When I was offered an interview with Nikki Webster, I was sceptical. Not that I was questioning her talent, but as a kid I was jealous of her for living the life I dreamed of. That she sang with Kylie at the 2000 Olympics just killed me.
Webster has faced a lot of backlash. The media have questioned her music and career choices and there’s no doubt the general populace was more critical than supportive of her.
Regardless of her past, the singer is back stronger than ever. Thanks to her gay fans — and an appearance at Sleaze Ball in 2007 — she has been inspired to move into dance music.
After spending the past three years in LA, Webster has come back to Australia with Devilicious — a high-camp, raunchy song.
Sydney Star Observer caught up with the singer between outfit changes at an exclusive photo shoot at The Basement.
“Devilicious is about having fun and a little bit about being a woman and walking into a club. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek and hopefully a great dance track,” Webster said.
“We started with typical dance electronic beats and built on from that. You know I’m a bit of a devil sometimes and naughty as well, so why not be a little bit ‘devilicious’. ”
The tough part for Webster has been dropping the ‘cute kid’ label and succeeding in getting the public to see her as a mature woman.
“It’s fucking horrible. It’s hard because I love what I do and it’s just not about giving me a go because I expect people to have judgement,” she said.
“But before they listen to it, they are like ‘it’s going to flop’ or ‘Nikki Webster and dance track equals a flop’.
“The hardest thing to lose is the tall poppy syndrome more than having been a child star. It’s people making negative assumptions before they have given it a go — it’s an automatic rule that is put up in front of everybody when they hear my name.
“After the Olympics, Kylie and I were quite close and she was a bit scared for me. She told me stuff, and she knew what was to come and of course she was right.”
But what to do? Escape the country, like Tina Arena, in order to chase success?
Webster said the thought of taking on a bigger market has come to mind, but Australia is her home and she really is just a Sydney girl at heart with big dreams.
“I’ve only lived here and I miss home and now I have the dance studio and I missed that. I love travelling and being able to come home,” she said.
“Having time off has allowed me to get my head clear and work out who I want to be and not take myself so seriously. I am quite a shy person but when I’m on stage I’m an entertainer.
“I used to worry what people are thinking and there were nights when I did go home and cry but now this is me and I’m not trying to impress everybody and I just want to have fun.”
But right now Webster has her sights firmly set on the lucrative gay music market — and, all going well, Devilicious will be her ticket back to the top of the charts.
“The gay community has supported me through thick and thin. You know the reason I chose to go dance pop was because I love to go to gay clubs and dance,” Webster said.
“Being in a gay club made me realise where I wanted to be musically. My dream for 2010 is to have a float at Mardi Gras — it’s not too big a dream but hopefully I will see you all next year.”
info: Devilicious is out now on iTunes. For more details visit nikkiwebster.com.au.
Author: Sunny Burns
Source: Star Observer