In the Chair is a regular feature on Eventalaide, highlighting artists from across Australia and occasionally overseas. Everyone gets the same questions. It is just meant to be a bit of fun so please treat it as such.
Questions by Geoff Jenke
A self-proclaimed “stage whore”, Queency’s live performance alongside his delectable and increasingly signature take on funky, soulful pop and modern R&B has seen the charismatic singer-songwriter draw comparisons to the likes of Ari Lennox, Daniel Caesar, Erykah Badu and Charlie Puth throughout his career. An artist inherently focused on crafting memorable melodies and punchy hooks, Queency’s wit, honeyed multi-octave vocals and dynamic dance moves has also seen him increasingly turn ears and heads, with a nomination in 2021 for a Western Australian Music Award alongside an ever-growing abundance of sonic material. First discovering his musical obsession with gusto at the age of five hearing the Spice Girls on the radio, while also singing along to Stevie Wonder as a child, it would be Prince and Whitney Houston, Queency’s ultimate biggest musical influences, that cemented the Réunion Island born artist’s eventual creative pathway. Already generating buzz with a string of singles, and live performances seared into the minds of fans in Western Australia, the Queency story is truly only just unfolding, with the slick, sleek and sexy debut EP Purple Diamonds ready to dazzle and catapult Queency to even greater heights in late 2022.
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Name: Queency
Alias: Quentin
In less than 50
words describe your music and yourself.
I’m a brown Creole queer singer-song-writer-performer from Reunion Island who
writes pop, soul and RNB songs. But I don’t want to limit myself with a genre,
the songs I write take inspiration from a wide music diaspora, and I never say
never!
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What was the first
record you bought with your own money and where from?
It was the Spice Girls first album “Spice” in 1996.
It was in our local record store in Reunion Island and I remember saving for
it. My parents definitely remember too, because I played that record non-stop
for the following few months.
80’s or 90’s Music: Both!
What music are you
currently listening to?
Call me predictable but I’ve been obsessed with
Beyonce’s “Renaissance” since it came out, and I’m still not over it. It’s
almost been 5 months haha!
The
Best live artist/band you’ve seen:
Tank & the Bangas at Perth International Arts Festival a few years back.
Truly incredible.
Your “In the mood
for love” song:
I don’t listen to music in the bedroom, I find it too distracting and I can’t
focus on the task at hand and catch myself singing along. Not cute haha!
Your favourite
Saturday night party record?
“Whitney” by Whitney Houston.
Your favourite
Sunday morning chill out record?
“Songs in the Key of Life” by Stevie Wonder.
Which song do you
wish you had written?
“Tennessee Whiskey” by Chris Stapleton.
Roger Daltry once
said “Rock N Roll has no future”. Do you agree with him?
Clearly not. I might not be a huge rock
fan, but Rock N Roll will never die, and that’s for sure!
Vinyl,
CD or Streaming?
Streaming. I prefer convenience because I’m always on the run.
If
you could record or play live with any artist (dead or alive), who would it be?
Whitney Houston (OMG to be one of her backing up vocalists, I would die).
What
is the most useless talent you have?
I make a pretty mean angry Donald Duck impression.
Your
finest recorded moment?
Telethon 2022. What an experience!
Who
is your musical hero and what one question would you ask them?
Prince: Will you marry me?
Dying,
peacefully on your deathbed, what song would you like to hear?
“I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston.
Stuck
on a desert island for a year and can only take three albums. What would they
be?
The Bodyguard Soundtrack by Whitney.
“Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse.
“Freudian” by Daniel Caesar.
Favourite
all time movie:
Le fabuleux destin d’Amelie Poulain (or Amelie in English).
If
you drove an ice cream van, what music would you play?
WAP of course!! HAHAHA!!
Best
show you have ever played in your career:
Telethon 2022! Again, it was an amazing experience!
Any
backstage incident that makes you laugh?
I cracked my pants on stage once and only realised once I got backstage. I was
later told it happened as I was vigorously twerking at the crowd. Bars for
hours! Haha
Neil
Young or Paul McCartney?
Paul McCartney (That Ebony and Ivory song with Stevie wonder fam! Phew!).
Who
is the nicest person in Rock n Roll at the moment?
Cal from the Southern River Band!
What
do you hope the next 12 months holds for you?
Moving to New York and playing shows over there! 🙂
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Perth-based singer-songwriter Queency, aka Quentin Thony, is back bustling with bold, suave and sinfully smooth retro pop tinged with modernity, with a brand-new single and EP Purple Diamonds out now. Purple Diamonds is pure sonic joy that’ll bubble the soul and bewitch the ears with polished and effortless ease.
Following on from Queency’s previous 2022 single Forbidden Fruit, Purple Diamonds is an unapologetic ode to 80s pop, with nods to the opulent essence of Prince, alongside hues of Whitney Houston and a sprinkle of Michael Jackson evident throughout the infectious track. Written entirely by Queency and workshopped with producer Mason Velios and Robbie Chambers, Purple Diamonds was initially recorded live with Queency’s band at the time, before a new arrangement was conjured by Ethan French. Resulting in an effervescent retro pop jam that also oozes with modern wiles, Purple Diamonds also ultimately took some personal inspiration from Queency’s own life to achieve the sensual and buoyant end result.
As Queency explains, “Purple Diamonds is a metaphor for what you have most precious to give to someone you find irresistibly attractive. You know, when they’re just your type and the chemistry is right, you just wanna give that person purple diamonds all night! This song is about feeling so in tune with your partner that you’re ready to truly express yourself in the intimacy you have built and may even fall if you keep entertaining this situation. It’s about being vulnerable yet insatiable! Look, let’s stop sugar coating: it’s a booty song! And surprise, surprise, I wrote it as I was falling in love with my partner, so he’s definitely inspired it. It’s a shameless synth heavy and vocally stacked retro pop track modernised to 21st Century’s flavours. It’s definitely an ode to 80s pop, but I wanted it to be seasoned to the taste of today! And I like it extra spicy – so we turned the heat all the way up!”.
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