More akin to a nightingale, Sam Sparro is the newest songbird to take the world by storm with his three-octave vocal range and new-wave edge.

Unlike his hit single, this Australian pop star is far from being Black and Gold and is definitely not your typical gay performer.

The 25-year-old combines the elements of electronic rhythms and synthesised melodies to create what international critics have called a revolutionary sound. Not bad for a boy who spend his youth moving from country to country and even dancing in a gay bar wearing little more than a pair of Speedos.

Is Sam Sparro likely to become a gay icon? Well, that’s anyone’s guess, but he certainly has strong views on some of those who are considered as such.

He recently told the UK’s Attitude magazine that Madonna “is wretched at the moment – absolutely vulgar. Put it away”.

But when asked about our Kylie, he softens.

“As far as Kylie is concerned, I’m just really happy for her that she beat cancer and seems to be healthy and happy,” Sparro told Sydney Star Observer.

It’s been a long-held belief that publicly disclosing your sexuality is akin to signing your own death warrant in the music world. Of course, sometimes it is so obvious that the line “we’re just good friends” can be interpreted as “meet my beard”.

But while Sparro makes no secret of his fondness for men, when asked about his sexuality he seems almost uninterested.

“[Am I] supposed to be ashamed of myself and try and live up to someone’s ideal of male sexuality?” he asks. “I detest this attitude. Haven’t we moved on from this yet?”

Sparro’s self-titled album is evidence of an industry embracing emerging artists looking to break from the traditional elements of dance music.

But that doesn’t necessarily equate to hours on end in the studio because, Sparro, like so many artists in the 21st century, is a bedroom boy.

“I prefer working in my bedroom and that is where a lot of this record started,” he said.

“The challenge for me on this record was collaborating with other people – something I’m not used to doing. Fortunately it was a good growing experience and I learned something from everyone I worked with.

“But most of the record started out on my laptop and then went to my co-producer Jesse Rogg’s studio for tweaking, expanding and mixing.”

Sparro is returning to Australia, this month to perform a one-off showcase of his music at the Oxford Art Factory in Sydney.

“I’m so excited to be coming back to play in Sydney and I know so many people that are going to be at the shows that it’s just going to be kinetic energy – combustible even,” he said.

“My shows are always high-energy, like a Las Vegas gospel rave. And of course, I always dress to impress.”

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Sunny Burns, article courtesy of Sydney Star Observer