want.
It wasn't necessarily that sort of culture, especially back then.
Whereas for my son, he just watches his dad on
I'm on TV singing, I'm on tour. Here's my dad.
(09:02):
He's just like with Oprah and now he's just met
the Pope and like he's watched these big moments in
my life and it's like, oh yeah, that's not that's
a possibility. Yeah, you know, And so I think being
able to dream that big and feeling like it's it's
achievable is half the battle. But then also just the
practice every single day. He's got that fire that I
(09:24):
had as a kid. He would come home from school
and I swear six hours later he's still singing and
practicing little runs and things like that. So, you know,
I think it's the hours that people didn't see that
sting put in.
Speaker 3 (09:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:36):
Yeah, to be able to pick up the you know,
the guitar and right like half reads like.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
You've got You've got to you've got to buy a
ticket if you want to win the lottery.
Speaker 5 (09:46):
Yes, yes, exactly, Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
Yeah, that's such a good point. Look, we are so
delighted to have you in New Zealand. Congratulations one hundred
times around the Sun. And you're gonna perform for us, which.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Is a real treat.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
I'm going to strip it back a little bit. I've
brought my keyboard player in and this is a song
that I released not too long ago, a few weeks
ago from the New Them called Maybe, and I've got
Jack's here on Case's Jacob's a beast on the Okay, sir,
thank you Roy, You're ready.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
Here we go.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
I know they see you should take it home when
you're not looking this wedding.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
You find some money, It's worth you while. Try to
stay patient.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
But how could I? How could I?
Speaker 5 (10:44):
Oh? All I know is I'm done?
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Not allie. I can't help an if I keep falling
head on the feet, you make a mess out of me. Oh,
don't want to leave it up to me, Give me
a moment out take cat. I know they say that.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Good ends come to those who wake.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Bye bood. I'm holding the bar.
Speaker 5 (11:11):
Got paid off.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
I never forget weed. I know they say their good
things come to those who wick. Bye bood, ib holding
the bar, got paid off.
Speaker 4 (11:27):
Don't want to die with the wats to chase? Won't't
you go slipping through my hands?
Speaker 2 (11:33):
That's why I'm moving fast. Wanna look, I'm already making
plans to beat your man. Oh, all I know me.
Speaker 4 (11:42):
Is I'm telling them all in.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
I can't alfeid the five key, falling head on the
feet and make a mess out of me. Oh, don't
want to leave it up to me, Give me a moment,
I'll tead. I know they say that.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
Good things come to those who wake.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
By boot, I'm hold i I got paid off baby
never begun it waited. I know they say that good
things come to those who wait. Why bood, I'm a
good if I got plaid off.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
All I know is I'm doing.
Speaker 4 (12:25):
I'm all in. I can't help any fire.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Keep holding.
Speaker 5 (12:31):
Head of the feet.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
You make a mess out of me.
Speaker 5 (12:35):
Oh, don't want.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
To leave it up to me.
Speaker 4 (12:39):
Give me a moment out, see cat.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
I know they say that good things come to those
who wait. Why Wood, I'm a good bye, got paid
off baby never begoting wait.
Speaker 5 (12:57):
I know they say any good things come to those
who wait.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Why Wood, I'm old good fine cot plaid up.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Oh that was incredible. Thank you so much. That was
I've got like chills up my spine. Guys, that was incredible.
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
Yeah, congratulations on the new album, and thank you so
much for being here.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
We really appreciate you for having me a great chat.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
So good that is Guy Sebastian. His new album is
one hundred Times Around the Sun.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
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