Joel Turner

Joel Turner made a big impression on the judges, and when Mark Holden discovered Joel could play guitar as well, he ended up signing a record contract. Not long after, Joel and his band the Modern Day Poets (Joel's brother and his cousin) had a number one hit single. Joel was recording in the studio when we spoke to him on the phone...

How did you discover beatboxing?


Well I started playing the drums when I was about seven, I could do a proper beat on the drums when I was eight or nine, but I didn't have a drum kit at home, so I needed another way to practice, I didn't have a stereo either, so I just started grinding my teeth together, those were my first beats like [Joel does some cool beatbox stuff down the phone] and someone three years ago told me it was called "beatboxing" so for the last three years I got into it and started practising, started going on the internet looking at different beatboxers, going to Battles...

You were doing it before you knew what the name for it was?


Yeah, I just did I for fun.

Did you think you'd invented it, you were the only one doing it?


At the time, yeah!

The way it happened was I was just sitting there doing this -- [Joel does some more cool beatbox stuff down the phone] and he goes "that's a good beatbox!" and I was like "what?" and he's like "beatboxing!" and I'm like "what's that?" "what you're doing!" "All right!". So that's how I got into it.

Did you go on Idol just for a laugh, or were you hoping to be noticed?


I just went for fun, just for the experience, because I knew there'd be other musos there.

The members of MDP, my cousin Chris and my brother Tim, they came along with me, did some raps and that, we just went for the fun, we knew we weren't going to make it on the show because they wanted pop singers not rappers and beatboxers, but we just went for the experience anyway.

How did you go from that to getting a recording contract?


What happened was they called me back to do the grand final show so I went and did that and after that I went back to do a show that didn't go to air, called "Throwback". It was like a three-part series, the best of the 70s 80s and 90, and I was in the 70s show with Mark [Holden] -- he was playing his old song "I Wanna Make You My Lady" on guitar, and they wanted me to beatbox to it? So he was playing guitar and I came up and beatboxed.

I'm actually happy that it didn't go to air because we were both wearing white tuxedos and carnations!

So I did that, and afterwards in the dressing room I said "can I have a go with your guitar?" and I was playing some blues guitar and beatboxing to it, he just goes "I like that man!" and gave me his card and it went from there, we recorded some demos, and this year he signed me and my brother and my cousin.

What's it like being in a band with your family members?


It's good being in a hip-hop group with your family because we've grown up writing songs together and we know each other's styles, and it's easy to write songs.

But as they're your family, does that mean if you do something bad they'll dob on you, or will they keep the secrets?


Oh, they'll probably keep the secrets! [Laughs]

What's it like playing gigs in pubs and nightclubs at the age of only seventeen?


It's pretty cool, I just go and have a good time, I don't do anything silly, I just go there, do a beatbox, everyone likes it. I'm kinda used to it because all my life I haven't really hung around people my age, I've hung around older people. I always have someone with me there like my cousin.

Which musicians / bands do you like most?


Growing up, because I play guitar, I've liked Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and Jimi Hendrix. I like a lot of old-school blues dudes and even soul, like James Brown, but with hip-hop I grew up listening to Tupak Shakur, 'cause of my brother, he listened to it, Bone Thugs 'N' Harmony and NWA.

When you write a song, how do you go about it? -- Lyrics first, music first?


Well I'm just the music dude, so they'll come to me with the lyrics. It goes either way, they come to me with the lyrics and say "make a mad tune for this" or I'll have the tune in mind and say "put some lyrics to it".

What's Anthony Mundine like?


He's cool, the first time we met him he walks through the door and straight away we knew he was a cool dude. He's real humble and he loves his people. Cool guy.

Do you think he could have whole other career as a rapper?


Yeah if he wanted to. He's got the skills, but I think he's more focused on his boxing - he did the song to help us out. He didn't really want anything from us, just wanted to see us grow, and it's really good of him to do that. He's a skilled rapper, he's bringing out an album of his own.

Do you ever lose your voice making those wild sounds? I tried it and got a sore throat!


Yeah you can! [Laughs] The first time I got my voice-bass, I went [Joel does some stuff down the phone that nearly breaks the Rollercoaster tape machine!] and did stuff like that, and my voice hurt for a week! Then as soon as my voice got good again I could do that bass non-stop and it didn't hurt. I kind of conditioned my voice somehow.

What's your greatest ambition in life?


Oh, just to be doing what I'm doing now. I'm a music dude so I want to produce, be Australia's Dr Dre and make beats for different artists, make tunes for people, man.

Do you want to have your own record label?


Yeah eventually that's what we want to do, and bring other people into the game, you know?

Who would you meet if you could choose anyone in the world?


Can I choose two people? I'd like to meet BB King, and I'd like to meet Eric Clapton as well, and have a jam with those guys. As for rapping? I'd like to meet Scribe, he's got a lot of skill, also I'd like to meet Nas, there's a lot of people.

Do you have any tips for young kids wanting to get into the music industry?


Just follow your heart and keep going with your music, keep trying, get some demos done and try and get your music out there as much as you can.

Just get your style together and go out and perform it to the people any way you can, and eventually you'll get picked up.

It's just about going out there -- it won't come to you, you've got to go out there and put your stuff out there.

If you were an amusement park ride, what would you want to be and why?