Today I drank whisky and green tea from paper cups with Daniel Bedingfield and did these photos. Here’s a sneak peek at the photos from today…
Today I drank whisky and green tea from paper cups with Daniel Bedingfield and did these photos. He has a new EP, released on July 5th via iTunes, and the first single Every Little Thing is starting to get great radio play. I found him charming and chatty – in fact he asked about me, complimented my outfit (Cybele) and my owl ring (Karen Walker) and was interested in my website.
After our interview in Britomart bar, Fukuko, Daniel worried that he wasn’t wearing anything good enough for a photo, so we walked (tottered in my heels that is) to his apartment to get changed for the photos below. On the way he shared about his fashion sense – he gets clothes from LA vintage shops and has them altered to fit his body. In fact he spent the X Factor judge’s clothing allowance in LA on vintage clothes to bring over and had overweight luggage on the plane getting here, he brought so many. After I mentioned that I sewed clothes, he said his girlfriend also sewed and enjoyed crafts. When I asked if she was in LA he said she’s all over the place. He asked me not to reveal where he was staying for security reasons and we shot our photos carefully so that it didn’t give that away. Then I sold Daniel Bedingfield a raffle ticket to my daughter’s kindy raffle! He was super keen to help out; nice guy. Sadly, he didn’t win the raffle, but his music is winning awards all over the place.
Interview with Daniel Bedingfield…
Thread: I was going to ask you about your fashion style. You’re quite famous for …
Daniel: Ignoring a few really important fashion guidelines? My fashion um…Different shoes serves to reminds me… it’s more like a personal agreement that I have with myself, to remember that just because you’ve grown up believing that something’s true and everyone in the whole world believes it’s true doesn’t mean it is. You look around and everyone on the planet seems to buy into the idea; everyone in the western world – even in other cultures if they have shoes – they believe you should have two of the same shoe. So I wear a different one to remind myself that you can buck a worldwide trend and still possibly be right. Clashingness: I guess reflects inner conflict. Bright colours: I guess just the way I feel closer to my own self when I dress that way.
Do you dress differently when you play different music? You’ve had such a huge variety of music across your career.
D: I think finally I’ve found my thing.
And this is the real you.
D: Bright and clashing – Scottish heritage – different clans, mainly Thompson. I’ve been there, I love Scotland. English, French, Scottish and Kiwi for like, five generations.
I wanted to ask about how music has changed with social media and how you advertised on Twitter for a driver and had that woman respond?
D: Oh I won’t even talk about that.
Oh was that a bit nuts. Ok well otherwise, you’re quite big into social media.
D: I just block people who say… I just block trolls and reply to everyone else.
You like to reply…
D: Yes it’s really key to engage with your fans. The old model of record companies has totally worn out its welcome and now the power is in the hands of the people, and you have to give them something they’re fascinated by and you have to engage them. And if you don’t they disown you and even if they like the music they won’t come; you have to be human. And I like that. It’s very Kiwi actually. (Can I drink this? Drinks Fukuko sake. Oh that’s amazing.)
What’s your favourite size gig or place to play?
D: Oh it depends. Three hundred is an amazing size, incredible, then after that I like 1500 and then 6000. But I did Party in the Park once in London and it was 126,000. In Hyde Park. Oh my God. So did you hear the video’s just won in Amsterdam? The fifth film festival. Best music video in five festivals, Miami, Indi, Amsterdam…I directed it, produced it, pretty fun. Have you seen it? It’s on Youtube. (We try to view it but it won’t open on the phone.) It’s basically a huge big glass box spinning around with water and fire and we’re all naked. Weird. It’s really weird. It’s an art piece. It’s an anti-fashion piece ‘cos there’s no clothes in it!
And how was the making of your new single? Do you want to tell me about that?
D: That was pretty awesome. About five years ago in LA, I was working with some incredible producers, and half of this EP and the next one was recorded with Golden Horse. In fact Paul Russell the drummer from Supergroove, Ben King and Geoff Maddock from Golden Horse, and Jol Mulholland from Gasoline Cowboy. They’re amazing.
I love the Golden Horse connection. Is there a musician you’d like to work with?
D: Connan Mockasin – he’s my favourite Kiwi musician. He’s amazing. Have you heard his music at all? Tell me about your publication. (I tell him a bit about Thread.co.nz.) Oh it’s yours? It’s YOURS? Girl! I like your ring. (I suggest we get the bartender to do the photo of us.) Photos? For a fashion website? I wish I was wearing something worth putting in.
So, we head off to his apartment, he gets changed, and we do the photos below. Read more about Daniel Bedingfield’s live performance in Auckland on Thread here.
Megan Robinson
26 June 2013
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