Nick Littlemore.
He’s a member of both Pnau and Empire Of The Sun. He’s besties with Elton, Kylie and Troye, and says he’s always “been drawn to the gay arts”. He chats with Marc Andrews.
DNA: Is the new Pnau album, Hyperbolic, a tribute to your ’90s rave roots?
Nick Littlemore: Yes, I’ve always wanted to tap back into my youthful moments of bliss. One of the tracks is AEIOU featuring Empire Of The Sun, your other band.
Yes, to have it come full circle felt very gratifying.
Those Empire Of The Sun hits are like magic fairy dust at gay dance parties.
Our gay audiences are a huge reason we’re still doing this. Both Pnau and Empire Of The Sun have one of the greatest gay champions of all time in Sir Elton John, which hasn’t hurt us whatsoever. I feel the gay voice is the original outsider and the one with the greatest perspective on the world. They can see it for what it is, rather than in the midst of everything. That’s why I’ve been so drawn to the gay arts for most of my life.
You also worked with Troye Sivan on your new album.
He’s a super bright and engaging guy. He smashed it, and the door is always open to a mega-talent like Troye.
He’s the leading light in the current queer music trend. Will it last?
For a long time, gay artists were hiding in plain sight. Thankfully now there has been a generation of kids who are a lot more accepting of others. It’s such a wonderful thing to see straight men go and watch a gay man perform even quite risqué things and love it. It’s a celebration of art, as it should be.
Tell us about your friendship with Elton.
I don’t think Elton knows how to be friends with someone without helping them. It’s so innate in the way he carries himself.
Cold Heart,
On paper the mashup of old Elton songs you created as a duet for him with Dua Lipa, sounds dodgy, but was a terrific tune.
We were working on an album of mashups. Most of them, like you said, sounded dodgy. There must be something genuine about records and this was the only one that felt real.
There’s a queer twist with Dua singing she’s “not the man they think I am”!
I like that. Dua and Elton had a burgeoning friendship and it just worked.
You also remixed Sophie Ellis Bextor’s from
Murder On The Dancefloor Saltburn. We’ve always loved Sophie and danced around but never made anything together, so when the opportunity came to reinvent this, it was a no-brainer. We also did an Elvis one for the Elvis film, which was very exciting.
We’ve longed for a Kylie/Pnau colab.
We text all the time. I’m sure something will come together soon. I had lunch with Kylie and she is as good as one would expect. She is truly a goddess and extremely generous.
You launched your own label, Lab78. Any queer signings?
We worked with a few different artists – Djanaba and Sumner fronted by Chloe – but now they are with the mother label and launching their careers.
Have Pnau played at many gay events over the years?
We did Sydney Mardi Gras in 2019, which was a huge moment for us. They’re the best audiences. They are the clubs I used to go to in Sydney, not just because the drugs were better but because the crowd was so lovely. People look after each other much more than they do in the heterosexual scene.
What are the causes closest to your heart?
I like to help individuals and leave people better than I found them. A few years ago, I had quite a serious health scare, which opened my eyes to being grateful for what I have. It dawned on me that maybe the meaning of life is to help others, so that’s what I try to do.
What are your plans next?
We were just in Bangkok shooting nine videos back-to-back, which was incredibly exhausting, for a new album from Empire Of The Sun.
What’s your message to the readers of DNA?
It’s a privilege for us to be listened to by you and we hope we can continue to be allies. I also believe everyone should go tripping at least once. Be wonderful and keep doing what you’re doing.
It’s wonderful to see straight men go and watch a gay man perform quite risqué things and love it.