1 00:00:02,200 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: I was the page turner for twenty years. I've actually 2 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:10,119 Speaker 1: been on TV more than any of those performers. 3 00:00:10,400 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 2: You like the ball Boy of Christmas exactly exactly from 4 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:25,080 Speaker 2: The Australian. This is the weekend edition of The Front. 5 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 2: I'm Claire Harvey. Melbourne born, LA based musician Ben Abraham 6 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,199 Speaker 2: is one of our most talented musical exports. He co 7 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:38,919 Speaker 2: wrote one of the biggest songs of the past decade 8 00:00:39,280 --> 00:00:42,839 Speaker 2: and performed it at the Grammys. Inside the music business, 9 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 2: he's absolutely huge. Ben is cool Christmas concerts famously. I'm not, 10 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 2: but Ben Abraham has made Christmas concerts his signature move, 11 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 2: rapping every year with an expression of pure joy before 12 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 2: sellout crowds, often starring his famous musical mates. Ben started 13 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 2: the Christmas Gigs in Melbourne fifteen years ago. This year 14 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:11,520 Speaker 2: he'll bring his message of community, hope and faith to 15 00:01:11,640 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 2: New York, LA Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide. 16 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:28,160 Speaker 3: I don't know how not to be obsessed with you. 17 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 3: Every trainer I thought, I'm just ends with you. I 18 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:38,400 Speaker 3: try to redirect my mind to something new. 19 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,960 Speaker 2: Ben Abraham can really sing and he can really write. 20 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 3: But I've never been better and I'm in love with 21 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 3: the person that I'm becoming, that I'm more insecure than ever. 22 00:01:56,280 --> 00:02:00,760 Speaker 2: In twenty seventeen, Ben Co wrote for American Superstar a 23 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 2: mega hit, Praying, and then performed it with her at 24 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:11,080 Speaker 2: the Grammys alongside Cyndi Lauper and Camilla Kabeo. This song, 25 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 2: which became a me too anthem, helped reshape kesher as 26 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 2: a serious artist with something big to say. 27 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 3: I hope your summer worth. 28 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 2: Ben's talent is undeniable, but like so many artists, the 29 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:31,000 Speaker 2: beginning was pure grind. 30 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: I came up in music at a time when the 31 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 1: only pathway was Triple J on Earthed and engaging with 32 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: that machine and the kind of music that I wanted 33 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:43,640 Speaker 1: to write. The artist that I looked up to, the 34 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: big singer songwriters James Taylor, Elton, John Carrol King and 35 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: then animal contemporary artists like Sarah burrellis very American singer 36 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: songwriter types. They weren't part of that ecosystem, you know. 37 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: Triple J was like cool indie bands, white people largely, 38 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:02,840 Speaker 1: and so I just I found that the only way 39 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: I was able to do things was to do it myself, 40 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,720 Speaker 1: play shows in venues that didn't typically have music. I 41 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: remember doing gigs in places that people would be like, 42 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 1: why are you playing there? And I was like, because 43 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: no other venue would let me play, like this is 44 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 1: the only venue I could get and because I built 45 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: it like that, I would get big audiences. But nobody 46 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 1: in the Australian music industry kind of cared about what 47 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 1: I was doing because I didn't check off any of 48 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 1: the kind of boxes that you're supposed to check off 49 00:03:27,600 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 1: to say, oh, now he's had a song on like 50 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: Triple J on Earth and now we can invite him 51 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:33,799 Speaker 1: to this festival. And so I'd watch my friends get 52 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: all the invitations to the things. I would get more 53 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: people at my shows, but wasn't getting invited to anything 54 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,560 Speaker 1: because everyone was like, who hell was this guy. It 55 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: wasn't until my music got sent to some managers in 56 00:03:45,440 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 1: America and they heard what I was doing and I'm like, 57 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: this is great, come over here. So I went over 58 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: there and that's when I signed to Secretly Canadian, which was, 59 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:57,480 Speaker 1: you know, the cool indie. I was cool for a minute. 