Dance-pop siren Zoe Badwi is making her way to Perth this month to play at the Court Hotel’s post-parade Street Party. Badwi is best known for her club favourites, Release Me and Free Fallin’ which have become staples in gay clubs around Australia. The Melbourne artist took some time out to speak to OUTinPerth last month about her recent ARIA nomination and her love for the gay community.
How would you describe the year you’ve had?
Huge, massive, exciting!
Free falling is still playing in the clubs now.
Yeah! My first track I released is still playing everywhere. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving, it takes me all around the world.
Where have you been this year?
I’ve been to America, Brazil, all of Australia. It’s all a blur but in a good way.
You were in the Mardi Gras parade earlier this year?
I closed the parade! That was a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to be in it [Mardi Gras]. I wanted to have my own float and I was trying to sort that out but you know, it’s always last minute those things. So instead, I closed the parade and I was just excited. You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
What kind of things can we expect from the show you’re going to be doing here?
Well, I like to have a good time. So if I’m having a good time, hopefully everybody else is. I have a few surprises, maybe a new one off the album that nobody’s heard yet. I might put in a cheeky little cover just to get everybody excited. You know what? I’m not telling you! Come to the show!
Your new video for Carry Me Home looks like it was a mountain of fun?
I have a ball with film clips. I mean I know you shouldn’t just do it for that but I just have so much fun doing it. I have the best team behind me so just the best outfits, hair and makeup and just the best cast. I got to pick my love interest and that was fun I looked through photos of all the guys and I just went through the photos going ‘oh him? No thank you’ and ‘hmmm maybe him’.
You’ve just been nominated for an ARIA award. Are you nervous about it?
Lucky for me, I’ve been nominated before and I was really nervous the first time and I couldn’t eat dinner and all that sort of stuff and the camera is right up in your face and you manage to get your speech out. I didn’t win and the camera was right up at my face last year!
Have you practised your ‘it’s okay’ face before hand?
I was laughing because the camera was on me, I was going to do one of those where you just crack it and throw little strings down as a joke but they wouldn’t really know my sense of humour. That might come across as a big shock.
You just get used to it and just smile and clap because this year, I don’t know, I mean how do you ever know who’s going to win?
How important has the gay and lesbian community been to your success?
They’re the best! I love them! They helped make me who I am and where I’m going. I think the gay and lesbian community really appreciate their music. I think maybe even more so than the straight community does. Everybody loves to go out and dance but I just think the gay community gets a little bit more into it. When I’m singing to the gay community, I can feel that they’re listening, they’re watching, they’re loving it, they’re feeling every single word. They’re listening to all the beats and they’re my favourite gigs.
Zoe Badwi is playing at the Court Hotel’s A Very Musical Street Party Pride Parade After Party on November 19.
Graeme Watson
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