LONG-FORM, ASPIRATIONAL READ

FEATURING TOP OPINION LEADERS

TARGETING AFFLUENT, CULTURE-LOVING SOCIAL GRADE A/B CONSUMERS

MEDIA KIT | EFFECTIVE APRIL 2019

A RTS FA SHION M USIC BOOK S T R AV EL

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In a busy and complex world, Queenslanders need a trusted source of news, information and entertainment to help them relax, reflect and connect with their community and to ignite their ambitions.

QWEEKEND is an aspirational news magazine, showcasing the best journalism in Queensland with stories that inform, intrigue, inspire and start conversations.

Every week, the award-winning writers deliver in-depth features on the issues and people influencing Queensland, while the hugely popular columnists offer insightful and often hilarious commentary on life in the Sunshine State.

QWEEKEND is also the home of the arts in Queensland with expert coverage of stage and screen, as well as the best places to dine out or good books to read when staying in.

Alongside The Saturday Courier-Mail, QWEEKEND is an intelligent and trusted magazine providing engaging stories for more than a decade. It is a much-loved friend that reflects the life of our aspirational readers - providing an anchor of trust, scale and influence that only newspaper media can deliver.

Influential Environment

The reach & audience engagement you need:

• Weekly Qld-wide reaching magazine

• Inserted Saturdays into Qld’s trusted newspaper, The Courier-Mail

• Long-form journalism driving lean-forward, deep reader engagement as part of the weekend leisurely lifestyle

3

Life & StyleArts Editor Phil Brown, Books Editor Frances Whiting and Fashion Editor Annabel Falco provide insightful and entertaining news and reviews about the latest theatre, ballet, art exhibitions, books and fashion trends.

Leading Weekly Content

Qweekend is the #1 weekly magazine reaching Queensland Social Grade A’s• Media is consumed differently on Saturdays

- for leisure, entertainment and interest

• Weekend readers are more relaxed and enjoy greater depth and variety of content

• Less TV, radio and internet are consumed on Saturdays compared to weekdays

• Qweekend reaches more Qld people with a HHI of $144k + than: AFR magazine, AFR Boss, Smart Investor or Money magazine and Qantas - The Australian Way

• Qweekend readers average 41 dedicated minutes reading newspapers daily-meaning strong audience connections for advertisers

• Qweekend is therefore key to engaging Queenslanders on the weekend.

Readership: 220,000

ColumnistsWilliam McInnes is an actor and author who grew up at Redcliffe and writes about his home state with his unique and laconic humour. Mel Buttle is a comedian and television presenter whose live is full of laugh-out-loud moments. Kathleen Noonan is an experienced journalist who offers a thoughtful and provocative view of Queensland.

Ordinary People With a hugely loyal following, this QWEEKEND institution seeks out - or stumbles upon - the deeply personal stories of Queensland’s unsung heroes and quiet achievers often proving that everyone has a story to tell.

Food & WineRespected restaurant reviewers Des Houghton and Alison Walsh give their verdict on Queensland’s best places to eat while Des also offers his unique thoughts on what to drink at home and when dining out.

Sources: ^TV – OzTam consolidated audience data 1-30 September 2016, All people 13+. Brisbane region includes Gold Coast. Radio – GfK Radio Ratings, Survey 6, 2016. All people 10 years+. Mon-Sun 5:30am – 12:00 midnight average audience. Internet – 21st Century Equipment, Internet Rush Hour and the most downloaded day of the year, Published 1 April 2016. Accessed 4 November 2016. Newspapers – emma™ September 2018, All people 14+; 1NewsMediaWorks, Weekday Go & Weekend Slow, Tanya Shinn, 29 November 2016.

TravelWhether it is the best destinations in Australia or abroad, the hottest new hotels or the best travel deals on offer, QWEEKEND has it covered.

