WEBVTT - Music: Pedro Barbosa

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<v Speaker 1>So my final guest this afternoon is a musical force

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<v Speaker 1>with roots in Mozambique and rhythm in his soul. Pedro

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<v Speaker 1>Barboso is a singer, songwriter, a guitarist, and a music

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<v Speaker 1>entrepreneur who's been lighting up stages from Pretoria to Los Angeles.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm told whether you know him from his early days

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<v Speaker 1>with the Fake Leather Blues Band or more recently as

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<v Speaker 1>a solo artist and collaborator. Pedro's unique sounds blend African soul, gospel,

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<v Speaker 1>warmth and heartfelt lyrics across three languages, Portuguese, Spanish and English.

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<v Speaker 1>I've spoken to Pedro before on my show. My first

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<v Speaker 1>time chatting to him this afternoon. Pedro, good to chat

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<v Speaker 1>to you again. I'm very well. I'm very well. Indeed,

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<v Speaker 1>listen that give our listeners a bit of a bit

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<v Speaker 1>of a background to you. Your love for music goes

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<v Speaker 1>back many, many years. Talk to us about some of

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<v Speaker 1>your sort of early musical memories, your early musical inspirations.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, my early music memories. I remember my first big

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<v Speaker 2>show when I was I think I was seventeen years old,

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<v Speaker 2>with a second time going on stage, and we played

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<v Speaker 2>for about six six thousand people. And I was so nervous. Man,

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<v Speaker 2>I was so scared of of of all this crowd,

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<v Speaker 2>and people just kept going like that guy, can you sing? Fact,

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<v Speaker 2>like they're giving me all this this like you know,

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, you're just get even more nervous about this.

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<v Speaker 2>And my guitarist, who was ten years older than me,

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<v Speaker 2>told me, Petro, just just play. I'm doing a sound

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<v Speaker 2>check to it. What do you means, like, just just

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<v Speaker 2>just sing? Just sing any Brian Adams And this is

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<v Speaker 2>a Mozambique and he obviously had a lot more experience

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<v Speaker 2>than me, and he knew that Mozambacas loved Brian Adams

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<v Speaker 2>at that stage. So and my voice being slightly husky,

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<v Speaker 2>I do this and then at like two minutes and

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<v Speaker 2>then this guy goes, oh, but that I can sing,

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<v Speaker 2>and all of a sudden I have the crowd and

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<v Speaker 2>I was like, oh, thank god, whatever, wow wow. So

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<v Speaker 2>that was like one of the first remember actually, and

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<v Speaker 2>it always stuck with me like like you have this

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<v Speaker 2>this assumption of you, but you know what, you don't

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<v Speaker 2>judge your book ever kind of thing. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, And I mean you mentioned you mentioned Brian Adams,

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<v Speaker 1>but your own that the artists that that inspiration inspired

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<v Speaker 1>you and informed perhaps your your earliest musical memories. What

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<v Speaker 1>what were you listening to? What? What did you grow

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<v Speaker 1>up on? What were your parents listening to? Rather, it's

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<v Speaker 1>a terrible line with Pedro and we've we've just lost him.

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<v Speaker 1>We're going to get him back. We're chatting to Pedro

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<v Speaker 1>Valbosa sing a songwriter, guitarist and music entrepreneur. He's going

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<v Speaker 1>to be joining us back in just a second. We're

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<v Speaker 1>struggling to keep that line clear. We're also going to

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<v Speaker 1>hear one of his latest tracks in just a second,

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<v Speaker 1>called We Are the Light. He's back on now, Pedro,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm so sorry we lost you. Just for a second.

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<v Speaker 1>I was asking what was the what was the music

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<v Speaker 1>in your house growing up? What did your folks listen to?

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<v Speaker 2>So it was it was a huge variety. Was from

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<v Speaker 2>Don Jolvi, Michael Bolton, Queen, Brian Adams. Really, I was

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<v Speaker 2>very Johnny Klick. There was a lot of there was

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<v Speaker 2>no limitations that that was the last thing. I think

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<v Speaker 2>That's why I'm so versatile and the music that I

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<v Speaker 2>do was because of that. Actually, what was the.

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<v Speaker 1>Point at which I mean, was it prior to that

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<v Speaker 1>moment on stage where you're having to do your best

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<v Speaker 1>Brian Adams suppression or what was the moment where you thought,

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<v Speaker 1>this is what I want to do for a living,

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<v Speaker 1>this is how I want to spend my time.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, that was much later at that point. I actually

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<v Speaker 2>I studied. So I studied. I did six months of

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<v Speaker 2>pharmacy and just over a year of marine biology because

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<v Speaker 2>I thought there was no money in music. And my

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<v Speaker 2>parents did tell me I should go study music, and

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<v Speaker 2>I said, no, I don't think there's any money in music.

