A quick word with Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy, runner-up to Ben Lummis in New Zealand Idol, is one of the star performers at next Saturday's Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park extravaganza. On Monday he releases his debut album, No Place to Land, then he's off to do some friend maintenance.

What are you singing on the night?

So Damn Beautiful, just the one song. It should be really, really cool. I've never been to one myself but from what I've seen it's a fun, happy vibe with all the families.

You're now a spokesperson for the Salvation Army ... why?

They're raising money to make sure 400 underprivileged families in Auckland can have a really good Christmas and a big meal on Christmas Day. We had a fundraiser concert a while back and I did a half-hour spiel. Christmas has always been such a special time for me and my family. I just thought I'd like to be able to see other families who didn't really get that opportunity to experience it how I've always known it.

How are you feeling about your album coming out?

Scared and excited. I put so much into it, to have it go public is a big step. When we made So Damn Beautiful we weren't sure how the album would sound because we did the single before the album. The next single, Music Without A Song, is a bit rockier. I'm working with Paul Matthews and Matt Samuels from Stylus.

How much input did you have?

I've co-written six of the 11 tracks. I'm pretty stoked with that. Even when we were given songs we changed them around. There's a lot of artists out there who I look up to and I'd love to write songs like them, but when you do that you start to run into trouble.

How did you feel when you found out So Damn Beautiful wasn't an original song?

At first I was gutted, but I got so much support from fans I brushed it off and thought, 'Well, it's not really a biggie'. For the rest of the album, we made sure no one else has done the songs before. We made sure.

Was it good you had more time than Ben to do an album?

You have to remember Ben's album did go double-platinum, which is a pretty big effort. The fact that I got a break was a very good thing. I got my thoughts together and wrote songs, as opposed to rushing into things. I'm really grateful for that.

What's it like living with other musicians?

Pretty crazy. I live with the singer from OpShop [Jason Kerrison] and the singer from Blindspott [Damian Alexander] and he's married to Tracy [Magan] who owns Siren Records. It's cool - Me and Jason have written a few songs at home..

How did it feel to be runner-up Bachelor of the Year?

That was great, but I was quite shocked. I get stick from my mates - but I think secretly they're jealous.

Any summer plans?

Take time off and chill out with friends in Taupo who probably can't remember if I'm still alive.