QWEEKENDAUGUST 4-5, 2018

williAm mcinneS . mel bUTTle . kAThleen noonAn . FAShion + qUiz & croSSwordS

The family dynasties that drive the Ekka

SUSAn JohnSon

SHOWBUSINESS

A RT S FA S H ION M U SIC B O O K S T R AV E L

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M12x12DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD

$39,830.40 Ex GST ($43.813.44 Inc GST)

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A love of the written word and an insatiable desire to know what is going on in the world started Sue McVay’s love affair with journalism, but it is the contact with everyday people that has kept her in the industry over 26 years.

Sue was appointed QWEEKEND Editor in April after nearly 13 years with News Corp Australia. She grew up and was educated in Brisbane but started her career at a small weekly paper in Proserpine where she did everything from covering the local courts to donning overalls and helping to run the press.

She has worked in newsrooms throughout Queensland and took a brief deter to Melbourne and northern NSW before returning to her beloved Sunshine State.

Sue edited the Weekend Edition of The Courier-Mail before becoming Deputy Editor of The Sunday Mail and eventually moved into a business role as State Managing Editor of News Corps’ Queensland operations.

But with ink still flowing in her veins, the opportunity to return to the newsroom and edit Queensland’s premier magazine was a gift she could not resist.

From the Editor

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5

INTERIORS INTERIORS

Product inclusion in ‘Ask an Expert’ interiors page. Potential clients: Furniture stores such as AMART, Freedom, etc.

Featured interior styling image as lead image in ‘Ask an Expert’ Potential clients: Temple and Webster, Freedom.

The QWEEKEND editorial team also welcomes discussions with advertisers on new ways to leverage advertising investments through editorially driven integration opportunities.

Contact your News Corp Australia representative to discover the power of a QWEEKEND advertising and integration partnership.

Integration Opportunities

Product inclusion in the fashion spread Potential clients: Fashion and accessory brands.

V1 - BCME01Z01QW APRIL 6-7, 2019 QWEEKEND.COM.AU 25

MIX & MATCH

Patterson dark brown leopard heel,$185, wittner.com.au

Jordyn cuff, $59.95,witchery.com.au

Gold Gemstone Gypsy Hoops in clear quartz, $119, zoealexandria.com

Lou pouch, $19.95,seedheritage.com

Sasha Sporty cat’s eye sunglasses,$39.95, sportsgirl.com.au

5

24 QWEEKEND.COM.AU APRIL 6-7, 2019 V1 - BCME01Z01QW

3

4

1. Reef large hoop earrings in shiny rhodium, $79.95, Oroton; WY Woman suede belt in jasmine, $99.95, Nile green printed utility dress, $169.95, Witchery; Isabelle sunglasses, $145, Bailey Nelson

2. Adilah tan coat, $999, Tigerlily; Shelby-Day mahogany bag, $799, Oroton; Blouses sleeve sweater in antique white, $159, Snake print pants, $199, Country Road; Della boots, $249.95, Witchery

3. Leopard Loren cape dress, $595, Aje; Billini Pallas Blush snake heels,$99.95, Sheike; Ocean hoops, $89.95, Oroton

4. Rita sunglasses, $149,Gorman; In My Life Knit $350, Colours of Life pants, $450, sass & bide; Arena small bucket bag, $299, Oroton; Billini Marcia cream snake boots, $119.95, Sheike

5. Puff sleeve knit, $99.95, printed satin skirt, $139.95, Seed Heritage; Icon frame clutch, $399, Icon bag strap, $129, Oroton; Billini Idonia camel snake heels, $109.95, Sheike

STOCKISTS A-J-E.COM.AUBAILEYNELSON.COM.AUCOUNTRYROAD.COM.AU GORMANSHOP.COM.AU OROTON.COM.AU SASSANDBIDE.COM SEEDHERITAGE.COMSHEIKE.COM.AU TIGERLILYSWIMWEAR.COM.AUWITCHERY.COM.AU

PHOTOGRAPHY MARK CRANITCHLOCATION HANWORTH HOUSE, EAST BRISBANE

MODEL MILICA CIGOJA, CHIC MODEL MANAGEMENTHAIR & MAKEUP MISHASTYLE NOTES

ANNABEL FALCO

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1

Fashion shoot location Opportunity for a venue to be used as the site of the fashion shoot for QWeekend. Potential clients: Hotels, restaurants, event venues.

