A Journey Through Aussie Pop

DJ, remixer, songwriter, producer... Peewee Ferris has done it all. Australia's original superstar DJ shares his story of how his love for music led him into a career behind the decks and in the studio — and how being one step ahead when it came to dance music meant he was the go-to guy to bring new sounds and trends to the mainstream. From remixing acts like Jenny Morris, Boom Crash Opera and Kate Ceberano for major labels to being hired to launch Australia's answer to Yazz, Collette, Peewee's skills developed with each new project. In the '90s, he worked with two local dance acts, Bass Culture and Culture Shock, with mixed success before creating DJ Beats: Beyond The Turntable, the project that spawned top 20 single "I Feel It" alongside DJ Darren Briais. His profile continued to rise with prominent remixes for big-name pop acts like Savage Garden, Tina Arena and Human Nature. Peewee discusses those and his recent return to releasing pop/dance music with Toni Pearen.

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: [email protected]

She's called Australia home for four decades and become one of this country's most beloved singer/songwriters, with three wins for Best Female Artist at the ARIA Awards in the '90s. Originally from Canada, Wendy Matthews cut her teeth as a session singer and backing vocalist before stepping into the spotlight with a series of increasingly high profile projects, culminating in Absent Friends' top 5 remake of "I Don't Want To Be With Nobody But You". Wendy tells us about those early experiences and how she then embarked on a solo career that yielded a string of hits from her first two albums, like "Token Angels", "Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)" and her platinum-selling, ARIA-winning version of "The Day You Went Away". As she shares the stories behind the songs, Wendy reveals her hesitance in being a solo artist and the degree of control she was able to exert over her career. We also hear about gospel-influenced album The Witness Tree, what happened when her record label, RooArt, was sold to a major international record company, BMG, and why she eventually decided to go back to her independent roots.

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: [email protected]

As Darren Hayes prepares to release his fifth studio album, Homosexual, he talks about how he moved away from being signed to a major label to emerge as an independent artist firmly in control of his career. That began with 2004's The Tension And The Spark, a synth-based album on which he grappled with his sexuality. While success continued in Australia and the UK, his relationship with Sony Music in the US reached breaking point. He followed that with experimental double album This Delicate Thing We've Made, a sprawling, 25-track release that allowed him to flex his creative muscles. In 2011, Darren worked with major labels once again — but on his terms. Secret Codes And Battleships was a return to a more accessible sound, but it resulted in Darren leaving the music industry for what would end up being a decade once promotion for the album was complete. He explains what inspired him to record once more and what he is saying on Homosexual that he has never expressed in his music before.

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: [email protected]

Since 1996, Darren Hayes has released some of Australia's most loved pop music, both as half of Savage Garden and as a solo artist. In the first episode of a two-part special, we look at Darren's time alongside Daniel Jones in Savage Garden and hear from the singer about the two albums they released together (Savage Garden and Affirmation), how the duo exploded both locally and internationally with hits like "I Want You", "Truly Madly Deeply" and "I Knew I Loved You", and the development of their professional and personal relationship. Following Savage Garden's complicated split, Darren emerged as a solo artist and released Spin as his debut album in 2002. Containing singles "Insatiable", "Strange Relationship", "I Miss You" and "Crush (1980 Me)", its polished sheen and bouyant energy masked Darren's personal struggles — issues that would shape the rest of his solo career. Disarmingly candid and thoughtful in his answers, Darren gives great insight into his record-breaking music career. In Part 2 (coming soon), his solo albums from The Tension And The Spark up until new release Homosexual (out October 7) will be discussed.

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: [email protected]

She was one of Australia's most recognisable and popular personalities in the 1990s — and it all began with singing for Jo Beth Taylor. After starting out in her hometown of Perth on a local TV show, she was snapped up by Molly Meldrum for his label, Melodian Records, shortly after she relocated to Melbourne. Jo Beth tells us about getting eased into the music industry as a backing singer for Indecent Obsession, building a lifelong friendship with Debbie Gibson while on tour, and going to New York to work with Debbie and a who's who of music producers for her debut album, 99 Reasons. Jo Beth reveals the record company debates about what style of music she should record and discusses her first two singles, "99 Reasons" and "You Don't Own Me". Jo Beth's music then took a backseat to a blossoming TV presenting career, with only two further singles released, "A Prayer For Jane" and "I Love My Dog'. By 1997, her all-consuming work for Channel 9 took its toll and Jo Beth stepped away from the spotlight to attend to her mental health — a subject she reflects on when looking back at the ups and downs of her career in entertainment.