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<v Speaker 2>And yeah, and then so only when I was twenty

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<v Speaker 2>years old, nineteen twenty that I realized okay, now they

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<v Speaker 2>were right. They were obviously not happy with me about it.

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<v Speaker 1>But you know, and what was that fara into me

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<v Speaker 1>when you decide, okay, this is what I want to

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<v Speaker 1>do and this is how I'm going to make money.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, you know, you speak to a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>kind of younger artists today, and I wonder if it's

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<v Speaker 1>the kind of the reality TV generation where they think

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<v Speaker 1>that you go from you know, singing singing at the

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<v Speaker 1>school concert to be to winning American Idol. What what

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<v Speaker 1>was your what did you envisage your career would look like?

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<v Speaker 1>Did you have any idea what it might look like.

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<v Speaker 1>Did you think I could be a session musician, or

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<v Speaker 1>I could be a front man or what? What? What

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<v Speaker 1>was in your mind?

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<v Speaker 2>I don't think at that stage I had any any plans.

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<v Speaker 2>I kind of just I went to study. I came

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<v Speaker 2>to that's when I'm with South Africa. I came here

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<v Speaker 2>to study, and then I went to the States. And

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<v Speaker 2>the States was was a big knock was on my

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<v Speaker 2>reality in terms of music, and I realized how small

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<v Speaker 2>hours and how well I'm not small, I'm big, but

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<v Speaker 2>you know what I mean, side and and and it

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<v Speaker 2>kind of like it was a big step in the

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<v Speaker 2>face and it was a readjustment for me where I realized, Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>I need to work hard. I'm not as good as

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<v Speaker 2>you know. You kind of have unique confidence as a musician,

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<v Speaker 2>and I think I had it, but I also had

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of self criticism that that didn't help, and

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<v Speaker 2>and I wasn't as good as I thought I was.

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<v Speaker 2>And so when I came back from the stat that

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<v Speaker 2>I worked really hard. I wrote a song every day

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<v Speaker 2>to practice myself writing. For a year. I had practiced that,

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<v Speaker 2>and then I went into like joining join, joined, the

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<v Speaker 2>band and started getting more into the live shows because

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<v Speaker 2>I hadn't played much live music prior to that while

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<v Speaker 2>I was studying stuff so.

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<v Speaker 1>So interesting to me.

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<v Speaker 2>You know.

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<v Speaker 1>I spoke to another South African artist a couple of

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<v Speaker 1>years ago, Keana Harker, who he was on the Voice,

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<v Speaker 1>and he's he's a huge talent, done here, and he

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<v Speaker 1>had gone he went to go on the cruise ships.

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<v Speaker 1>He went to go and perform on cruise ships. And

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<v Speaker 1>I said, you know, what did you learn from that?

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<v Speaker 1>And he said, exactly as you've just said, I wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>as good as I thought I was. And I just thought,

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<v Speaker 1>what a remarkable, a hugely humbling thing to say, first

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<v Speaker 1>of all, but secondly, he took that information and he

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<v Speaker 1>didn't say it in a bitter way. He said it

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<v Speaker 1>in a kind of and I need to get better,

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<v Speaker 1>which is exactly what you just said. You plowed that

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<v Speaker 1>that kind of realization of you know, I'm talented, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>but I need to work harder and plow that into

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<v Speaker 1>something else. What did that give you? Having that humility,

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<v Speaker 1>which I think is really and then pushing you. Has

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<v Speaker 1>that has that kind of followed you through your career

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<v Speaker 1>in terms of the constant need to be improving and

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<v Speaker 1>working on your talent percent.

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<v Speaker 2>I think it's a very constant. It's a very normal

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<v Speaker 2>thing to stagnate, and I have stagnated quite a few times.

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<v Speaker 2>And you also sometimes get stuck in that, especially in

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<v Speaker 2>the kind of thing that I do. I play a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of the restaurant scenes and stuff. You stagnate a

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<v Speaker 2>lot and you have to re evaluate every every now

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<v Speaker 2>and because you start getting bored with and you're not

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<v Speaker 2>happy with the gigs, and you know, because it becomes work, right,

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<v Speaker 2>that's the reality of it. Yeah, I mean back to COVID,

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<v Speaker 2>I was doing twenty to twenty four shows a month

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<v Speaker 2>to make a living, and it's a lot of gigging.