FASHION FASHION

Product inclusion within ‘Beauty Edit’ Potential clients: Beauty brands

BEAUTY

6

Product inclusion in ‘Food Bites’ Potential clients: Homewares, Supermarkets, Restaurants.

FOOD

Integration Opportunities

38 QWEEKEND.COM.AU FEBRUARY 16-17, 2019 V1 - BCME01Z01QW

MY LIFE

Audiences fell in love with Satchwell from the moment shefirst appeared on the small screen, playing Anne Wilkin-son on Neighbours in 1996. The talented performer wenton to win the Logie for Most Popular New Talent and

People’s Choice Award for Most Popular Teen Idol, and hasappeared in Fox8’s Dangerous (opposite Joel Edgerton), theABC’s Dirty Laundry, Jack Irish, sketch series Black Comedy, MrInbetween and Dead Lucky. In 2017, Satchwell toured nationallyin the British production of The Play That Goes Wrong. She hasrecently been filming Ride Like a Girl, directed by Rachel Grif-fiths, and is currently shooting See-Saw Films’ The End. Satchwellhas also joined the team on Ten’s Show Me The Movie.

JANE ARMITSTEAD

BROOKE SATCHWELLACTOR, 38,

SYDNEY

PASSIONSINSPIRATIONS

STYLE

HOME

Most life-changing song? Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin (below). It evolves with me as I travel through life and never fails to move me. I have a corkboard of the final verse in a magnificent frame on my wall. I bought it from a market when I was 14. Favourite thing to do on weekends? Beach, surf, barbecue, hang out with people I love, and laugh – a lot. Last person I spoke to on the phone? Workers’ Compensation – I still have a “dicky knee” from the last play I did. Guilty pleasure? Buying more books as my “to-read” pile grows. Fact nobody knows about me? I find a lot of four-leaf clovers. I’d like to learn … [Japanese martial art] aikido. Pet hate? Self-obsession. I have a fear of … heights, but it doesn’tstop me. My hidden talent is … arranging the Tupperware drawer at speed. The skill extends to all sorts of packing/arranging – suitcase, car, drawer. Master level at space maximising. BeforeI die I must … go storm-chasing in Tornado Alley. Right now I’m Netflix-bingeing on … Just knocked over Marcella and Shameless. I wish I could

… sing. When I retire … I hopewe’ll have come to our sensesas global citizens committed toengaging in sustainable andrespectful practices, valuing lifeover commerce on every level.I have no interest in beinga “grey nomad”.

A significant moment in my career? The winds of change and empowerment are blowing. Stay tuned. What makes me laugh? Poo. Vivid childhood memory? Fish and chips at dusk on the beach, a bunch of local families and all the boogie boards and surfboards serving as a massive communal table. Favourite quote? “When you walk to the edge of all the light and take a step into the unknown, you must believe that one of two things will happen – there will be something solid to stand upon, or you will be taught how to fly” (Patrick Overton). The one thingpeople wouldn’t expect from me … My truth always defies people’s expectations. It’s an endless source of confoundment and joy. My first job? In a milk bar.

People I admire? People who own theirstuff and tell the truth. What inspires

me? Integrity and open minds.Biggest strength? Resilience.

Biggest weakness? Over-analysis. Next on my bucketlist? The Camino trail.

Typical outfit? Eddie Vedder meets Indiana Jones (below). I never leave the house without? My Kathmandu backpack and a fold-up reusable shopping bag. Favourite shoes and why? I have some pairs I love for their specific functional uses, but I hate most shoes. Hence loving the ones that serve a good purpose. Most surprising thing in my handbag? A head lamp. Most sentimental item I own? I have more sentimental items than cupboard space at the moment. Looking to address that this year. Time to get “light”. Favourite designer? Kit X for her fab, flowing, edgy vibe and ethical practices, and Ginger & Smart: beautiful, sharp and enjoyable to wear – made for real women’s bodies. Most worn item in my wardrobe? Black T-shirt – it’s the Melburnian in me. Last shop I went into? Spotlight. I repair all of my belongings and clothes until they disintegrate. Who would I want to be for a day? Aslan. Who wouldn’t want to be a magical, wise and benevolent king? Good excuse to go to Narnia too. How would I describe my style? I dance to the beat of “all”the drums … Favourite accessory I can’t live without? Rocks. I wear them with every outfit.

