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THEZAPPING INTERVIEWS ROBERT O'CONNOR -

Mr O’Connor, thank you for taking the time to do this. Let’s start with the deep and meaningful questions – in between college, a return to rugby, writing pretty darn good pop songs and writing for several online publications, how do you manage to maintain such decent popstar hair??

You’re going to laugh, because in the past year or so I’ve only been to the hairdresser twice. I had it done a while ago at a place called Zoo in Dublin, which has won lots of awards and they chopped it, but I’ve returned to having messy rugger hair now. It’s very easy to style, I just use Hackett wax (Hackett, are you listening?) and sort of run my fingers through it until it looks, as you say, decent. My mummy cuts it for me these days.

Now going back to all those things – first of all, when did you start singing? And when did it become something more than you did in the shower?

Basically I was at stage school but they don’t teach you “how” to sing. There is no coaching on that. I think I was 17 or 18 when I decided I wanted to do it properly, so I went to a coach, that lasted a while, and now I just use those techniques that I learned from my lovely coach Hazel, because I can’t afford to go to her anymore!

Can you talk a little about your first single Spend The Night/Ten Years Time – why one original song and one (albeit fairly obscure) cover? And how does the sound of these two songs work in context of a whole album?

Well, I first recorded Ten Years Time as a demo before a gig in a few hours, and everyone was like “This is a damn good track”, and hardly anyone knew the original Gabrielle version so I sort of thought at that point that the song was perfect for me, I loved the lyric and the I wanted to make it my own stylistically.

I’m happy with the way it turned out. Also at that point I wasn’t writing lyrics and music and so it was all about finding a song that didn’t seem like a cover, because I don’t like that, but I wasn’t ready to write. Around two months later I got the writing bug, and haven’t stopped since.

The album is still a work in progress, I’ve done five tracks with Steve Hogan and my studio band in Dublin and I’ve done a track with another producer, which has a sort of R&B flavour to it. I’m trying to figure if I can merge the two styles together on one album and still have continuity - I don’t want it to be a mess. Spend The Night is like an introduction to the album, the new tracks I’ve done have brought the Soul element of that song to a higher level…that’s a result of listening to lots of Soul and Motown recently.

Are there any other covers you would like to do – either on record or in your live shows? Any really out there pop songs that you would like to transform into a Robert O’Connor classic?

There’s another quite obscure track called “Killin’ Kind” which I would love to record, it’s by a country singer called Shelby Lynne. I actually sang it at my launch in Dublin last year. Perhaps I’ll record it for a b-side someday.

What about musical influences? And how important do you think it is to evolve and grow when carving out a career in the music industry? I think it seems harder for the guys – Michael Jackson hasn’t really pulled it off, Prince has his moments, but Madonna and Kylie excel at it…

Yeah Prince went nuts, he’s great but he doesn’t constantly have the support of the general music-buying public in the way that Madonna does. He takes risks though, which is a good thing in my books. My musical influences…I love George Michael, I think his voice is phenomenal, it’s touching.

I’m loving Arcade Fire at the moment too, and my taste since I started recording has changed a lot, I like to hear real instruments on the albums I listen to, I think you can’t beat real drums, real piano, real brass. At the moment John Mayer is the artist I’m obsessed with. I always want to listen to his albums, and it’s very easy to not listen to anything else.

And Sia, a female singer who recorded a song called “Breathe Me” for the closing scene of Six Feet Under (the best show ever?!) and it’s beautiful, but it makes me sad every time.

Now you write a couple of columns for different publications. How did those come about and what can people expect from you when reading them?

I invented Sex & The Liffey as an exercise for myself, to prove that I could stick to a deadline and produce consistently good writing about a particular topic. I don’t know how that topic ended up being relationships (for the most part), but it’s something that I love to talk about and find interesting. The behaviours of people, the small things that happen in their day, the way relationships are constructed and deconstructed.

It’s fascinating for me. That column usually talks about an experience I’ve had, I write them pretty much off the cuff, there isn’t any planning to it. Planning writing terrifies me. There’s a lot of comparatives too. I have written a few columns for a music site, Lost In Limbo, I was invited to do that and I enjoy it a lot - I find I discuss artists struggles a lot, my writing is much of the time, about negative things that are happening. I don’t know why that is…

Would you like to take writing further? When your music career takes off, will the writing continue – and will it be more Carrie Bradshaw cool (Sex and the City) or Kerry Katona OK column stuff (don’t disappoint me here by going for the latter!)

