The Wiggles collaborate with Orville Peck for new album Wiggle Up, Giddy Up
When the Wiggles were introduced to country music star Orville Peck there was an immediate, if surprising, synergy.
Pop goes bush as The Wiggles new album Wiggle Up, Giddy Up! launches today with a host of megawatt collaborators including masked music star Orville Peck. We download on the unexpected pairing with the South African singer-songwriter and Purple Wiggle, Lachy Gillespie.
WISH: Lachy, how did the initial idea for a country album come about?
LACHY GILLESPIE: The country album had been in discussion at The Wiggles for years. The timing and energy seemed right at the beginning of 2024 to start the album, and the project grew in size as we went along.
WISH: Lachy, you are a big fan of country music and have written many tracks on Wiggle Up, Giddy Up!. What inspires you most about the genre?
GILLESPIE: I love the storytelling element of country music. The raw and personal emotion you can put into it. That it can be about the simple things in life, like the land, love and family, cups of tea on the porch. I love the melodies, musically it seems to fit my voice and when a song is enjoyable to sing physically and emotionally it’s a wonderful feeling and that happens all the time with country music, I find.
WISH: Orville, what was your first introduction to the Australian phenomenon known as The Wiggles?
ORVILLE PECK: My cousin, who is now in her twenties, used to watch The Wiggles when she was a kid. That was my first introduction.
WISH: How did The Wiggles meet Orville Peck?
PECK: The Wiggles started following me on Instagram one day and I was absolutely floored. I think they reached out sometime soon after that.
GILLESPIE: We have admired Orville from afar and all The Wiggles are fans of his music. We reached out to him and started chatting via Zoom. We spoke about some ideas and came up with this song called Friends of Dorothy. We were nervous, so we put on our full Wiggles country outfits, hats and all, so the call looked colourful. We wanted to make sure we made a good impression. Orville was so lovely and so excited about the collab.
Don’t miss your copy of the March issue of WISH magazine in The Australian available on Friday, March 7
“The Wiggles have this amazing ability to not feel patronising. So many artists or even people who try relating to children do that. The Wiggles portray and represent so many different types of people, cultures, feelings, emotions and ways of life. I think that’s why they have such staying power, even with adults. It feels authentic.” – Orville Peck
WISH: Orville, this is your second collaboration with an Australian artist. How was working with Kylie Minogue – the honorary Pink Wiggle?
PECK: Working with Kylie was a dream. I’ve been a fan since I was a kid and beyond being a music icon, she is the absolute nicest person.
WISH: Lachy, what is it that appeals to you most about Orville’s music?
GILLESPIE: The Curse of the Blackened Eye from Orville’s Bronco album was sent to me a few years ago by a friend and straight away, you see imagery in his music. It’s so atmospheric. His voice is so rich and warm and then has this falsetto flipping up into his high voice, which is so beautiful. His melodies are unreal. The Hurtin’ Kind [with Midland] from his newest album is on repeat at the moment.
WISH: Orville, what were your early musical influences?
PECK: I grew up loving all kinds of music but obviously my heart lies with the old-school country of the ’60s and ’70s. It’s such a golden era for the genre in terms of storytelling and songwriting.
WISH: Lachy, can you explain the meaning behind your track together, Friends with Dorothy?
GILLESPIE: We are all friends with Dorothy and Dorothy has always been a friend to everyone. We have always made it a point to celebrate friendship and inclusion in Wiggle Town, and this song has a special message about friendship and community.
WISH: Lachy, this album was one of the most time consuming to date for The Wiggles. Was that due to the star-studded collaborator line-up – including Dasha and Dolly Parton alongside Orville?
GILLESPIE: It’s a 32-track album, so was a massive undertaking. Given that we were collaborating with all these amazing artists, we spent more time on the album, on the arrangements than ever before. We wanted to give each song the time and energy it deserved, to make sure it was the right fit for each respective guest; making sure we had the right sounds, the right instruments and the right balance of all the vocals. Some of the guests recorded their vocals remotely, so all the anticipating, waiting to receive those vocals, was really exciting for us. They are all very busy people and it was so rewarding when each vocal arrived and we added it into the mix.