I can’t live without … freezer chocolate (that’s where I like to keep it.) Most treasured possession? My childhood bear – Brown Bear. We’ve been through a lot together. Best place I ever lived?I have a deep love for and nostalgic memories ofmy childhood home in Shoreham, Victoria. A row of fruit trees lining the back fence and 100 varieties of heritage roses in the garden. My next challenge is … to expand my professional capacities and realise some long-held dreams. I’m stepping up to the challenge of content creation for film and television in 2019. I’m addicted to … stories. I love hearing people’s tales. No detail is too mundane for me. Where do I go to relax? Ocean. Forest. Or home. What’s in my back yard? Pots full of trees from seedlings that blew in on the wind. I’ve got a worm farm and compost as well. Signature dish to cook? I have refined a good weeknight meat and fresh salad veg bowl. My last supper? Sausages and mac and cheese. My friends use that knowledge to coerce me out of the house and over for dinner when they haven’t seen me for a while. Favourite place to holiday? I am mad for “new horizons” but there’s something about exploring our own back yard I find really grounding and connecting. Favourite room in my home? I’m good at finding homes with great juju. There’s not a room in my house that doesn’t feel good. One thing I wish I had in my house? A tree.(I love those houses built around them.) I’m most proud of … my ninja domestic skills.

Profile of a brand ambassador in ‘My Life’ Potential clients: David Jones, Myer etc.

INTERVIEW FEATURE

TRAVEL

36 QWEEKEND.COM.AU APRIL 13-14, 2019 V1 - BCME01Z01QW

Two speed 6378 jumble

sudoku Fill in all squares so each row, column and each of the nine 3x3 squares contain all digits from one to nine. Solutions, tips and software can be found at sudoku.com.

TargeT masTer 4732

Across1 A vile wretch can stir

me very badly7 Perform mostly rich

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with a sharp ringing sound

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13 Defeats can prove worse unfortunately

19 Level off a scheme before the end

20 Suitable place for one nice and honest inside

21 Water paint can make young dogs very ill

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construction2 Just a little bit in a

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can happen again4 Starts as the top

is cleared in a small room

5 Aria displayed after final act with a jewelled coronet

6 Hear a little swan has a type of ring

CRYPTIC Clues 10 Normal amount in preparations

11 Cover a cake with solid fluid

12 Type of container for a type of jumping insect

14 We finally come down with a big antelope

15 Push down with weight on the media

16 Flinch from pain iced inside after victory

17 Sum up statements about a type of pacer

18 First few are moved with anxiety

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Previous solution: cere cero cone convene convener core corvee cove coven cover crone encore erne even evener ever nene neon nerve neve never nonce none once oven over reeve rove veer veneer ReCoNVeNe

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RATING: DifficultRATING: Very easy 3577 3578

3575

3576

How many words of four letters or more can you make from these nine letters? each letter may be used only once. The centre letter must be included. No slang, foreign or capitalised words, hyphens, apostrophes, or plurals ending in ‘s’. only one form of a verb can be used, eg ‘ring’, but not ‘rings’ or ‘ringing’.

Today’s target: Good 21 Very Good 27 excellent 33 Genius 39

Across1 A rascal7 of architecture style8 Sharp ringing sound9 Be glad to have13 Defeats19 Level off20 A nook21 Bad illness

Down1 Method2 A morsel3 Happen again4 House room5 Head adornment6 Type of ring10 Normal amount11 Frozen water12 Large container14 Type of antelope15 Push down16 Show pain17 Go over again18 Be afraid of

QuICk Clues

Source: Collins Dictionary.