60 00:03:57,880 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 2: It's such a cool name for a label as well. 61 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 2: Love it you were Secretly Australian. 62 00:04:03,680 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 3: Good, what have. 63 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:17,200 Speaker 2: This song? This is on Me is from Ben's album Sirens. 64 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:21,359 Speaker 2: It features his friend Sarah Burrellis. Though Ben had a 65 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 2: three album deal with Secretly Canadian, albums two and three 66 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,359 Speaker 2: weren't to be, but not because he got dropped. 67 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:32,600 Speaker 1: I was on Secretly Canadian and I had started writing 68 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,720 Speaker 1: songs for other people and they were looking for songs 69 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: for Kelly Clarks And the president of Atlantic Records, who 70 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:41,599 Speaker 1: was A and R and Kelly's record heard two of 71 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:43,800 Speaker 1: my demos and then asked for a meeting with me. 72 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: And I remember sitting in his office and he was like, 73 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: why are you on this cool little indie label. You 74 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: should be on like a major record label. You know, 75 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 1: I grew up in the nineties, so you hear the 76 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: president of a major label tell you that, you're like, 77 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:57,080 Speaker 1: give me all the money, let's go. 78 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:07,919 Speaker 2: That was friendly Fire a friendly Player. Friendly Fire was 79 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:10,839 Speaker 2: released in twenty twenty two. If there was ever a 80 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:14,159 Speaker 2: moment Ben made it, this was it. The album was 81 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:18,160 Speaker 2: recorded at the legendary Barefoot Studios in Hollywood, where Stevie 82 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:21,280 Speaker 2: Wonder worked on his famous album Songs in the Key 83 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 2: of Life. Ben prioritized using live musicians overprogramming to achieve 84 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 2: a classic sound, with Atlantic footing the bill. Shortly before 85 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,640 Speaker 2: the album was released, Ben took to Instagram to open 86 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:37,719 Speaker 2: up on the themes he was exploring on Friendly Fire, 87 00:05:38,279 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 2: sexuality and spirituality, and his own identity. Ben's described himself 88 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,920 Speaker 2: as a church going Jesus guy and a queer person. 89 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: My album was scheduled to come out in May. You know, 90 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 1: I remember the meeting showing everyone at Atlantic Records the 91 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,520 Speaker 1: album and end of January, and they were all like, 92 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:04,480 Speaker 1: this is amazing. We're so excited about this project. They 93 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 1: were going to fly me to this big conference in 94 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:08,880 Speaker 1: Miami to play the music for the heads of Warner 95 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: Music and all. It was just, you know, it was 96 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:13,720 Speaker 1: the kind of the dream story. And then of course 97 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,560 Speaker 1: the pandemic happened and the album didn't come out for. 98 00:06:16,480 --> 00:06:20,240 Speaker 2: Two years, and then Atlantic dropped you what happened there? 99 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,119 Speaker 1: Obviously I want to blame everyone but myself. I both 100 00:06:24,160 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 1: believe that, like good music finds its own way, and 101 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:29,039 Speaker 1: I think I was the casualty of the pandemic. 102 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 2: You've had two strands to your work. Of course, you 103 00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:35,159 Speaker 2: are a performer yourself, and you're also a songwriter with 104 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:40,039 Speaker 2: immense success like songs that are absolutely huge. Have you 105 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 2: found more satisfaction in one of those than the other, 106 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 2: or do you like doing both of them side by side. 107 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: You know, for years I would have said I don't 108 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,120 Speaker 1: want to be a songwriter. I want to perform and 109 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: write my own songs. I think now that I'm back 110 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:59,040 Speaker 1: to being an independent artist, and I have had the 111 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:00,880 Speaker 1: experience of feeling a little bit of the sort of 112 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: ground fallout from under me, I realize that I'm pretty 113 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:07,600 Speaker 1: lucky to be able to do any of it. To 114 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 1: be honest, I think now, if anything, I'm just trying 115 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 1: to find the joy of making music, and if I 116 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: can get paid for it, then great. I just want 117 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:17,560 Speaker 1: to make good