Say what you want about 2010 X Factor winner Altiyan Childs, but there has never been someone so intriguing and just plain incredible in the Australian music industry. As a fan of nearly 7 years, I recently had the honour of speaking with Altiyan about the new single ’Ordinary Man’ as well as the album he has been waiting 24 years to release. I also spoke to him about his much loved fans, the East Coast tour in August this year and what the future holds for this bright star. At the end of the day it was all about the music, which is what matters most above all else.
Altiyan’s second single simply entitled ‘Ordinary Man’ was released digitally on September 23rd and will have a physical release on October 21st. Despite its lack of airplay on commercial radio, this doesn’t seem to have affected Altiyan all that much. He says “I’ve never heard of a winner of a singing reality show to wait this long for a second single. It’s a deep sigh of relief that it’s out there”. True to form the song suits Altiyan perfectly and can best be described as a song that has an r’n'b back beat alongside some “really nice sexy rocky guitar riffs” Childs says. Whilst the song lyrics seem to speak of the power of love, the song lyrically is more or less about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. This is something which is of particular significance to Altiyan who seeks to do just that on a daily basis. It is a very effortless song which belongs on the radio. Childs’ hopes for the single is that it can make people feel what he feels from it. It is a song that has the power to touch people and reach out through the thicket of the radio airwaves.
The song is in fact a good indication of the sound of the album that has been 24 years in the making, an album which has as yet not even been recorded. But there is hope, with another single to be released in roughly 8 weeks. But as far as the overall sound of the album to come, Altiyan is quick to point out that he plans on “bending the rules”. As with the current single, everything for Childs comes back to a matter of effortlessness. You can’t force something which has been so long in the making.
For the first time, Childs’ East Coast tour in August gave him the chance to bring more originals into the light. These included songs known as ‘Driving’, ‘New Romance’ and ‘Space Train’ which has the poignant line in the chorus of “Only love can bring you a revolution”. Such songs as these will eventually be recorded and feature on the album to come. They will sit alongside reworked Masonia (Childs’ orginal band) songs, such as ‘Madness’. Anyone who has had the chance to hear these songs will know all too well that they showcase just how amazing Childs is as a songwriter. He comes from a different place than most in that way and it is this that makes him such a unique asset to the Australian music industry. When asked to pick a favourite of all of his originals which he has written over the years, Altiyan chooses two. One being the somewhat Masonia classic which came close to commercial success (reaching #41 on the ARIA Charts) in the absolutely stunning song known as ‘Simple’, “it has always captured me, it’s timeless” Childs says. It is easy to see why with a close look at the lyrics such as “Every morning I open my eyes. My first heartbeat is for you”. They are the kind of the lyrics which take you on a journey if you let them. It is as relevant today as it was upon its release in late 2004. The other being a song called ‘Driving’ for the fact that its a song that’s been affecting him recently.
The East Coast tour, mentioned previously, was something of a serious gamble for Childs and indeed Sony. It was as if Altiyan had been living in the musical wilderness for the better part of 6 months thru no fault of his own, but the response was overwhelmingly positive. Of the tour, Altiyan says “I was touched and really blown away. The passion still seems to be alive in the fans and that helped me heal. I can never give up on them
because they haven’t given up on me”. It was no surprise then that when asked Altiyan was quick to say that Sydney’s Enmore Theatre was his favourite venue of the tour, for the simple fact that it is a place he had dreamed of playing for years. It would have happened sooner, if it had been available and booked as part of the Somewhere In The World tour earlier this year. It seems that the phrase ‘everything happens for a reason’ applies to Altiyan time and time again.
Speaking of the fans, which helped sell out venues such The Enmore Theatre in Sydney on the most recent tour; their love for Altiyan is reciprocated by the man himself. In fact, the relationship he has with his fans is more akin to an extended family in many ways. This is yet another element that sets him apart from almost anyone else. For Altiyan, his fans are his direction and his everything. He goes on to say that “they are my oxygen, I couldn’t breathe without them. I can’t explain how much I love them. They are at the top of the pyramid”. This should come as no surprise for the man who openly admits that he is hopelessly in love with the human race.
As mentioned before, the phrase ‘everything happens for a reason’ applies to Altiyan more so than anyone else. This is especially true when you compare his ability to deal with the fickle fame game now and when he was with Masonia. For when he was with Masonia, Altiyan says “my
heart wasn’t ready”, which is obvious when you listen to the 2005 album ‘World On Fire’, its a very dark album to say the least. Nowadays though, he owes his success to a TV show which is rather ironic when you think about. But then again “there is a good reason for everything”, Childs says.
With the second single ‘Ordinary Man’ finally released, it is now time for the song to take charge. It is up to the song to steer the ship that is Altiyan’s music career. Meanwhile Altiyan is doing what he does best. “I am trying to stay in touch with the divine”, he says. The songs are ready to go, they are just waiting to be recorded. Right now there is just quiet time.
But it won’t be quiet for long. With the undying love and support of his fans from not only Australia but across the world, Altiyan Childs’ music career will continue to go from strength to strength. It will be the music at the end of the day which will speak the words others are afraid to say. Altiyan Childs is above all else an incredible, fascinating and endearing human being and it is these qualities which are the strength of his music prowess.