I’d love to take writing further. Essentially that will happen regardless to which avenue I take career-wise, if I make it with my music then I’ll be writing songs and if it’s a writer I become, I’ll still be very much satisfied. I see myself working for a magazine, maybe music, maybe relationships, maybe something else. I do get the Carrie Bradshaw comment a lot though. I’d never go down the Kerry Katona route. No, that won’t be happening!

Can you see a novel in your future?

Yes.

And what would your autobiography be called?

Well lets just say I won’t be releasing a “My Story” biography after six months like Shayne Ward. That’s outrageous, in my opinion. What gives a singer who has released one album the warranty to write a life-story? If a biography ever happened, it would be a long way down the line, maybe in diary entry form, like “The Diaries of Robert O’Connor”, that could be interesting, depending on what I do between now and then!

I hear you spent St Patrick’s Day watching the rugby in the pub. I was watching Kyran Bracken win Dancing On Ice which is almost very nearly the same. Can you see yourself doing any reality TV in the future? What’s your opinion on things like that?

Yeah I was in the pub for basically the entire day, watching the last of the Six Nations games. I would consider reality TV, previously I said that I wouldn’t but I‘m getting more desperate day by day. I doubt I’d do Big Brother or I’m a Celebrity type shows but I’d definitely be into doing something like Newlyweds but I’m not willing to get married just for the TV coverage. Actually wait, now that I say it, I would be willing to do that if MTV were up for it.

How about X-Factor – never tempted by that route? And would you like to replace Louis as a judge? You couldn’t do a worse job to be honest ;)

No, I won’t do X-Factor. I love music, but am not up for being ridiculed by judges as a form of entertainment. I’d be happy to step in as a judge though!

Louis is just so agreeable on that show. I have spoken with him on a number of occasions and I think he’s a much more likeable person face-to-face, though he told me that I needed to get into a boy band, that as a solo artist, I wouldn’t go anywhere because male solo artists “aren’t getting any record deals”.

That year we had James Blunt, James Morrison, Daniel Powter, and several others. In short, Louis doesn’t have a clue if it’s not straight cut pop music with a key change in the third chorus.

Right, so me and you hit the town for a night out – what sort of thing can I expect?

Great! Well we’ll start out with some food. We’ll set up with dinner and wine, then we’ll go to a bar, and get into the heavy discussion. Afterwards we’ll go to a nice club and either relax with cocktails or dance the night away. The next morning (see what I did there?!), we’ll have coffee, muffins and ridiculous chat for a few hours before my day starts!

Rather randomly, what do you think the ultimate stag night prank would be?

What about telling the dude you’d slept with his wife-to-be, and that you just had to get it off your chest before the wedding? That would be pretty nasty wouldn’t it? I tend to wind people up like that a lot. Sometimes it happens without me even realising it.

Chat up lines – how do you work your mojo??

I have an automatic mojo! Haha! If I see someone I like at a bar I’ll approach them and usually find a talking point or if I’m really drunk I might say something corny like “I’m doing some research, I wonder if I could have five minutes of your time” and then get in there.

I’ve also had incidents where I’ve just kissed the person, and then said like “god, I love anonymity” and never spoken to the person again, but you always know when someone’s open to that kind of behaviour. It’s more the person who’s dancing seductively than the quiet one in the corner.

Biggest lie you’ve ever told to get out of something awkward?

Oh dear. I can’t say this can I? OK I’ve introduced people and given them fake identities with thoughtful details to disguise the fact that I’ve been caught chatting them up by a lover. That was the old Robert though! I’m a very, very good boy now.

Tell me something you have never told anyone else??

I love quality time alone! Being an only child I do very well with keeping myself amused.

Biggest guilty pleasure?

Sunday morning behaviour. Several papers, fresh coffee, Dido in the background.

Most undeserving act currently revelling in chart success?

Just Jack annoys the hell out of me. So does Lily Allen. There, I said it.