music with people that I really like, 118 00:07:17,920 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: and I don't care if it's if I'm the one 119 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:20,800 Speaker 1: singing it or if I'm the one writing it. 120 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 2: Well, what does it feel like to look at a 121 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:26,400 Speaker 2: song that you've written or co written, like Praying with Kesher, 122 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 2: and see it having tens and tens of millions of 123 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 2: views on YouTube alone? You know that's the only interaction 124 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 2: millions of people have ever had with your work or 125 00:07:36,880 --> 00:07:39,760 Speaker 2: will ever have with your work, And you know it 126 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 2: may may not be emblematic of everything that you've done. 127 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 2: What's that feeling? 128 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: Like, Well, it's two things. One, you're very proud of 129 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:51,120 Speaker 1: the fact that you helped somebody. You know, I helped 130 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 1: Kesha get quite a big hit at a pretty important 131 00:07:54,280 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: moment of her life. So there's the pride and the 132 00:07:56,840 --> 00:08:00,400 Speaker 1: excitement to just be involved. And then, as the art artists, 133 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: there's the other side of it. I do sometimes get 134 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 1: baffled by, like how have I been able to give 135 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:11,120 Speaker 1: other artists these huge hits? And what's happened with my stuff? 136 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: Like why did I give Ben Platte a song that 137 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: has you know, one hundred and thirty million streams? And 138 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: why can't I get twenty million on any of mine? 139 00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:22,320 Speaker 1: It's baffling, and it's a source of pride. It's you know, 140 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:23,720 Speaker 1: it's complicated. 141 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 3: Yourself a little. Christmas. 142 00:08:34,679 --> 00:08:37,199 Speaker 2: You talked about the joy before of making music, and 143 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:40,000 Speaker 2: that's a word that people associate with your Christmas concerts, 144 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 2: which I haven't seen, but which I gather are very joyful. 145 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:45,679 Speaker 2: What's your relationship with Christmas? 146 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:49,560 Speaker 1: I so a lot of people wouldn't know this, but 147 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 1: I was the page turner for John Foreman at the 148 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:58,679 Speaker 1: Melbourne Carols. I did it for twenty years. So if 149 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 1: you look at actually been on TV more than any 150 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:05,080 Speaker 1: of those performers, you just have to know where to 151 00:09:05,120 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 1: look for me. 152 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 2: You're like the bull boy of Christmas exactly Exactly. 153 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: What I find fascinating about that program and that event 154 00:09:13,520 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 1: is that you literally sing the same songs every year. 155 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,319 Speaker 1: You just kind of rotate who sings what. But what 156 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:22,719 Speaker 1: ultimately it becomes about is just the community and the 157 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: kind of everybody loves to like watch it, either to 158 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:27,200 Speaker 1: celebrate it or kind of hate watch it. However it 159 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: is that they engage with it, like it just becomes 160 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: this son of cultural centerpiece. And what I've learned over 161 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:33,600 Speaker 1: the years, and I've been doing it this year will 162 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:37,120 Speaker 1: be the fifteenth year in Melbourne, It's about more than 163 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:39,160 Speaker 1: just the music. What I love about it is that 164 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 1: it is actually about the joy. And I've really felt 165 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:44,319 Speaker 1: this acutely this year. No one's trying to be cool, 166 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 1: no one's trying to impress you. We're going to play 167 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:48,920 Speaker 1: some Christmas music and everyone in the room is just 168 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:50,000 Speaker 1: going to have a great time. 169 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 2: You had a childhood in the church, and obviously a 170 00:09:53,400 --> 00:09:57,520 Speaker 2: relationship with songs of faith and Christmas has this double meaning, 171 00:09:57,559 --> 00:10:00,160 Speaker 2: doesn't it. It's the great Christian festival, and yet it's 172 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:05,199 Speaker 2: also a secular celebration of love and family and commerce 173 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:10,280 Speaker 2: and togetherness. And in Australia summer and the holidays. How 174 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 2: do you perceive Christmas in amongst all of those things? 