Rock Climber

Australian Idol star SHANNON NOLL hopes American audiences warm up to his rugged brand of rock and roll

Growing up in extremely rural Condobolin, New South Wales, must seem like a past life for Australian pop star Shannon Noll. After a whirlwind run on Australian Idol, Noll became a household name Down Under. The singer boasts more than just the most famous facial hair in his home country (the news reported on the shaving off of Noll's signature "flavor saver"). His first two records produced 11 top ten hits and all three of his releases to date have gone Platinum in Australia. While in New York prepping for the US debut of his newest record Turn It Up, the first of Noll's records ever to come out in the American market, and recording material for his fourth album, he stopped by ASCAP to talk about being poised to break into the international scene.

Do you feel like Turn It Up is a good introduction for Americans to your music?
Well, this one I had produced here, wrote a lot of here and recorded here too. It fits the bill a little. That's a difficult one, because I'd like to actually put a couple songs from the first two albums on this one as well, and make a hybrid. One song in particular was a hit over here, and it's a really good representation of the artist that I am.

Working with producer Luke Ebbin (Bon Jovi) and guitarist Richie Sambora will definitely give the album some good U.S. cred. How was it working with them?
Cool. Luke's a really, really lovely guy. He's great. He couldn't have been better. He's really accommodating and really nice. He keeps it fun. Luke's great because he doesn't tell you, 'This is how I think your record should be.' He comes in and goes, 'How do you wanna make it? How do you want it to sound?' And we organize and sort of clarify what we're trying to achieve. Then his advice enhances what you're trying to do, instead of him trying to tell you what he thinks it should sound like. That's a great thing to have.

What was your Australian Idol experience like?
We had a cover band out in the bush country where I grew up, and we would do gigs in pubs and clubs. There could be 20 people at a gig, but 15 of them would come up after the show and say, 'What the hell are you guys doing way out here? You should be in the city playing." So then Idol came along, and it was fast-tracking from there. I sort of always believed that I was meant to do something, or something was going to happen with music and Idol was the best way to clarify that. That was a bit scary because you believe in your heart for years that something is supposed to happen, but next thing you're in front of these judges and they can fulfill it, make it come true or not.

But on Idol, I got mine and then some! Just criticisms from the judges for different things. I was always used to fronting a fourpiece, and I've always been the type of performer that feeds off the band. All of a sudden I was being thrown on the middle of a stage with all of these people watching and judging every move I made. I could always perform well, but the mindset in that setting is different.

Once you had been through it, and you were a public figure, how drastic was the change in your lifestyle?
I'd been gigging for years, so I had a fair grasp on the lifestyle part of it, but coming to the corporate side of it is a bit daunting. Early in the pace, themedia thing was a bit scary. People who'd nevermet you before saying pretty crazy things about your family and about that sort of stuff. Just people throwing their two cents in, and saying fairly nasty things when you'd never met them. The way I grew up, you'd treat people the way you wanted to be treated. You don't cast aspersions before you've met somebody. Also, I'mmarried, and I have three little kids. Time away from home is the hardest part. Next time I come to America, I'm bringing everybody over with me.

— Lavinia Jones Wright