Exclusive Interview With Barry Southgate: Whatever Dream Youve Got, Work Hard And Go For It!

The music scene is always ebbing and flowing with new talent, and every once in a while one stumbles across a song that urges them to stop and take a contemplative listening-to. CDL had the pleasure of chatting with up-and-comingR&Bsinger/songwriter Barry Southgate, whose style is energetic, honest, soulful, and has been likened to those of Jason Mraz and Bruno Mars.

Southgate is a South African native, but early on in his childhood relocated to New Zealand, where he spent most of his teenage years surrounded by a music-loving family and rich culture, both of whichundoubtedlyhave impacted the sound of his music. With his new EP, Epitome, now available on iTunes and his knack for fusing feelgood beats with soulful, down-to-earth vocals, I think Mr. Southgate will be able to carve out a permanent spot for himself in this crazy-tastic Celeb World of ours in no time. Perhaps we could all help him get his song Dont You Think? to a #1 iTunes download? (I think he might love you for that).

Check out the interview below. Ive included both the question and the responsessmiley emoticons and all. By the way, if youre a celeb out there wanting to do an interview with us, please know right up front that I appreciate ANYONE who is awesome enough to use a few winky faces and smileys :) ;)

Interview with Barry Southgate

CDL: I truly enjoyed your new songDont You Think, which is now available on iTunes. Many people have described your unique sound as something that resembles that of Bruno Mars or Jason Mraz. What or who do you consider to be your greatest muse? Your greatest influence?

Southgate: Thanks, glad you enjoy the song! A few people have made those comparisons, which is flattering, I love both of those guys music. My greatest influence? Hmmm It probably sounds boring, but Id say just life in general. Sometimes a song comes after a tough, intense situation, other times a song can hit randomly while Im doing stuff like laundry (haha). Hey, its happened!

Not only are you a talented singer/songwriter, youre also a person whos committed to initiating globalchange. Whether it be [with] a smile, a word of encouragement, financial help during a tough time, or a gift, you say people should strive to propagate change through whatever means they feel most passionate about. Can you tell us a little more about The BCS Movement, and its goals for the future?

One day I was playing around with my initials & thought,How can I use these as an acronym for something more than just my name..?. I came up with Bring Change Somewhere. Its about bringing change where you are, no matter how big or small. Everyones platform may be different, but theyre actually all equally important, you know? One day Id love to see it become like a trust of some kind, something that can help fund a whole bunch of different initiatives.

On September 15th you participated inR U OK? Day, a national day in Australia that aims to prevent suicide by encouraging citizens to reach out and connect with one another. Its amazing how big of a difference a simpleR You OK?can make in a persons life. What was the experience like for you, as an ambassador for the initiative?

First off, youre right how big a difference asking someone something that simple can make. It was pretty eye-opening Lots of people would say theyre OK, which is great, but there were also others who actually werent OK at all. Like, [for example], this man walked up to me saying how he hadnt seen his son in years, that he wasnt legally allowed to. That he was also struggling so much financially & just felt hopeless. When youre faced with a real situation like that, you can easily be like,Man How could I possibly help this person?. But you learn really quickly to just meet people where theyre at. And if you dont have the answers, [you learn to] point them [in the direction] of someone who does.

Can you tell people a little bit about your upcoming concert dates, or where they might be able to find you in the coming months?

Well, the one Im excited about most right now is this Thursday night actually. Ill be supporting US R&B/Soul singer, Eric Benet, in his first ever Sydney show. Glad about it! For any other dates, just visit my website:www.barrysouthgate.com.

What do you consider to be the turning point in your artistic/creative journey? Is there a particular moment in your life that is exceptionally vivid, one youll never be able to forget as you travel down the artists path?

Wow There are a few. Singing for the Pope (in front of a televised audience of half a billion people) was a huge vivid memory Ill never forget. But more recently, I have to say touring Australia with Brian McKnight. Theres the obviousgood stuff, like opening for him & watching him sing every night. But it was more about [just being able to] connect personally with someone I looked up to for so long, who played such a big part in shaping me as a singer, you know?It really was an amazing experience and a defining moment for me in a lot of ways.