1 Dayne Beams 2 I know, right 3 The Mentalist 4 Carousel 5 William McInnes 6 Sydney Kings 7 Temperature 8 Lebanon 9 W. Somerset Maugham 10 Jackie Trad 11 Sydney 12 Dave Grohl 13 2009 14 Hydrogen, oxygen 15 Asia 16 Brisbane 17 Peace 18 Kazakhstan 19 William Shakespeare 20 New Zealand Warriors 21 Mackay 22 Jeff Bridges 23 Yellow 24 1970s 25 World War II 26 False 27 15th century 28 Christopher Nolan 29 French Open 30 Architecture 31 Sicily, Sardinia 32 Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau 33 April 34 China 35 Herman’s Hermits 36 Swimming 37 Mount Isa 38 Lecture 39 Milk 40 Amy Shark 41 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 42 Bay of Bengal 43 Homer and Marge Simpson 44 Canberra Raiders 45 United Arab Emirates 46 Anne Meara 47 1917 48 ABC Radio Brisbane 49 Jenny Macklin 50 Beijing

QUIZ SCORE5030-4020-3010-20UNDER 10

GENIUSGIFTEDGOLD STARGOOD TRYGUFFAW

QUIZ ANSWERS

PALINDROMIC SOLUTION: STINK SLEEP SEXES PEELS KNITS (PUZZLE ON PAGE 4)

BTYB logo in puzzle section header Potential clients: Golden Casket Lottery

GAMES & PUZZLES

Profile of a Chef for ‘In the Kitchen’ Q&A Please note that we cannot interview a chef who has been previously featured in the magazine.

FOOD

Travel destination feature Opportunity for a client to send our travel editor to a destination that they would like featured. Please note that all opinions are of those of the editor and as such does not guarantee a positive review. Potential clients: TripAdvisor, Trivago etc.

‘Real Reviews’ in QWeekend Travel. Brought To You By logo included. Potential clients: TripAdvisor, Trivago etc.

7

ARTS

To early music aficionados Jordi Savall is

something of a deity, and that makes him

smile. At least I assume he’s smiling when

we chat over the phone. He’s in France on

tour when I put this to him. It follows a

conversation I had with Brisbane early

music teacher and performer Margaret

Caley, who is a former president of the

Early Music Society of Queensland. Prior

to speaking to Savall to chat about his

QPAC concert in Brisbane next month, I

probed Caley for an expert perspective.

“What do you think of Jordi Savall?” I

asked. She shot back immediately: “He’s a

god.” Savall laughs at this “typical exag-

geration of a friend”. But there’s no deny-

ing the 76-year-old Spanish Catalan

musician is a global superstar of early

music and has helped it go mainstream.

There are various definitions, but “early”

means music written between 1250 and

1750 embracing medieval, Renaissance

and Baroque music, which has become

very popular of late. “From the ’60s and

’70s there was always strong interest but it

was limited,” Savall says. “You would get a

few hundred people to a concert probably

but, in the 1990s, it exploded. Now if I do a

concert in a small venue it’s a disaster,

because we can’t fit everyone in.”

Savall plays instruments that are hun-

dreds of years old, such as the viola da

gamba, a bowed instrument resembling a

shrunken cello, or the rebec, which he

describes as “like a little fiddle with five

strings”. His rebec was made in 1450 and

he explains that when he travels he some-

times books seats for his instruments so

he can watch over them.

A concert featuring Savall tends to be

something of a musical history lesson.

“This music helps you feel what people

felt hundreds of years ago, and it links us

to traditions of the past,” he says.

Savall’s Brisbane concert will feature a

program entitled Folias Antiguas & Criol-

las – From the Ancient World to the New

World, and he will be joined on stage by

two acclaimed early music ensembles: his

own – Hesperion XXI – and Tembembe

Ensamble Continuo, from Mexico, a

group dedicated to recreating connec-

tions between the Hispanic Baroque

period and traditional music from Mexico

and Latin America. “These forms evolved

after the discovery of the Americas,”

Savall says. “Gold wasn’t the only thing

that Spain took from the Americas. It also

brought the lovely dance rhythms of

indigenous, African and Creole music

back to Europe. With new variations

played on early instruments with passion

and energy, we create a world of emotion

and beauty that we can’t wait to share

with Australians.”