175 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:15,440 Speaker 2: Does it he a religious meaning for you? 176 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,400 Speaker 1: I really have come to just associate it with the 177 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:21,560 Speaker 1: communal feeling of like getting together to celebrate the year, 178 00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 1: Which is not to say that I don't still have 179 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,200 Speaker 1: religious kind of importance. So I just for me as 180 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,000 Speaker 1: a person of faith, the story of Christmas is kind 181 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: of relevant all year. So then this particular focus at 182 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: this time of year is about the community, the music, 183 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:37,319 Speaker 1: the kind of season changing. I mean, I just played 184 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:39,319 Speaker 1: in New York. There's a lot of Jewish people in 185 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:42,439 Speaker 1: the room, Like I'm pretty sure they're not seeing the 186 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: Christmas carols the same way that we are. But it's 187 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: not about that. It's just about the kind of joy 188 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:49,319 Speaker 1: and the season I suppose. 189 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 2: After the break Christmas music from the cheesy to the 190 00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:17,280 Speaker 2: slightly creepy. Do you have a favorite carol, whether or 191 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:19,319 Speaker 2: not it's something that you perform at these shows or 192 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 2: you have someone else before I do. 193 00:11:20,920 --> 00:11:23,520 Speaker 1: My favorite Carol to sing along with is the first Noel. 194 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:25,719 Speaker 1: I don't know why, just melodically, I've always loved it. 195 00:11:26,200 --> 00:11:31,439 Speaker 1: My favorite Carol to sing and listen to is Acome 196 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:33,920 Speaker 1: a Manual. It's apparently like a thousand year old Carol. 197 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:36,839 Speaker 1: This has very beautiful harmonies and it's my favorite one 198 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: to perform. And then I also I just love the 199 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,199 Speaker 1: Christmas songs that were written in the forties and fifties. 200 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,400 Speaker 1: You know, have yourself a very little Christmas silver bells. 201 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:47,520 Speaker 1: I feel like, if I'm ever trying to write original 202 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:50,520 Speaker 1: Christmas music, I'm sort of chasing that version of it. 203 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:53,800 Speaker 2: Do you ever do Baby? It's cold outside? It's got 204 00:11:53,800 --> 00:11:56,320 Speaker 2: a kind of creepy overtimes that one years ago. 205 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,199 Speaker 1: When I was an idiot and a lot younger I wrote. 206 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 1: I added a verse which was basically just explicitly calling 207 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:04,360 Speaker 1: out the kind of undertones of the lyrics and the 208 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: girl basically being like, okay, no, let me go. 209 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 2: This is date Raphael exactly exactly. Have you got special 210 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 2: guests at your Australian shows this year? 211 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:18,120 Speaker 1: Yeah? The list of guest changes every year, and I 212 00:12:18,160 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 1: don't usually announce who they are ahead of time, just 213 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 1: because I sort of want people to just come for 214 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:25,000 Speaker 1: the nights, not to come for the guests. But in 215 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: the past I've had Gortier has done it, Vance Joy's 216 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,800 Speaker 1: done at Missus Higgins has done it. So this year 217 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:32,720 Speaker 1: I've got some fun guests. I have a comedian coming 218 00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:34,079 Speaker 1: to Sydney, which is fun. 219 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:39,320 Speaker 2: Cool something that I think people who perhaps grow up 220 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 2: in a religious household or go to a church school, 221 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:45,520 Speaker 2: they grow up and they don't necessarily have any faith themselves, 222 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:47,959 Speaker 2: but they still love Christmas and they still love Easter, 223 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,600 Speaker 2: and I think sometimes they can feel a bit weird about, say, 224 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:55,240 Speaker 2: going to a church or singing the songs, or even 225 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:58,280 Speaker 2: feeling anything about those kinds of festivals if they don't 226 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:02,760 Speaker 2: believe in the Holy Spirit and you know, the Resurrection, 227 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 2: what's your perspective on that? Do you have to believe 228 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:07,760 Speaker 2: in any of that for it to be relevant. 