Best blog on the internet beginning with z?

I would imagine the Zapping. Yes, that would be the best blog beginning with Z.

OK, wrapping it up now young man… where do you see yourself in one years time??

Well I bloody hope something great happens. I want a new international publishing deal or a recording deal. Even “Indie” artists have major labels behind them now. Trying to compete is making me poor and tired.

Also it would be nice if my album was released, and sold in large quantities.

Thanks so much for your time – be sure to come back and see us again at thezap!

Thank you very much. It’s been real.

* Clearly Robert couldn't get enough of my scintillating interview styling so we hooked up again (in the journalistic sense of the word) and had a natter about some other stuff!! *

Extra questions loaded with cheese, tomato and added innuendo...

You sent me some pictures of you on holiday in Gran Canaria (a fave haunt of mine). Let’s talk about that for a bit – favourite bar there??

God I don’t even remember the names of the bars, but there was a cocktail bar that I really liked. I’m a big fan of anything that you can actually taste the liquor in. What’s the point otherwise?

Worst thing you ever did there?

I couldn’t possibly tell you. I’m a gentleman!

What on earth were you doing in the dunes? You do know they are quite famous for lewd acts don’t you? (er, someone told me about it, you understand!)

I was doing a George Michael. Except for I wasn’t with a male van driver.

If you don’t mind me saying, you have quite decent legs. Do you work out? Have a sport of choice?

Thanks, I think! I work out on and off when I have the time, I have good spells and bad spells, I’ve just started again though because I want to get properly fit, I’m hoping to get back to playing some rugby for a team this summer, so I can’t be half-fit. I run a lot though (internally, on the treadmill in my office at home!) so that keeps me full of energy. As for the sand dunes, well, I was doing research, as I like to say.

So rugby, writing and music? That’s quite a varied selection – how do you balance them all and still get to trawl the sand dunes in Gran Canaria?

Well I somehow manage to be very busy and still have time for everything in my life. I prefer it when I’m busy. After I finished modelling and before the single came out I had a very quiet period - it didn’t work for me, which is why this year is as it is. I set myself up!

Going back to some of the photos you let me have for this article – in the one above you are one of the few people who look quite decent in the morning after a hard night. Didn’t you do some modelling and acting at some point? Any future plans for it?

Morning photo? Anyway, yeah, I won a Fashion Print Male award at IMTA LA two years ago (the modesty!) I should have really taken it further then. I was young and stupid, to be honest, and the modelling end of things requires a strict lifestyle with a lot of dedication.

I would definitely be interested in doing some more photographic modelling, but that means finding new representation. I haven’t had much time with college, the recording of the album and everything else that I’ve taken on, but I believe I will get back to it at some point in the future. Same goes for acting, though I don’t have time to take any further training. If someone wanted me for a role, it would be a “take me as I am” situation!

What would you hate to happen if you were out on your own stag night? (i’m obsessed with stag nights lately as i didn’t get one!)

You really ought to have a belated stag night, otherwise I fear you may never let go. Oh, I don’t know, I’d hate it if the strippers cancelled.

Boxers or briefs?

Briefs for working out or sports and boxers for everything else…well, most everything!

Do you fill them well :P
Well I haven’t had any complaints. You’ll find out when I make my debut online video, which will happen soon if I don’t get attention from the record-buying public!

Are you an equal opportunities flirt? Can you seduce both sexes equally as well if there is a beer in it for you?
I believe the answer to that question is “Yes”. I’m a modern day man, and I’m very much into the art of seduction. Coming from an acting background, role-play and a bit of improvisation tend to fall into my reality sometimes, especially after a few pints.

I’d like to think you have flirted with me during this interview. What has been the highlight for you!

I most likely have. I must say you’re questions have been a lot more entertaining than any interviews I’ve done so far, where it’s all taken from my press release - that was the highlight for me. I also find it quite comical that everything is On The Record.

Well thank you very much Mr OC for your time, flirtatiousness and general amazingosity. I look forward to stalking you for my belated stag night :)

Robert O'Connor's debut single "Spend The Night"/"Ten Years Time" is out now on iTunes, Matchbox Recordings, HMV and all major online outlets. And you can vote for it here! Do it! You know you want to!