WISH: How did it work, practically speaking?
GILLESPIE: We recorded our parts at our Wiggles home base – Hot Potato Studios in Sydney. Collaborating remotely went more smoothly than we ever could have imagined. We just said, “Orville, do your thing – work your magic and have fun with the vocals”, and of course, he knocked it out of the park.
PECK: It was such an easy process. The Wiggles were so kind and open to my input and spin on things. I recorded the vocals alone in Los Angeles, but they had already made me feel so welcomed by that point, it felt like they were all there in the studio with me.
WISH: Orville, what was crucial for you when it came to collaborating on this track?
PECK: I think to just maintain my authentic perspective as an artist but also a person. Having them include an openly gay artist on this album means a lot to me, because there will always be little gay or queer kids that might see a bit of me in themselves. I didn’t have that as a kid, and I would have really loved it.
WISH: What makes a good collaborator?
GILLESPIE: Whenever The Wiggles collaborate with other artists, the beautiful thing we get to experience is that – pretty much without exception – the other artists approach it with a deep sense of fun and adventure. For most artists, doing a collab with us is somewhat left field by nature and they’re making music for a totally different audience. And we love that they’re prepared to dive into the deep end and approach it with an open mind and spirit. The other major appeal of collaborating is that it’s an opportunity for us to try all sorts of different creative directions that we mightn’t otherwise explore on a regular Wiggles release.
PECK: I think when two or more artists get together to create something, there is already a sense of mutual respect and admiration of each other’s art. That kind of an acknowledgment goes beyond validation, it’s an invitation to share in each other’s art. It’s such a special feeling.
WISH: You got to meet in person in Sydney at the GQ Men of the Year Awards late last year, when The Wiggles presented the International Musician of the Year award. How was this face-to-face?
PECK: I felt like we had already known each other for years. They are the kindest, funniest, warmest bunch of people and if truly felt like seeing old friends.
GILLESPIE: We were so excited. It was kind of surreal for us seeing him in the room and he walked straight up to us, we exchanged hugs and all talked about how well the song came together. It was extra special that Anthony, Lucia, Tsehay and I presented Orville with the International Musician of the Year award, something he really deserved.
WISH: Orville, were there any other highlights from your trip to Sydney?
PECK: I grew up in South Africa so I’m very familiar
with certain cultural similarities. But one of the funniest things for me is seeing all of the beautiful ibis birds that used to glide around the velds [African grasslands] and in Johannesburg referred to as “bin chickens”.
WISH: Beyond music, what do you each admire about the other?
GILLESPIE: We all went away from the GQ night commenting on how sincere and kind Orville was. This collaboration feels more like a new friendship with The Wiggles and that comes from the love of what he does.
PECK: The Wiggles have this amazing ability to not feel patronising. So many artists or even people who try relating to children do that. The Wiggles portray and represent so many different types of people, cultures, feelings, emotions and ways of life. They lean into those things and embrace them. I think that’s why they have such staying power, even with adults. It feels authentic.
WISH: Finally, what do you like most about each other’s musical or fashion style?
PECK: I mean the songs are so catchy. I dare anybody to listen to Fruit Salad and not have it in their head for days.
GILLESPIE: How do you look so cool in a full country suit and mask and hat? I had a moment on the carpet at GQ – Lucia, Tsehay and I went on the carpet quite early. This is a classic Lachy story. Lucia and Tsehay both worked the carpet wonderfully and had their poses. I thought I would bring an Akubra cowboy hat with me as a nod to Orville being there. This, however, was the very start of our country era and I very quickly learnt the feeling one gets from putting on such a statement piece when I never had done anything like that before. I felt so uncomfortable. I think I look OK in hats, and I won’t go so far to say I regret it, ha ha, but it was a strong choice from wearing a purple long-sleeve shirt all day. So that was a very long way of saying I admire his incredible outfits and how he wears them.
This story is from the March issue of WISH.
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