Ricki-Lee has shared how she stood up for gay rights early in her career and refused to back down when asked to remove a gay couple kissing from one of her music videos.
The Australian singer is the latest artist to be profiled in the awesome podcast A Journey Through Aussie Pop.  The podcast, hosted by Gavin Scott from Chartbeats.com and Robbie Molinari from JOY FM, delves into the careers of Australian pop stars with previous episodes focusing on everyone from Koo De Tah, Darren Hayes, The Chantoozies, Radio Freedom, Icehouse and Indecent Obsession.
In the fresh episode released today Ricki-Lee shared that long-running music show Video Hits refused to play her 2007 song Love is All Around. Their reason – it featured a same sex couple.
“I think it was a really beautiful song to have as part of the album, and I was really also able to make a bit of a statement with that song when we did the music video.
“I want to kind of showcase in the video all these different types of love, the love between siblings, you know brother and sister, or a mother and the kids, or an elderly couple, and a young couple and a gay couple.
“We filmed the music video, and we gave it to Video Hits I think, and they asked me to take out the gay kiss.
“I was like ‘Are you joking?’ ‘Everyone else is allowed to kiss, why is the gay couple not allowed to kiss?’Â Â Â
“You’re allowed to show an elderly couple kissing, you’re allowed to show a Mum giving her kids a kiss, you’re allowed to show a young straight couple kissing, but why not the gay couple? It just did not sit well with me.” Ricki-Lee shared.
The producers of the popular program were adamant telling the singer “If you don’t take it out, we won’t play the music video.” Ricki-Lee recalled.
Her response – “Cool. Don’t play it. I’m not taking it out.”
The singer said she was shocked to get the ultimatum, saying it sounded like a request from the 1950s.
Ricki-Lee said she was glad her record label Shock backed her “one-hundred per cent” on her refusal to make any alterations to the clip.
The song went on to be another big hit for Ricki-Lee reaching number 5 in the Australian charts.
The song was originally recorded in 2006 by Agnes who was the winner of Swedish Idol the previous year. Aside from Ricki-Lee’s uplifting version, the song has also been recorded by South African singer Jody Williams, who won South African Idol in 2007.
The song has also been recorded by Spanish singer Soraya Arnelas, while Japanese boyband Arashi have laid down a version with the same tune but different lyrics, another version with different lyrics was recorded by Singaporean singer Sing Shi Xin Hui.
Ricki Lee’s interview with A Journey Through Aussie Pop is split over two episodes so we’ll have to wait a fortnight to hear more revelations, but in the first half the singer opens up about her unhappy experience on her first video shoot and spills the beans on her decision to quit girl group Young Divas. Â
This month the singer released new song On My Own.
OIP Staff
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