229 00:13:08,040 --> 00:13:11,240 Speaker 1: I'm sure that most of my audience don't necessarily believe anything, 230 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 1: but I'm also not shy about allowing them a window 231 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:17,520 Speaker 1: into what I believe, and so I do sing some 232 00:13:17,559 --> 00:13:20,079 Speaker 1: of the religious carols or I sing you know, the 233 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: album that I put out, Friendly Fire, deals with a 234 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:23,960 Speaker 1: lot of religious themes, and I've sing a couple of 235 00:13:23,960 --> 00:13:26,640 Speaker 1: those songs at my Christmas shows, and I'm not shy 236 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:29,800 Speaker 1: about telling them, Look, you're stepping into my space. This 237 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:32,040 Speaker 1: is at something that's very important to me, and I'm 238 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 1: not shy about letting them see me sing a song 239 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 1: like Oh Come Emmanuel, and there is I think for me, 240 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:41,840 Speaker 1: there is a spiritual engagement with that song, and I'm 241 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:44,680 Speaker 1: quite happy for people to see that, but I'm certainly 242 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:47,000 Speaker 1: not expecting them to like participate in it the same 243 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:48,680 Speaker 1: way that I'm doing it. But I think it's nice 244 00:13:48,720 --> 00:13:51,800 Speaker 1: for people to see people of faith engage with their 245 00:13:51,800 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 1: faith in an authentic, honest way. 246 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:58,040 Speaker 2: Yeah. One of the things about your Christmas show is 247 00:13:58,040 --> 00:13:59,959 Speaker 2: that you know, they're live concerts that you have to 248 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 2: go to to enjoy. One of the challenges for the 249 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 2: music industry at the moment is that people are very 250 00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:07,360 Speaker 2: comfortable in their homes. You know, we can all have 251 00:14:07,400 --> 00:14:10,040 Speaker 2: a great listening and watching experience at home without having 252 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:13,080 Speaker 2: to do anything or really spend much money, and that's 253 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 2: created such a difficult environment for artists. What do you 254 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 2: see as the future of live performance. Do you have 255 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:23,280 Speaker 2: hope that you're going to still be able to do 256 00:14:23,360 --> 00:14:26,720 Speaker 2: this in ten or twenty or fifty years. 257 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: That question and the anxiety around it is part of 258 00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: what really drove me to want to do the Christmas 259 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: shows this year. When I look at what's happening with 260 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 1: AI and some of the political tensions and the kind 261 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 1: of divide and the country's climate post Charlie Kirk and 262 00:14:45,320 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: some of the things that have been happening, I just 263 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 1: look at how scary and detached from each other the 264 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 1: world is becoming. And actually live music has maybe never 265 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 1: been more important. I don't know what the future of 266 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:00,840 Speaker 1: that is, but I know that certainly if you come 267 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:04,520 Speaker 1: to my Christmas shows, which are about community, are about 268 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,080 Speaker 1: kind of sing alongs and joining with other people and 269 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:10,160 Speaker 1: like making friends with people in the room and stuff, 270 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:13,480 Speaker 1: I think that stuff is going to become more and 271 00:15:13,520 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 1: more important. Look, whether you like my music or not, 272 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:18,120 Speaker 1: you can listen to it, you know, at home, if 273 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,360 Speaker 1: you want, in your headphones, But coming to a Christmas 274 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 1: show or coming to a live show is different. And 275 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:28,280 Speaker 1: I think artists, as we go forward into the kind 276 00:15:28,280 --> 00:15:30,880 Speaker 1: of new age of whatever artificial intelligence is going to be, 277 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 1: need to realize that we are holding space for a 278 00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:37,000 Speaker 1: room full of people and that that can't be replaced 279 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 1: by computers. So yeah, I'm hopeful. I don't know what's 280 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 1: going to happen in the next couple of years. I 281 00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: think we're about to see some huge changes, but I'm 282 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 1: pretty confident to say that I'm going to keep being here, 283 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 1: playing live in a room, inviting anyone to come and 284 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 1: join me if they want. 285 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 2: You can catch Ben Abraham's Christmas Special this month in 286 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 2: Sydney at the Metro on the sixteenth, Brisbane on the twentieth, 287 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:10,080 Speaker 2: and Adelaide on the twenty second. Melbourne's Forum Theater. Show 288 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:13,480 Speaker 2: has sold out. This episode of The Front was hosted 289 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,520 Speaker 2: by me Claire Harvey and co produced with Jasper Leek. 290 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 2: Thanks for joining us on the Front this week. Our 291 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:23,560 Speaker 2: team also includes Kristin Amiot Leat, Tammaglue, Tiffany Dimack, Joshua 292 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 2: Burton and Stephanie Coombs.