A Quick Chat with Adam Noviello

How have things been since your stint with Jesus Christ Superstar and Hedwig and the Angry Inch?
Things have been fierce AF if I'm honest! Since we wrapped up the Australian tour of Hedwig, I have released my brand new single Ballet Boy, which is being received so beautifully, and launched a new show called House Of Rot: Grey Gardens which is touring next year. It's also been so nice to just be home after a year of a busy touring schedule.

What did you learn from these roles?
What Hedwig & The Angry Inch especially gifted me was the first moment my career as a pop artist and songwriter collided with my career as an actor. The role was offered to me because the director had been following me since my first single came out. My own history, the way my voice sings, the way my body performs were the reasons I landed the role! It was the first time in my career I was being asked to bring myself to a part, rather than being asked to change and transform. Hedwig tells the story of a genderqueer musician reclaiming her identity and narrative after her protégé and lover steals her music and abandons her. It’s deeply complex and deeply queer, and requires any actor who tells the story to bring a sense of authenticity and individualism to it.

How has that impacted your music?
Thanks to that role I truly feel more empowered than ever. Within myself, and also the kind of music I want to make. I feel an even deeper sense of the kinds of stories I want to tell and how candidly I want to tell them. I also think that show unlocked parts of my voice that I didn't even realise were dormant. It's an exciting time!

Can you tell us a bit about this new release, what is the track about?
Ballet Boy is the story of my fleeting romance with a pro ballet dancer. We met a few years ago and had a “beautiful fling” (not me quoting my own lyrics!), and then some time after that we reconnected and fell back into each other again. However, by then he had landed an indefinite overseas contract — the contract of his dreams. So, sadly, the timing for us was just never right, and just like that, he was gone. But as much melancholy as there is in the story, and within the song, it's also a song of choice and of hope. For me, choosing to love and lose is always better than not loving at all. And now we have this gorgeous dance pop song to represent that time. Fun fact! He and I are still friends and he loves the song!

Who did you work with for this one?
I reunited with Sam Huybregts for this song! We previously worked together on our collab track RECIPE. I love writing with Sam because our styles and taste are very much aligned. My long-term producer Oscar Sharah also worked on the song with us, which, as per, was a dream.

The imagery accompanying the release is a lot more moody and dark to your previous work. Tell us a bit about that.
To represent what this relationship was, the vision for Ballet Boy was to create imagery that was melancholic and full of tension, whilst also being very sexy and dynamic. If the result for these visuals was darker than my previous work, it is merely because that's where my instincts took me.
Lyndon Watts came on board as creative director, and the wonderful Cole Surrey shot and edited the visualiser. Lyndon is a creative force, and I will find any excuse to work with him. It helps that he is one of my dearest friends, but when it comes to styling, fashion, and performance, he is one of a kind. We worked with an amazing dancer from The Australian Ballet named Mason Lovegrove, who brought such a stunning performance to the shoot. I wanted Mason and I to be in these visuals together, but clearly be in different worlds, to portray the distance between us, but then I also want people to feel the connection and the love.

How does this track differ from previous releases?
For me this song represents an amalgamation of all of my work. I feel that I am truly arriving now as a singer and a songwriter. It has the dance vibes similar to my songs Heretic and Fumbling, but also has the melancholic and provocative feel of my songs like Another You. So it isn't a departure from my previous releases as such, but an edging towards my final form as an artist.

What's next?
Before the year is out I am headlining Sunshine Coast Pride Festival, and then I am supporting an international popstar who is touring down under, but that's a secret for now. Shhhhhhh xx