Ep 23: Peter Andre

A Journey Through Aussie Pop

Born in the UK, raised on the Gold Coast and discovered on Australian TV performing Bobby Brown songs, teenager Peter Andre was snapped up by Molly Meldrum for his record label, Melodian. After a couple of years' development, which included a songwriting trip to the UK to work with Phil Harding and Ian Curnow at PWL, the diehard Michael Jackson fan released his first single in 1992. But it was his second release, a cover of "Gimme Little Sign" that turned Peter into a star — and he recalls both his reluctance to record the track and his insistence that he show off his buff body in the music video. Further ARIA chart success continued as did support slots on high-profile Australian tours by Bobby Brown and Madonna, but with it came a backlash from certain quarters. Peter reveals the impact the negativity had on him and why he relocated to the UK to work on his second album. With tracks like "Mysterious Girl" and "Flava", Natural would be the album that would see his career take off in his homeland and allow him to achieve a long-held ambition to sell out Wembley Arena. In our candid interview, Peter also discusses why he left the industry after his US R&B-influenced third album, Time, and the comeback he never expected to have in the 2000s.

Bonus material at chartbeats.com.au/aussie
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