Kerrigan La-Brooy Returns To Fanbase Music Magazine To Talk About His Lastest Two Singles, Music Videos & More

Interviewed by Duzzy Clayton

Intro

Kerrigan La-Brooy is no stranger when it comes to featuring in Fanbase Music Magazine, but I always look forward to whenever I get to chat with this awesome person, I am always left in a good mood and uplifted after being around his energy

We catch up with Kerrigan to talk about his latest two tracks, their music videos, and how God plays a big part in life

Enjoy the Read

Interview

Welcome back Kerrigan to Fanbase Music Magazine, how have you been since the last time we spoke?

Thanks, Duzzy. Always rapt to be here. I’ve been Blessed thanks for asking and trust the same is true of you.

Can you remind our readers where you are from and a bit about your background and how you got into music?

I’m from Melbourne Australia but originally from Colombo Ceylon. I was born into a family of multicultural heritage, including French, Spanish, Dutch, British and Irish. You could say I’m a cocktail – an exotic one at that – or if you prefer, you could call me a mongrel.

I got into music as a toddler. Apparently, I learned to sing before I learned to talk. Who knows, that could be where the 70’s band ‘The Police’ got their song ‘De do do do, de da da da’. One of my earliest childhood recollections is singing the Jim Reeves classic at the age of 5, “But You Love Me Daddy”, when my Dad would sing “Your five year old face, is a dirty disgrace”, and I’d chime in with, “But you love me daddy”. My Mum and Dad used to sing together and I inherited their passion along with their talent. Their names are Jeune and Paul and they were popularly dubbed ‘Nina and Fredrick’ back then. They never took to music professionally so I guess, in a way, I wanted to do it for them.

Your sound is more of the country genre, who are some of the musicians and bands you liked that inspired your music?

Bizarrely enough my biggest influence was not country – it was ABBA. But apart from the obvious musical influence of my parents, I grew up with the music of Hank Locklin, Hank Williams, Hank Snow – Good Lord it was a ‘Hank’ era. But also other country greats. Then as my taste broadened, the likes of Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson.

Okay let’s talk about some of your latest tracks, the first one being When I Travel My Last Mile, what is the song about?

I leaped into 2024 with this song. My wish for everyone is that our Steps will be Secure and our Miles will be Prolonged until our Journey takes us to our Final Destination when it’s time to Travel our last Mile. And when we do, I fervently hope that we’ll be poised, positioned, and prepared to meet our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for through His gift of Salvation, we’ll receive the ultimate blessing of experiencing Eternal Life with Him.

The song is Acapella. which makes it even more beautiful and amazing, who else sang on the track and also how was the process of recording and layering the different vocals?

Yes, you’re correct, I did it Acapella and all the voices, including the harmonies, are solely mine. 4 vocals, 1 voice is a good way to describe it. I started off with the melody first and then began the layering process, singing each harmony individually and ensuring the pitching and phrasing were all in sync. It was quite challenging, especially with more than one key change, but it’s been absolutely rewarding. I consciously did the key changes without a prompt, as that’s how I’d need to perform the song ‘live’. The track was completed over 2 and a half months, surprisingly after just 4 or 5 takes, however I kept it on ice waiting for God’s perfect timing (as I do with all my songs) and I released it nearly 3 years later. I’m happy to say it was Number 1 on the charts for 7 weeks and nominated for a few awards including Voice of the Year. The results aren’t out yet.

Did you go into a studio and have a producer and if so which studio and who produced it?

I usually produce or co-produce all my songs and I’ve been working with Steve Vertigan from Soggy Dog Recording Studios ever since my return to music after a hiatus of nearly 20 years for various reasons, mainly due to shelving my career to raise my 6 priceless treasure children with my darling wife Michelle, followed by me planting Gethsemane Church and founding Gethsemane Charity. Steve is the Producer, Engineer, and Owner of his Studio which is located in a place called Upwey in Melbourne, a beautiful relaxed suburb, surrounded by hills and lush countryside where you can hear Kookaburras in the distance. A Kookaburra is a native Australian bird, belonging to the larger group of birds known as Kingfishers. He’s a genius at what he does; I mean Steve, not the Kookaburra. We have a great rapport between us and insanely busy as he is, he’s even volunteered at my philanthropy work serving the community. It’s been a winning combination with over 20 songs rocketing to Number One and charting for over 4 consecutive years on the airplay charts without a gap. I’d recommend Steve’s Soggy Dog Recording Studios to everyone in a heartbeat, although I hope he doesn’t get too inundated where he gets too busy for little ole’ me. No seriously, Steve deserves every success that comes his way. He’s worked with some of the icons in the music industry and still does, including prestigious television projects. I’m grateful that he always makes time to fit me in.