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<v Speaker 2>So it's start being on stage and like, I really

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<v Speaker 2>don't want to do this, and it shouldn't be because

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<v Speaker 2>you've got to go back and reflect to on why

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<v Speaker 2>you're there and everything else. So that in those moments

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<v Speaker 2>is when you readjust and go Okay, I'll learn new

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<v Speaker 2>songs to give me inspiration again to be more by

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<v Speaker 2>being stage, or I'll go practice something new, or I'll

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<v Speaker 2>start a new band, or I'll write a new song.

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<v Speaker 2>You need to kind of and always innovate yourself and

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<v Speaker 2>keep yourself excited about about it, Otherwise it just dies out.

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<v Speaker 2>And and it is a constant thing that happens. I

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<v Speaker 2>think every year I go through it and I need

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<v Speaker 2>to do something new to trying. And the getting better

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<v Speaker 2>thing is I know. I mean, I'm forty five years

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<v Speaker 2>old and if I was really that great, I would

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<v Speaker 2>have achieved something by now. So I have no problem

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<v Speaker 2>saying that I am not as great as a Britney Spears.

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<v Speaker 2>And I proudly say it. It's not an issue to

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<v Speaker 2>to not be that great, you.

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<v Speaker 1>Know, I'm such as that is such an interstorry to intro.

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<v Speaker 1>That is such an interesting thing that you say there, Pedro,

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<v Speaker 1>and I vehemently disagree with with the greatest of respect

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<v Speaker 1>that there are. There's just not enough parallels to draw

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<v Speaker 1>between you in a Britney Spears. It's it's it's it's

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<v Speaker 1>like comparing apples and oranges. And I also am a

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<v Speaker 1>firm believer in you know, I'm a firm believer in

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<v Speaker 1>that in that luck has an awful lot to do

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<v Speaker 1>with success as well. I firmly believe that the best song,

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<v Speaker 1>the best book, the best movie to ever be written,

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<v Speaker 1>has yet to be made, and it's probably buried in

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<v Speaker 1>a little village somewhere, or I truly believe that it's I.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think that, I because because also I look

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<v Speaker 1>at some of the nonsense that's out there, and maybe

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<v Speaker 1>not to call somebody else's creative endeavor nonsense, but I

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<v Speaker 1>think I kind of think, well, that's you know, that

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<v Speaker 1>didn't blow my socks off. And yet I can go

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<v Speaker 1>and hear somebody playing, you know, sitting and doing an

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<v Speaker 1>acoustic set busking at the VNA waterfront, and they bring

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<v Speaker 1>me to tears, and I think, how is that possible

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<v Speaker 1>that that person hasn't reached a million people? And it's

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<v Speaker 1>because opportunity hasn't yet met them. So I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>if I agree with that. I want to talk very

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<v Speaker 1>briefly because I want to listen to the song about

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<v Speaker 1>the Star in You, which is your latest EP. Is

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<v Speaker 1>that a collection of things that you've written over the years.

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<v Speaker 1>Did you write specifically for the EP?

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<v Speaker 2>So? I actually it was a combination of like eighties

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<v Speaker 2>kind of inspired kind of tunes. That was what the

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<v Speaker 2>idea was for for for the story in New There's

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<v Speaker 2>one song that got nothing to do with the actor.

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<v Speaker 2>But that was a trading post. That was actually something

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<v Speaker 2>else because I I invested into a restaurant. I'm sorry

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<v Speaker 2>short and I wrote a song about it. But the

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<v Speaker 2>rest was was was yeah, it was just the eighties

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<v Speaker 2>kind of thing it was. It wasn't specifically written for

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<v Speaker 2>the EP. I just put them together for that because

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<v Speaker 2>I've got this concept of releasing a couple of EPs

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<v Speaker 2>on different styles of music that like, so I'm busy

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<v Speaker 2>now with the African one, and then there's like an

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<v Speaker 2>indie folk one that's going to come out soon as well.

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<v Speaker 2>So I've got these four or five tracks that are

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<v Speaker 2>coming out in different EPs, and that was the first one.

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<v Speaker 1>We are going to play one of the tracks from

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<v Speaker 1>that EP. It's called We Are Late. It's lovely to

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<v Speaker 1>chat to you again, Pedro, thanks very much indeed for

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<v Speaker 1>your time. I'm really looking forward to our audience hearing this.

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<v Speaker 1>It is Pedro Barbosa, available to stream on all of

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<v Speaker 1>your digital platforms. We Are Light