Savall (a conductor and composer as

well as a working musician) has recorded a

staggering 230 albums since, as a 24-year-

old cellist, he discovered early music and

Earlyis right on time

PHIL BROWN

Early music exponent Jordi

Savall brings like-minded

musicians to Brisbane for a

concert across the centuries

This music helps you

feel what people felt

hundreds of years ago

and links us to the past

A close encounter with Barry Humphries is

something to treasure. Sometimes the great

Australian comedian is overshadowed by

his personas – notably Dame Edna Everage

and Sir Les Patterson – but his forthcoming

show, Barry Humphries: The Man Behind

The Mask, which comes to The Star Gold

Coast and QPAC in May, promises to focus

on Barry himself, although I believe Dame

Edna and Sir Les will appear via the

wonders of modern technology.

I’ve been lucky enough to have

interviewed Humphries, now 83, on

several occasions. My first encounter with

him, and Sir Les, was on the Gold Coast in

the early ’80s. It was a time when the local

council was planning an arts centre. Many

local residents suggested the city needed

a new sewerage system more and Sir Les

suggested the city build a new sewer

and occasionally drain it to use it for

performances and art exhibitions. Brilliant!

I met Humphries again in 1987 when he

was publicising his somewhat ill-fated film

Les Patterson Saves The World. (I liked it!)

We were summoned to a press conference

at the Hilton Brisbane to chat, first with

Barry – dapper and charming as always.

Then he excused himself and said he would

go and tell Sir Les we were ready for him.

Five minutes later the shambolic, safari

suit-wearing cultural attache arrived with

a glass of Scotch in hand. (It was tea, of

course, since Humphries is teetotal.) He

proceeded to outrage us, slurping his drink

and spraying us with cold tea as he rambled.

I’ve interviewed Humphries a few times

since – once when he had an exhibition of

his paintings in Brisbane with Philip Bacon

Galleries. I believe he’s going on a painting

expedition with his friend, artist Tim

Storrier, before his upcoming tour. The last

time I spoke to Humphries was in June

2015 when he was in Brisbane, with wife

Lizzie Spender, to open Storrier’s show

at Philip Bacon’s. That show featured

Storrier’s wonderful portrait of Sir Les,

which won the Packing Room Prize at

the 2014 Archibald Prize for portraiture.

Seeing Humphries standing in front of the

painting while Sir Les drooled, teeth

protruding, behind him was quite a sight,

and not one I will forget in a hurry. I can’t

wait for his new show and am glad to hear

Sir Les may be making an appearance.

Don’t miss Phil Brown’s arts coverage weekdays

on The Courier-Mail website

dedicated himself to it. He spent years

practising and scouring Europe’s mus-

eums and libraries for long-forgotten

scores. “We use the early instruments to be

in context with the sound, technique and

phrasing of the original music,” he says. “It

makes us feel connected to the musicians

of the past, and that is a beautiful thing.”

In 2008, Savall was named a UNESCO

Artist for Peace for outstanding musical

commitment to intercultural dialogue.

Caley, a specialist in the baroque violin,

describes Savall as “one of the pioneers of

(the popularisation of) early music”.

“He has inspired a generation of

historically informed performers,” Caley

says. “You have the hardware and the

software. The hardware is the old instru-

ments with the gut strings and the soft-

ware is understanding the musical

conventions, how the music was com-

posed and improvised. Early music is now

very mainstream and people hear it with-

out even realising they are hearing it.

They hear it when they listen to Handel,

Bach or Vivaldi. It’s wonderful music.”

And Savall is universally acclaimed as

its master, although he insists that reports

of his godliness are exaggerated.