There is a Youtube video for this track, can you explain the concept and how it was filmed?

The visuals were much like the audio, adding layer upon layer. It was filmed in my home TV Studio with my beautiful wife Michelle behind the lens. First, we recorded my 4 different portrayals and then began the ‘no mean feat’ task of frame upon frame of editing. I’m happy with how it’s turned out although I’m always critical of my work.

Next up I would like to talk about the latest track Photograph of You, how did this song come about and what is it about?

This is a song I wrote myself which I never released officially as a single worldwide until now. I felt privileged when it made the top 10% at the Unisong International Song Contest ahead of 4,200 contenders from 45 countries and received rave reviews for its craftsmanship where the melody, lyrics, and vocals blend in perfect unison. It’s a song about valuing and treasuring your relationships, whether it be as spouses, lovers, or friends. It’s important that we don’t let our priorities be replaced by temporary satisfactions and then realize that while we could have appreciated the person in the flesh, we’re now left with just a photograph of them because they’ve moved on as a result of feeling neglected, dejected and rejected. Loneliness can lead to depression which unfortunately is rampant around the world in this day and age. Hopefully, we can treasure and appreciate each other. I’m rapt that this song has got to number one as well, although I always say, more than impacting the charts, I want to impact people’s hearts.

How was this track recorded, was it similar to the previous one?

Photograph of You was recorded at Redwood Recording Studios, before I met Steve. You may be surprised to know I recorded it over twenty years ago. I guess it’s a testament to the song being timeless – it’s as relevant today as it was decades ago.

This track also has a music video, what can you tell us about the video?

The videos are always fun to do because 100% of them are filmed and produced by my darling wife Michelle and myself. Again, this one too was done in our home TV Studio.

You have a big show coming soon and tickets that are on sale are doing well, can you tell us where and when you are performing?

Thank you for mentioning this. Rapt to say that tickets sold out a staggering 8 months before the event, which is still 4 months away. They had to remove some of the wheelchair seats to accommodate the audience. There’s now a mammoth workload ahead involving choreography, dancing, costuming, lighting, sound, pyrotechnics, setlist…man the list goes on. It could get kinda daunting but I thrive on big projects and I’m confident we can accomplish it. Here’s the breaking news…I’m planning to release an additional TEN ALBUMS to be launched on the night, which will essentially double my CDs, taking the total to 20. My comeback concert will be at Bunjil Place in Melbourne which is a multimillion-dollar entertainment complex. It’s on Sat, Oct 19^th. This will be my one-night-only Melbourne show but I’ll be doing others in Tasmania, Mildura, Coomealla, Tamworth, and a few more, although not nearly quite as formidable or challenging.

What can we expect from the show?

Hmmm…a spectacular show from start to finish, enjoyed by all ages, with diverse genres of music, including 50’s, 60’s and 70, predominantly Country & Rock n Roll. Lots of excitement and audience participation. I want the visuals to be breathtaking and I’d like everyone to walk away fulfilled and satisfied, saying it was worth 4 times the price.

You are also a pastor and involved in some great charity work, can you tell us about each of those and how can we get involved?

I had shelved my career for 10 years to raise my 6 priceless treasure children in their formative years. I vowed never to leave them behind and they were too young to take on the road. When our eldest turned 10, I considered returning to the music industry but God had other plans and as always, His plans take precedence. So I continued to keep my career on hold and I planted Gethsemane Church in obedience to some mind-boggling divine direction. That was 7 years ago. On the first night, I pastored our inaugural service, someone offered me free bread to distribute. The significance was no coincidence. Immediately I accepted and since then I founded Gethsemane Charity which feeds, clothes, showers, and offers laundry facilities to thousands in the community, 365 days of a year, including the homeless. Folk can get involved either by volunteering their services or more importantly through monetary contributions as finances are our biggest challenge. We’d be grateful for donations of any amount, big or small, because every dollar counts, and every cent will help a worthy cause.

How has God and the Church helped you in your music, do you combine the both?

I couldn’t do it without God’s help. And since I followed His direction, I am confident He will never let me down. I always say God doesn’t call the qualified…He qualifies the called. So I guess He’s qualifying me along the way. And yes, I combine all three…Church, Charity, and Music. Currently, our biggest revenue comes from my music because I donate 50% of all music sales into the organization before taking out my expenses. May I emphasize though that my family is my number 1 priority – everything needs to work around them, including ministry and career.

Thank you for doing this interview, do you have any last messages for your readers?

Thank you for the opportunity. I’d like to thank our readers for taking the time to read. God bless you all and stay safe.