Anthony Callea visits Bendigo ahead of May tour
Before Anthony Callea was a household name, he was a young kid who loved to sing.
Callea will perform in Bendigo for the first time since he performed in the Bendigo Competitions Society eisteddfod as 12-year-old aspiring singer.
"Honestly, I think I have only ever performed in Bendigo as a child," he said.
"I did the Bendigo Comps at least once because my vocal coach would get her students together to do the (competition) rounds.
"So I remember coming to Bendigo and her putting me in the country, folk and contemporary pop sections. I slammed all those sections but don't remember winning anything."
Callea was runner-up in the second series of Australian Idol as a 22-year-old but has since established himself as one of the country's best performers.
He said eisteddfods like the Bendigo Competitions Society (now in its 94th year) are important.
"It's good they keep doing it, there's not many comps like that these days," Callea said.
"Any environment where you can nurture the arts in a positive form is extremely beneficial. We don't have a lot of it these days.
"There's a lot of TV competitions but in terms of walking into a theatre and singing a song with a piano, or with a guitarist, in it's true form, we don't have many opportunities to do that.
"As a child it's extremely important to hone in on those skills."
Callea said his new tour - Unplugged and Unfiltered - arrives in Bendigo on May 24.
After performing with big bands recently, this tour is a stripped down, more intimate set.
"After 15 years realise don't have try to be perfect, you can say what you want to say and hopefully audience comes along for the ride," he said.
"I've never done a show like this before. The last tour fully blown out with a full band, the concert before that was for an orchestral album that had a 70-piece orchestra behind me.
"So this is what I love doing. Just a grand piano, a guitar and vocals. When I saw (The Capital) theatre in Bendigo, I knew it would be perfect for this tour."
Callea said he hasn't toured regionally for a long time.
"It's always been capital cities, so this region tour is a long time coming," he said.
"Not only getting to Bendigo but also Horsham and Warrnambool. As a Victorian I'm glad I'm doing that."
Anthony Callea performs at The Capital theatre in Bendigo on Friday, May 24. For tickets go to www.bendigoregion.com.au
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