Black and Gold hit-maker Sam Sparro is a songwriter and producer whose funky music and weird fashion sense are making the world take note. Here’s more about him - PLUS click on Win for a chance to win his CD.
SPARRO FACTS
*He was born Sam Falson on 8 November 1982 in Sydney, Australia.
*He’s writing songs for Lindsay Lohan’s upcoming album, Spirit in the Dark.
*He started making music in his bedroom using a computer, a keyboard and a software program.
A MUSICAL FAMILY
His dad, Chris, is a gospel minister and recording artist and his grandfather Ron Falson is a well-known Australian jazz musician who once played with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jnr. “I played piano as a child and sang in the church choir but when I was a teenager I started programming and making electronic records. I’ve kind of always been in music,” Sam says.
THE BIG MOVE
His family moved to LA when he was 10. “My dad was signed to a label in Los Angeles so one day we all packed up our stuff and moved. It was really hard but after a while I started to think, ‘This is where I’m going to be a big star!’ ” he says.
SAM ON BEING GAY
“I’ve always thought, ‘This is me, I’m happy with myself,’ and so that’s what I’m here to project. So that gay teenagers don’t have to get the crap kicked out of them in school and think that they’re a horrible person,” he says. “I was really worried that my parents were going to disown me. But I should have known that they’re better than that. I’m close to both my parents and they’re really supportive.”
SAM’S HITS
His first hit single, Cottonmouth, was released in 2007 and Black and Gold hit the airwaves earlier this year when his debut self-titled album was released. The song made it to No 2 in the UK Singles Chart.
THE FUTURE
He’s working on an album set for release next year. “It’s going to be a bit darker with an electro/new wave sound. There will be some really funny pop/hip-hop/electronica things too.”
Hey YOU! and Universal Music are giving away 10 copies of Sam Sparro’s self-titled debut album. To stand a chance of winning, SMS the word GOLD, followed by your name, surname and street address to 34923 before 9 November. Each SMS costs R2.