This might seem odd, but Id like to know your favorite Skittle color. Youd be surprised how much I can tell from a celebs fave Skittle flavor. I might just be able to reveal your entire future in this crazy Celeb World of ours. . .

Haha thats hilarious!I like the yellow & red ones the most :)

Post-interviewCeleb-Skittle Analysis: Crazy passionate(red)about art form, dedicated, and will do whatever it takes to move forwardall while exhibiting extreme class(yellow), sincerity, levelheadedness, and tact. FYI: this is a spectacular Skittle combo for a celeb. This is someone whos in it for the long term.

Okay, now that Ive allowed myself to get sidetracked, lets return to the realms of seriousness. Your EPEpitomewas released on September 22. For those who dont know much about the project, would you like to tell us all a little more about it?

Sure thing. This EP is like taking five quick shots of me, hence the title. It was produced [in a] super organic fashion, with live musicians playing on it, something I always wanted to try. Its interesting, a lot of older influences came back when I made this record, people like Michael Jackson, Richard Marx A real eclectic vibe, cause of what I grew up with. Id describe the overall vibe as universal, feel-good Pop/Soul. Hope you guys like it!

What was it like growing up in New Zealand in a family where music was so prominent? How do you think growing up in New Zealand, and later in Australia, has helped shape your musicif at all?

At first it was tough moving from South Africa to New Zealand, with the culture shock & all. But man Those were some of the best days ever.I come from a pretty mixed background (dads got African/English heritage, moms got German/Indonesian), so the music played in our house was kinda like that too, really diverse. Youd have Stevie Wonder & Lionel Richie blasting one moment, then Chicago & The Carpenters the next It was cool. Being around so many different styles definitely helped shape what I do, cause it gave me an eclectic love of music period. Not just one style.

Songwriting for many musicians is a cathartic release, a way to capture their emotions through lyric and song. When did you write your first song, and what was that experience like for you? Do you continue to write all your songs?

Its totally cathartic, yeah. Growing up, Id always get these melodies in my head, but I wrote my first actual song when I was 16. Still remember that day. I was in computer class at the time, supposed to be doing schoolwork (haha). And it was like Id just made this amazing discovery or something! That you can create something out of nothing Theres really nothing like it. I write my own songs & I write for other artists too. And thats also fun, cause not every song you write is for you, but you always have this musical outlet. I really love it.

Everyone has dreams, whether big or small, grandiose or reasonable. What are your dreams? What do you hope to accomplish five, ten, fifteen years down the road?

Tough question. So much Id love to achieve Id love to be doing what Im doing, but on a way bigger scale. Music, movies, books Using my platform to help other people along the way. And when Im older & my time in the spotlight is up, I wanna still keep writing, but mainly stay home & spend time with family. Id like to leave behind something great for them. Something that outlasts my future kids lives & even their kids. I hope!

The Six Essential (Quick) Questions:

Favorite food?

Way too much to list here. Fried chicken, Japanese, Italian, Greek Im the biggest foodie, you just dont know!

One thing people might not realize about you upon first meeting you?

That Im addicted to food (haha) :p

Favorite celebrity?

Will Smith.

Significant other?

Nothing serious right now. My music ;)

Guilty pleasure?

Movies + junk food. Man, I probably sound like a pig, huh (haha)? Please, dont be ridiculous.Im a college student; my diet consists of Cheetohs and instant noodles (just kidding . . . sort of).

Favorite TV show?

Old-school: Friends. New school: Entourage.

All of us here at CelebDirtyLaundry (including our readers) sincerely appreciate you taking the time to chat with us. We wish you the best of luck with your music career and other artistic endeavors! If youd like to tell people anything else wed love to help you tell them! Any last burning thoughts youd like to get off your chest?

Thanks so much for having me,its been a real pleasure :) Yeah, Id like to say thanks to everyone who supports me and my music, it means so much. Would love to keep in touch with you guys, so please come hang with me here:www.facebook.com/ BarrySouthgateOfficial . And last thing Whatever dream youve got, work really hard and just go for it! Much love ;) B

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I hope you all enjoyed the interview with Barry! Make sure to follow him on Twitter (I just did) as well as on Facebook.

Images courtesy of Barry Southgate


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