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Who is Barry Southgate?

He is an Australian singer/songwriter whom Orange Magazine TV first seen/heard covering a suave version of Stevie Wonder’s classic song “Lately” in his official YouTube account (please see video below).

Barry Southgate is actually a South African native. He moved with his family to New Zealand in his teen years before venturing on his own to Sydney, Australia, with the singing/dancing group, Jireh, in 2003. He became a finalist of Australian Idol, and had performed for the Pope in a televised audience of half a billion.

He joined Diafrix in opening for UK’s Tinie Tempah, which led him to travel the country with R&B superstar Brian McKnight, as the opening act for his Australia tour.

It was soon followed by supports for other US artists, Eric Benet, Joe and wrapping the year as opening act for K-Ci & JoJo on their Australia/New Zealand tour.

Barry Southgate also released an EP, “Epitome,” and won Radar Radio’s Unsigned Find competition and was a NA2R finalist.

As a songwriter, he’s working with several artists including Stan Walker, on his new album, Let The Music Play.

And because Orange Magazine TV loves his passion for music, here’s an EXCLUSIVE interview we did for this promising 28-year-old singer/songwriter:

Tell us something about you and your music.

Hi! My name is Barry Southgate. I’m a singer/songwriter who loves life, loves music and loooooves good food :p…  I’m all about making feel-good, universal music.

How about your family, are you all musician or at least musically-inclined?

My mother manages a hospital and my dad’s an engineer. One of my brothers is a physiotherapist and personal trainer, the other is studying and working.  My dad plays guitar and sings amazingly.  Both my brothers can as well, but they don’t want to do it as a career.

Did you study music?

I didn’t study music, no.  At least not at a university.  But I do study the people I look up to and pay attention to what makes them great.  I’m just a huge lover of music, in general.  Whether it’s Pop, Rock, Country, R&B, Gospel, Jazz, Classical…  If a song’s good, I’m hooked.

When did you decide that you want to make a career out of singing?

It was around 19 that I decided I should really go after my real dream.  I was in denial for so long leading up to that point though.  Already had the back-up plans: either be a forensic cop or comic book artist.

What else do you do aside from singing?

If we’re talking career-wise, I write songs and produce vocals for other artists.  I act and am still studying acting, classes and whatnot. And I started out as a model before ever getting a paycheck for singing. I love the business side of things too & want to keep growing as a businessman.

Who are your music icons?

I look up to so many artists & musicians. But 5 when I was growing up: Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men and Richard Marx.

If given the opportunity, who do you want to collaborate with?

Wow.  There are so many amazing people I wanna work with, way too many!  If we’re talking new-school artists, I think Bruno Mars and Adele are ridiculous…  I really dig that they write their own songs too.

What do you think is your edge to other musicians out there?

I don’t sound like anyone else.  Also, where I’m from, where I’ve been and what I’m about gives me an edge.  I have a unique sound and a unique story to bring to the table.

Have you been to the Philippines? If not, any plans in releasing your music here as well in other countries?

I actually have been to the Philippines. Twice. And I love it :) … I’ve been to Manila and Naga City. It’s so beautiful there. Hope I get to come back again soon.

Do you know any Filipino? Have you heard of Lea Salonga, Charice Pempengco and Arnel Pineda of Journey? (They are Filipino acts who are doing well in the music scene abroad).

I’ve heard of Charice, yeah.  I also heard about Regine Velasquez, through my friend, Brian McKnight (who I opened for on tour last year).  You have some incredible talent in the Philippines!

When did you visit the Philippines? Do you have Filipino friends? Relatives?

I was there around a year ago, on tour with an artist named, Darlene Zschech. We’ve got friends there too, yeah.  And even here in Australia, I have a few Filipino friends.

How do you promote your music? Do you have regular gigs? Do you upload your music online?

I have regular gigs, do radio/magazine/blog interviews and, yeah, upload my music to online sites like YouTube as well.  But a big driving force behind promoting my music is my team: TeamBCS.

How many songs have you written and recorded so far?

Haven’t counted yet, but I’ve definitely written quite a few more than what I’ve recorded.  Not all of them are good enough to record. Hahaha.

Tell us something about your album. Your inspiration, the process, how long was the recording, and when will it be out?

Well, the new material I’m working on, I’m still in the early creative phase. Writing, getting songs together, trying a few new things… I’m excited about it. Inspiration can really come from so many different sources. A song can be inspired directly be something that happened to me personally, or it can be what I’ve seen someone else go through, or it could just be completely made up too. Sometimes I get ideas while doing random stuff, like going for a run, or even hanging out laundry!

What’s your all-time favorite song?

That’s too hard to choose!

Where can your fans reach you?

I always love connecting with my fans and the best place for them to reach me is at www.facebook.com/BarrySouthgateOfficial and www.twitter.com/BarrySouthgate.

What’s your message to your supporters, followers and future fans?

A huge thanks for all of your support, it really means more than I could ever say…  Can’t wait to share my new music with you once it’s all done & ready!  Keep being uniquely you, because you’re one of a kind.  Much love ;)

And lastly, do you have a girlfriend? :-)

I have friends that are girls, yeah ;)

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