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: [email protected]

As important as the fictional story of The Takeaways was to the success of Sweet And Sour, an equally crucial factor was the show's soundtrack. Johanna Pigott and Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup (formerly of The Angels and The Party Boys) talk us through the process of reaching out to the cream of Australia's songwriters for material to include in the show. Both Johanna and Buzz also contributed songs themselves, and the latter tells us about joining forces with three other writers who he'd go on to form GANGgajang with. We also hear from Sharon O'Neill about how the ups and downs of her career up until that point influenced the lyrics of title track "Sweet And Sour", while Deborah Conway recounts how she was recruited to provide the singing voice of The Takeaways' lead singer, Carol, and why she requested that her involvement stay as anonymous as possible. Finally, series producer (and future producer of The Piano, Lantana and many more movies) Jan Chapman reflects on her role bringing the series to air and why she considers it a career highlight.

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: [email protected]

At 6pm on July 2, 1984, a new ABC series debuted and would go on to become one of the most popular shows aired on the national broadcaster all decade. Created by Johanna Pigott and Tim Gooding, both former members of punk band XL Capris, Sweet And Sour depicted the rise and fall of fictional group The Takeaways. In this first episode in a two-part special, Johanna shares her memories of being in XL Capris and how that experience formed the basis for Sweet And Sour. She reveals the false start the series had and discusses the process of creating the show a generation of Australians watched again and again in the mid-'80s. We also talk to three of the cast members: Tracy Mann, who played singer Carol Howard; David Reyne, who brought his existing music industry knowledge to the role of guitarist Martin Kabel; and Ric Herbert, the man behind human whirlwind Darrell Winters, The Takeaways' manager. In the upcoming Part 2, we'll take a closer look at the music in Sweet And Sour and hear from Deborah Conway, Sharon O'Neill and Graham "Buzz" Bidstrup about their contributions to the soundtrack.

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: [email protected]

In this special podcast crossover event, the teams behind A Journey Through Aussie Pop and A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman unite to discuss the legacy of Tania Lacy, who went from dancer on Countdown and choreographer of Kylie Minogue's "Locomotion" music video to maverick presenter on spin-off series The Factory and Countdown Revolution. Tania talks about being co-host of those music programs and entertaining a generation of music fans with her comic characters and outrageous interview segments. Behind the laughs, there were some not-as-amusing moments, as Tania reveals the lack of support she received from producers and the consequences of the infamous strike episode of Countdown Revolution. She also talks about her current projects, including her stand-up performances around Australia. 

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: [email protected]

As the '90s became the 2000s, two bubbly teenagers came seemingly out of nowhere to score back-to-back top 5 singles, "Sister" and "What's A Girl To Do", but Christine and Sharon Muscat had been preparing for that moment for years. First, growing up with their musician father, Joe, helping them to develop their talents and then, being spotted by Tina Arena on TV and signed by her then-husband/manager, Ralph Carr. Sister2Sister were quickly launched overseas, with UK chart success and key support slots on tours by Five and Britney Spears. But the pop stardom ended just as suddenly and a planned (and recorded) second album was never released. The sisters talk about the decisions they made following the release of their debut album, One, that changed the course of their joint career. Over the past two decades, the siblings have worked in a more behind-the-scenes capacity as session singers, backing vocalists and vocal coaches, but they are set to release their first music as Sister2Sister in two decades and explain why they feel lucky to have had the experience in the music industry that they've had. 

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: [email protected]

With every one of their four singles reaching the ARIA top 10, dance duo Madison Avenue had a perfect chart strike rate. Formed by DJ/producer Andy Van and singer Cheyne Coates, the pair crossed over from the clubs to the top 50 in 1999 with "Don't Call Me Baby" — a song Cheyne was never meant to sing. Andy tells us about how that track came together — from the sample he based the song around, the Mousse T tune that served as inspiration and how Cheyne's hastily recorded guide vocal ended up being on the finished record. We'll also hear about the bidding war to release the song overseas, how follow-up singles "Who The Hell Are You" and "Everything You Need" came about, and the pressure to put together debut album The Polyester Embassy. Andy also talks about his and Cheyne's sometimes contentious working relationship, which ultimately led to their split in 2003; his thoughts about Madison Avenue's remake of "Reminiscing"; and other highlights from his career, including his ARIA Award-winning remix of Pendulum's "Coma", starting Vicious Vinyl with John Course, and working with wife Cassie in groups Vandalism and Super Disco Club.

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
Twitter: @ChartBeatsAU, @TurnAroundOnJoy
Instagram: @chartbeatsau, @joyturnbeataround
Email: [email protected]