Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/131975
closeup "In regional centres it's a party from the outset. I'm looking forward to that!" Above: The Aussie singer/songwriter is touring regional Australia this month. 14 so I could have a bit more time to give my writing and production more of a front seat." Guy has long been involved with charities such as Red Cross, World Vision and The Golden Stave. Now, though, he figures it's time commit to his own plan to make a difference, so he's in the final stages of launching his own charity organisation. "Something that's close to my heart is the stuff you don't read about," he says. "Something I make a point of doing is taking my guitar into Westmead Hospital or Sydney Children's Hospital Randwick or wherever, just to play. I do it every Christmas Day and every couple of months, and I think it's important. I've been linked to a couple of charities for a while and I thought it was about time to start my own organisation and start doing some stuff that I can be proud of." The Sebastian Foundation will be launched soon, with Guy funding much of it himself until he's "in a position where I'm doing enough things that people believe in it and believe it's doing what I feel passionate about". It seems the birth of Guy's son has prompted him to think about the world in which Hudson will grow up. This theme has crept into Guy's music, with songs like 'Get Along' and 'Big Bad World' encouraging tolerance and good-heartedness and conveying concern for the world as it is today. "It's about prejudice and inequality, and hoping for that utopian world where everybody can coexist in peace and harmony and accept one another's culture, religion and race," he says of the song 'Get Along'. "Obviously we're pretty far away from that sort of world." That doesn't mean Armageddon is lacking Guy's signature fun and cheekiness; the album features plenty of up-beat songs that Australians already know and love. 'Don't Worry Be Happy', the lead single, is an up-beat pop song that reminds listeners to enjoy life, while 'Gold' is about remembering the good things you have. Good things are certainly not lacking in Guy's life. With his family, perpetual chart success in Australia, the launch of his own charitable foundation and the recent success of his new releases in the US ('Battle Scars' went to number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs chart), Guy's upward trajectory continues. Guy Sebastian's Get Along Tour of Australia began in capital cities in April and continues into regional areas in May and June. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.guysebastian.com.au.