The Vengaboys 
Speaking to Kim Sasabone of Vengaboys this week had this editor feeling like he could die a little bit. Since the Vengaboys big break and reformation, 2011 has brought them quite a busy year. They have teamed up with Perez Hilton to release a new single, Rocket To Uranus, as well as touring the world and spoiling us for an Australian visit come the New Year. QNews got to catch up with Kim after a show in Norway to discuss their current repertoire and Australian Tour.
‘We are very very excited to be coming back to Australia. We’ve been to Australia before but that was a very long time ago...I think it was 2000...?’
Q: Last we really heard of you guys was 2001 with ‘Shalalalala’ – what’s happened between now and then?
Kim: Well the years have gone by like in a wink – I dunno - it’s happened like when you go to bed and wake up and it’s like 10 years later [laughs] and that wouldn’t have been not so long ago when we visited Australia. We started in 1997 and from then until 2004 we had been living out of our suitcases for seven years non-stop – which was an amazing time obviously. We’ve been travelling around the world and seeing the best places around the world and then we had a little break for a couple of years just to chill out and enjoy our private life, family life and friends, you know going out and doing stuff we want to do. I think from 2006, we started performing again. We didn’t plan it because when we stopped we had no intention of going back but then there were soooo many requests – we had phone calls from all over the world. When our old booker used to call me at least two times a month and say ‘You could have been in India right now! You could have been in Paris right now!’ [laughs]. But we got so many requests and so many ‘back to the 90’s’ parties that people want you again. So yeah, it took us about a year to get the group back together, get the show together and yeah we’re on the road ever since.
Rocket To Uranus – not only is it your brand new track but it also featured Perez Hilton! How? Tell us about that.
Well the song came about first. We didn’t really intend to have...we weren’t really looking for someone to join us, but we were in Las Vegas – we were there for a Kylie concert actually – and then we met this guy, and he was introduced to us as Perez – but we didn’t really know him because in America and obviously in Australia as well, he is a big celebrity. But when we met him we just had a really good time with him – we didn’t really know who he was so, the next day we googled him and found out that he was a big celebrity. We had sooo much fun with him that we asked him to join us for the video and record some bits and then he joined us.
With the addition of Perez the song now appears much more camp and gay-themed, was that the original intention?
No. But now that you mention it, it does have a bit of a gay feeling, but Perez is in it so why not?
Well you can’t really hit a modern day Brisbane gay nightclub without hearing Boom Boom Boom or We Like To Party somewhere throughout the night – do you have a big gay following around the world or just in Oz?
We have a very large gay fan base, I dunno why but people always ask me why and I really don’t know.
Maybe we just know our music
I think it’s because of the music, I think it’s because of the videos and the dancing involved and the type of clothes we’re wearing. We do a lot of gay venues. We do a lot of gay prides. Back in the time we did the San Francisco Pride and then last year we did a lot of prides – we had a pride tour!! We did Madrid; we did Stockholm, Amsterdam, many many many gay events in the UK...
Highlight? Anything out of the ordinary you saw at these gay venues?
Hmmm, Ok, well I don’t want to sound too blasé or like ‘been there done that’, but in Amsterdam and Madrid we saw some nakedness going on, yes.
Is there more new material to come when we see you all live forthcoming?
Well we’re kinda taking it step by step. I’ve learnt that if you don’t plan too much ahead, then it’s better for your...[giggles] for your health. But for now, sometimes we work in the studio, we work on ideas and sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t. We don’t really have a strict plan - right now we are touring around in Europe and January its Australia and then when we come back to Europe it will probably be a bit more game set and in the studios. But you know, you never know what’s going to happen.
Well we know what you are all about when it comes to your music and especially film clips – can we expect to see all that come January 11 at the Brisbane Hifi?
Brisbane is actually the very first concert of the tour – so we’re very excited, it will be our first one of the January tour in Australia and of course what can you expect from a Vengaboys concert show, is just loads of recognisable tunes, all the hits, all the songs that we do and of course Rocket To Uranus, our new single. It’s going to be retro, it’s going to be sleazy, it’s going to be cheesy. It will be everything you expect from The Vengaboys.
Kim, it has been an absolute honour hanging out, a good chunk of this magazine’s demographic has grown up listening to The Venagboys, cannot wait to see yourself, Ronny, Denise and Robin (he’s so hot...) in January 11 at The Brisbane Hifi. Thankyou so much and QNews cannot wait to party with you all when The Vengabus hits our town.
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