Jordi Savall and Hesperion XXI with Tembembe

Ensamble Continuo, 7pm, February 26, Concert

Hall, QPAC, $79-$105; qpac.com.au

PHIL BROWN

Portrait of the real Barry

Savall with his centuries-old viola da gamba. Picture: David Ignaszewski

22

BCME01Z01QW - V0

ARTS

Playing her idol on stage is more than just

a gig for South African singer Belinda

Davids. In fact it wouldn’t be too much of

a stretch to say that being Whitney Hous-

ton for a couple of hours a night is an

almost sacred duty. Her tribute show The

Greatest Love of All – The Whitney Hous-

ton Show comes to The Star, Gold Coast,

next month and features Davids singing

Houston’s greatest hits with an other-

worldly familiarity.

Last year Davids, 41, was crowned

winner of BBC1’s Even Better Than The

Real Thing, a show that pitted the world’s

top tribute acts against each other. On the

strength of that she has a forthcoming

tour of the UK but right now she’s touring

Australia, for the second time. The first, in

2015, was bittersweet because Houston’s

own Australian tour, towards the end of

her career, had been a bit of a disaster. At

her Brisbane concert in February 2010 the

American singer was described as “breath-

less, shambolic and out of control” and

made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Two years later, on February 11, 2012,

Houston was found dead in her room at

the Beverly Hilton, Los Angeles. The

official coroner’s report showed she had

accidentally drowned in the bathtub, with

heart disease and cocaine use listed as

contributing factors.

Three years later, Davids arrived with

her show. “The first time I came here I

thought, I have to restore her name in

Australia,” Davids says when we chat over

the phone after her most recent arrival in

Perth. “It was a dreadfully difficult time

when she was here; she was right at the

end of it all. It was really sad, but there’s a

lot of pressure in this business and people

have no idea what it takes.”

On Davids’ first tour here, audiences

were amazed at the purity of her voice.

Watch her singing on YouTube and you

will be gobsmacked by her talent. When

she’s onstage singing songs such as Dance

With Somebody or Greatest Love of All, she

becomes Houston, and it would be spooky

if it wasn’t so moving. Her voice is so extra-

ordinary that she was once suspected of lip-

synching to Houston recordings, so Davids

sang a cappella to prove it was just her.

In show business, there is talk of actors

or singers being born to play certain roles.

That might be a cliche but in Davids’ case

it happens to be true. As a young girl in

Port Elizabeth, South Africa, she listened

to Houston daily. “I was eight years old

when I discovered her, and I’m not

making this up,” she says. “But I never saw

her perform. I hardly saw anyone because

we grew up poor. We couldn’t afford

tickets to shows, and no major artists

came to where we lived anyway.”

Without formal vocal training, Davids

started singing professionally at the age of

12. It was when she hit the club circuit in

her home country that people began to

notice how much she sounded like Hous-

ton. She opened shows for many inter-

national acts visiting South Africa,

including the Temptations and Peaches &

Herb, and in 2014 began performing as

Houston after she was cast following an

exhaustive global audition process. A

staggering 15,000 people auditioned

worldwide. Davids was an obvious choice

and the gig suits her perfectly.

“Because she’s my idol,” Davids says.

“She will always be my idol. For me it’s an

emotional tribute. There are a lot of

people who do Whitney acts but for me,

I’m not trying to be Whitney Houston. I’m

just paying tribute to her, and the diehard

Whitney fans really react to that. At times

they think I am Whitney. When you look

out and see people crying in the audience,

for me that’s very fulfilling, to know that I

have struck a nerve. I try to concentrate

on how great she was, not on the tragedy.”

Davids is booked through to 2020 with

her show, which is a joy, although it

means she’s on the road a lot and away

from her two sons back in Cape Town,

where she now lives. “But as busy as I am, I

never get sick of it,” she says. “Each show

restores my passion for her music.”

The Greatest Love of All – The Whitney Houston

Show, February 3, The Star, Gold Coast, from

$79.90; ticketek.com.au

Davids in character as

Whitney Houston

(above) and

offstage,sans wig.

PHIL BROWN

Spot the difference

As a girl, South African singer Belinda Davids worshipped Whitney

Houston – never guessing that one day she would travel

the globe carrying the torch for the fallen star

V0 - BCME01Z01QW

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