Stan Walker has had a busy few months since winning Australian Idol. Not only has he been touring between Australia and New Zealand, promoting his debut album Introducing Stan Walker, but he has also found time to write his second album, while also staying focused on the important things. I had a chat to Stan when he was in Perth recently.

Sitting across from Stan in the busy café where we had agreed to meet, I was aware of how his laidback and cheeky demeanor seemed to mask the old soul I suspected was lurking inside. When we started talking, however, this started to stir and reveal itself, and the passion and belief Stan held in his music became clear. “When I was little I knew what I wanted to do,” he told me, when asked whether he always wanted to pursue singing as a career. “When I found out I could kind of sing and stuff like that then I started loving it and I was like yeah, this is what I want to do. I didn’t think I would ever do it though!”

Growing up around music and being part of a large musical family has had a big influence on the direction Stan wants to take his music- not only in relation to the gospel sounds he enjoys at home, but also the expression of music within day to day life.  “Because we’ve been brought up with music… it’s kind of been embedded in me since I was a little kid, being brought up in my culture you know, we sing at funerals, weddings, everything so it’s been a big influence on me. I’m a real soul, old-school boy- I love the freedom the old-school has with the music”.

This hasn’t been the only influence family has had on Stan’s music though- a little sibling rivalry keeps things interesting!  “There’s always this underlying competition with me and my brothers- it’s four boys and one girl, my little sister she’s younger, so there’s always an underlying competition”. But while a little competition is natural, and generally harmless, Stan assured me that he was getting a lot of support from all of his family both here in Australia and in New Zealand. “At the end of the day, we just love each other and we’re just happy for whatever’s happening in our lives- but yeah my brother’s are happy, because they’re in my band!”

Being a great advocator of soul both in and out of his music, there are a great number of artists who not only inspire Stan, but also who reflect where he would like to take his music. He wouldn’t mind collaborating with a few of them either! “My favourite was Luther Vandross, I love the old-schools, and I love Israel Houghton, he’s a gospel Christian artist- he’s the man, and Beyonce, I love her she’s amazing… I like soul, melodic music, so I like Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, India Arie, Lauryn Hill, John Legend- I just love a different kind of mixture, because I love Coldplay and Muse as well”. Being a fan of Muse myself, Stan and I chatted for a little while about the merits of their new album, and radio-played songs (in particular their revolutionary themed anthem song, Uprising)… “I love that [song] because you can put a soul singer in something like that…they have awesome melodies”.

With a crazy day to day schedule, it’s easy to see the little changes Idol has brought into Stan’s life. This teamed with the inherent demands and expectations that come from working within the music industry creates a challenging combination. “Every day I have to wake up, early sometimes. I just started running- I’ve got to get fit because of my breathing, and my throat, and I want to stay healthy so I’m just doing that. I’ve got to always try to look good, you know, you have to have a good image in case someone takes a photo of you [laughs], I don’t know. I’m always travelling, writing, singing, losing my voice, meeting and greeting people, so yeah everyday is quite hectic – but it’s awesome though”.

As well as travelling, and meeting tour demands Stan has been working on his next album. “I’ve just been writing and just doing collaborations with people and I’ve just picked my songs. Next week I start recording, and hopefully I’ll have a new single out next month- early next month. I’ve got to get some new music out there before it starts to die out!” With pressure to not only write good music, but to sell albums, Stan insists that it’s important where you place your priorities when writing the music.  “It’s a pressure, but only when you really make it a pressure and when you think about marketing. When you write it from the heart and you just want to get a message out there, and you just love music, I don’t think there’s a pressure. People either love it or they don’t- but the thing is as long as you love it, and you’ve got your heart and your passion and your soul in there it’s all good”.

Fans should look forward to Stan’s next album then, which is focused not only on the evolution of his music, but on aspects of himself and his past. “For this album I just wanted each of the songs to show a different part of me, and different parts of my life- where I’ve been in the past, now, and what I want to do, what I represent, and who I represent. So this album is about me and who I am”.

For people looking to pursue a career in the music industry, Stan had some pretty interesting advice on how to get there in one piece – “My advice would be that talent can get you so far, but character will build the way. It’s actually the foundation that you’re based on that will take you and guide you all the way… I think that the talent and character goes hand in hand- without the talent, you’ve got something, but without the character, all you’ve got is the talent, which will only take you so far. You’ve to really work at figuring out who you are, what you really want and just being solid in that and just building a foundation of support and identity”.

Stan assures that he will be sticking to his roots in the years to come- in all aspects of his life, as well as his music – “People know who I am and what I represent and I’m not going to make any secret about that, I’m actually proud and I’m just going to stick with that”.