Josh RH Daveta is a singer/songwriter, recording artist & performer from Brisbane, Australia. In 2014, his self devised show Caramel at Best played at Brisbane Fringe, Backbone 2High Festival and Short+Sweet Festival. Skip forward a couple of years, and latest offering Teenage Dream has recently enjoyed a sold-out premier season at Brisbane Powerhouse and the young performer is excited to be bringing the show down south, for a strictly limited season at The Butterfly Club, he spoke with writer Jessi Lewis, about inspiration for the show about and all thing pop.
Josh, what is it about pop music that inspires you, how do you feel it reflects in your own music style?
Pop (Popular) music is responsible for some of the most timeless anthems in history like Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen), The Way You Make Me Feel (Michael Jackson), Vogue (Madonna), Rhythm Nation (Janet Jackson), Baby One More Time (Britney Spears) and Genie in a Bottle (Christina Aguilera). Whether it be my clothing style choices, vocal/musical nuances or even creating a playlist for a party, pop music plays such a huge part in how my existence has been formed if I’m being honest. All that knowledge & passion has reflected in this particular performance piece as something that everyone can enjoy & smile to with a set list of incredibly catchy pop music.
Who have been some of your biggest inspirations, friends, family, musicians, how have they helped shape or direct your career, what are your aspirations?
I’m constantly inspired by people around me on the daily. Creatively, I’m very heavily influenced by Michael Jackson, Prince, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston & Queen. They are the epitome of influence in pop culture for me. The way I approach music is down to their nuances and work ethic and has become this great tool to how I approach my career as well. I don’t just sing, I also act, dance & write so having these amazing artists as constant references makes being creative a constant vortex of FUN! My aspiration is to constantly create shows & form performances that make people feel better than when they first came into the audience space. I also want to make enough money to be able to buy Green Tea Frappucinos from Starbucks whenever I feel like it!
What did you set out to achieve in creating Teenage Dreams, and what can audiences expect from the performance?
All I knew is that I wanted to do some type of show that had Katy Perry’s catalogue intertwined with it. I was then approached by TAM Presents to do a cabaret and the brief was to make it about top 40 divas and without even a second thought I said “I already know what I want to do” and since then I’ve been choosing songs I love from the radio and seeing what topics arise from that. Shazam, we have ourselves a cabaret! The show’s through line really is about relationships whether that be with lovers, friends, apps, money or even food (yep!). We’ve found narrative within the pop songs we’ve chosen and they perfectly summarise every anecdote we share with our audience. If you can’t
relate to our show in some kind of way, let us know, we’ll find a way to make it suit you too. Hehe.
Do you see Cabaret as heading in a particular direction, either in terms of style or musically, and how do you feel your own work bucks or sits within these trends?
These days, Cabaret really has no rules and trying to put it into certain boxes or labels doesn’t seem to work in your favour. I learnt this a couple of years ago when watching my peers create their own shows and once I opened my mind to having no limits in what I appreciate & enjoy, cabaret and what it “means” became a genre I knew I wanted to be apart of for the rest of my career. I still believe in a classic “singer & piano player” format (like Liza Minelli) in cabarets but bringing current top 40 radio hits infused with the arrangements (created by my amazing Music Director Luke Volker), we’ve achieved a completely modern twist to what we have previously heard and known.
What are some of your favourite “pop moments” of recent times?
Katy Perry, Beyonce & Madonna really out did themselves with their Super Bowl Half Time Show’s in the last few years, truly showcasing why they’ve been put on this Earth to do what they do. Speaking of Katy Perry, can we quickly mention the fact that she is the only female to have levelled Michael Jackson’s record for most #1’s from one album? That woman & her team know how to write pop anthems that people can’t get rid of! So inspiring!
Do you feel there is a difference between Melbourne and Brisbane’s cabaret scene, what do you hope to bring to Melbourne that is perhaps different for local audiences?
If there is any difference it is more that Melbourne public are a lot more aware of what is going around them culturally. Cabaret seems to be a lot more celebrated and sought after in Melbourne and Brisbane is in an exciting but still emerging phase of its cultural appreciation and I cannot wait to see what our sunny city holds in the near future. In regards to what I bring? I can only expect to be 100% myself and to let these new audiences in Melbourne feel how I feel when I sing my songs and share the stories. This show wasn’t written to “change the game” or even “reinvent the wheel”
but rather step up to the plate of so many great cabarets and bring my clever, quirky outlook on life with a dash of great musicianship. I’m proud of what we have and I’m pregnant with excitement to unleash Teenage Dreams amongst a brand new Melbourne audience!
Teenage Dreams opens on Wednesday the 3rd of August at The Butterfly Club, it sure to be an awesome show, for more information or to buy your tickets click here
