With the falsetto and soul strut of the Bee Gees, the old school dance moves of Michael Jackson and enough sex appeal to charm the whole of the Playboy Mansion, Shaneal doesn’t just sing about the life of ‘Fancy Cars & Superstars’, he lives it. Here the Aussie-bred singer gives his fans back in Perth a glimpse of the Hollywood high life.
What Shaneal and John Travolta have in common. ‘Fancy Cars & Superstars’ is a rags-to-riches story. It’s a dig at being a songwriter and all of a sudden having the bling, in the John Travolta kind of ‘Stayin’ Alive’ way… It’s what everyone wants, but when you get there, it’s not what it seems… As much as I love the industry, I hate the game, but you have to play the game to be recognized. That’s just how it goes.
How he put his balls on the line and the soul in his strut. I’ve definitely put, excuse my French, my balls out on the line to do a 70s funk/80s style album. I’ve just gone, I don’t want to hear any of this techno crap, this doof-doof crap that I keep hearing when I go to clubs. I want to hear the Bee Gees. I want to hear the old school Jackson. I want to hear the Earth, Wind and Fire. I want to hear real music with real players. That’s the sound that I love… It’s got funk, it’s got groove, and it’s got that soul strut. And that’s me. I can’t do anything else.
Why it’s not just Justin Timberlake bringing sexy back. There is a huge market for the dance tracks, and along with that comes drugs, pill poppers, all that, but I’m all about bringing back the sexy cocktail, the sexy women, the funky looking guys, the fine dining, the cologne, the fashion, the culture.
What the Playboy Mansion’s best kept secret is. I played alongside Michael Bublé, Mary J Blige, Jon Bon Jovi and Aerosmith… What I loved about the Playboy Mansion is that it’s not actually the tacky whorehouse you think it is. It’s more like a secret society for people in the industry. You’ve got producers, decision makers, labels, and anyone that you are looking at in the room, they are there for a reason – to do business. Sure, there’s sexy girls and sexy guys, but the main thing about the Playboy Mansion is that it’s a serious place to do serious business with like-minded people. It’s like a customs office, and you can’t get in unless they think you are talented or have something to offer.
What you get when you combine whole bunch of music royalty. My show is a cross between Queen, Prince, and a Michael Jackson Thriller video… We’ve had the War on Terror and this and that, and a lot of music has been really serious. I’ve just gone, ‘Nah, I’m going to flip it and have fun.’ When people come to our show, they are not just coming to a show, but to an event.
You can check out Shaneal’s latest tracks at www.myspace.com/shanealmusic.
