Guy Sebastian on dad dancing, taking his kids to work and what he won’t do as ARIA Awards host
Thanks to his son and a surprise hosting gig at the ARIAs, popstar Guy Sebastian is shaking things up in his life and his music. SEE THE VIDEO
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The video shoot for ARIA Awards host Guy Sebastian’s new single Let Me Drink doesn’t sound like an appropriate opportunity for father and son bonding.
Throw in a monster character who could easily join The Masked Singer cast next year and the chance to see his father attempt choreography for the first time instead of his “dad dancing” and seven-year-old Hudson was keen.
“This video was a lot of fun; we got a monster drinking Yug (Guy backwards) juice … I reckon the kids will love it,” Sebastian said, laughing.
“Huddy”, as dad calls him, and his younger brother Archie love hanging in their father’s home studio and were “nerding out” as he rehearsed for his ARIA performance of smash hit Choir in the acoustic-friendly hallway of their home.
“There were 30 members of the Mount Druitt choir in the house singing parts of Choir in Samoan and Huddy was trying to learn Samoan with them,” Sebastian said.
“It’s really beautiful to hear the song in those voices.”
Sebastian downplays his choreography skills in the Let Me Drink video which will premiere next week, joking his wife Jules has forbidden him from ever becoming a Dancing With The Stars contestant.
“This one was hard! You have to understand it’s not like I was able to spend a month learning the choreography; I had a day!” he said.
“I’m not a dancer, I just move if I feel like the song is making me want to move and on the last tour we did work out some moves and I liked it.
“But this one stretched me and I thought there was no way I could do it and then I did it.”
Hosting an awards show will prove another baptism by fire for Sebastian at the ARIA Awards on Wednesday.
With his extensive experience via talent shows Australian Idol, the X Factor, the Eurovision Song Contest and now The Voice as well as various documentary series, Sebastian knows what works and it isn’t scripted cliches and in-jokes that fall flat.
“I will just roll with the punches; I’m not a comedian and would rather be myself than come across as someone trying too hard,” he said.
But like most of the nominated artists performing on the night, he is wrestling with the unwritten awards show rule which demands they perform their old stuff instead of their new stuff.
Choir has garnered him four nominations for the 2019 ARIAs including Best Male Artist and Song of the Year and it is the song he will perform instead of new single Let Me Drink.
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If the artists had their way, most would settle for the compromise of a medley but the ARIA organisers won’t move on the “give us your hit” policy.
“Artists always want to sing their new song and I’ve been singing Let Me Drink a lot this year while on tour. But I get it, it’s the ARIAs and they always want the big song which has made an impact during the year.
“Of course I asked … suggested I do a medley and go into the new song at the end. I guess it means I can concentrate on the hosting duties instead of rehearsing a medley.”
His predictions for the 2019 ARIAs is he won’t win Best Male Artist (this is his sixth nomination for the award and is yet to claim the King of Pop title) and that Tones and I should be taking home several of the dangerously pointed trophies.
“I don’t think I will ever win that one and I have never been that fussed about the winning,” he said with a chuckle.
“One of the things I like about the ARIAs is it rewards the people who are the stars of the year and you look at Tones and I, we are witnesses to her creating history and in my opinion, she has everything you need to carry her through a career.
“Not every song is going to be (as big as) Dance Monkey but Tones produces, writes and is a great live performer, she’s an inspiration and we should be celebrating artists on that level.”
He will rival Tones, and every other artist at the ARIAs, with four outfit changes on the night.
There’s the red carpet suit, the hosting outfit, the performance costume and the after-party get-up.
“I am going to out-diva everyone,” he joked.
THE 2019 ARIA Awards are at the Star Event Centre in Sydney on Wednesday and broadcast on Nine from 7.30pm.
Originally published as Guy Sebastian on dad dancing, taking his kids to work and what he won’t do as ARIA Awards host
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