The mere mention of Dean Geyer’s name and teenage hearts start pounding. He’s the man the young ladies of Australia want, and the young fellas want to be. But while Dean’s early success in the series has led many to use words like ‘superstar’, ‘sex symbol’ and ‘competition favourite’, Dean seems completely composed. Maybe it’s the years of karate training or the supportive family, but Dean remains level-headed and philosophical about his Idol experience.
Like many of this year’s new breed of Idols, Dean’s focus remains on original songs as he rapidly develops his craft. In some small way, migrating from South Africa became the inspiration for Dean’s earliest writing as the handsome lad explains.
“For me, I’m a real family sort of guy. Our family’s always home together. Saturday afternoons, we used to go to my grandparent’s house and just hang out with our cousins, uncles and aunties and I guess from the family point of view it was very hard. I still miss some of the things about the country. A lot of songs actually came out of the move. You know, just emotions.”
After forming a covers band and gigging regularly on the Melbourne circuit, Dean received great feedback from his family, friends and growing following of fans, but nothing could compare to the moment when the nation’s toughest music critics praised his original tune. For Dean, that first audition in front of the Idol judges was a watershed moment.
“The only people I got feedback from was family and friends and none of them have ever made it in the music industry to the extent that these three judges have. For me it was a special moment for them to actually acknowledge my original material,” Dean says with a smile. “It encouraged me to keep on doing it because I must be doing something right!
History tells that Dean was doing plenty right. In fact, he’s been called the perfect all-rounder. Dean has a compelling stage presence, strong voice, plenty of confidence; and then there’s the devilishly handsome looks. It seems that every Aussie girl has a crush on Dean.
“I guess I haven’t really seen the full extent of what people are talking about,” Dean says, slightly embarrassed. “There’s all this hype about girls running after me but I haven’t seen it. Yeah, it is a bit worrying; a little bit scary. But it’s flattering all the same. It’s awesome stuff you know; I’m not saying it’s bad!”
With so much attention, it must be difficult to remain focused, but luckily, Dean is surrounded by the most supportive and mature finals group we’ve had on Australian Idol. It’s hard to let the attention go to his head when people like Chris Murphy are always ready to bring you back down to earth with a laugh.
“I’m still the same,” he insists. “I think actually think my attitude towards the competition has changed a little bit. Now that I’ve been interacting with all these people, I’ve discovered that there is more than getting a record deal because for me I think it’s going to work out anyway; and if I’m going to get kicked out of the competition I’ll encourage everyone that’s still in the competition. I honestly want everyone to succeed in what they want to achieve.”
Dean’s dreams are no secret. He was ready to release an album at the audition stage of the series so obviously the aim remains the same: to release a solo CD. But Dean realises that a lot of hard work is ahead of him. There are songwriters, managers, producers and agents to deal with. So how will he cope when expected to work with hardened professionals?
“I’ve never co-written with anyone before,” he admits. “When you write a song it is sort of like a child to you; I guess that’s kind of why I wanted to go solo with my own stuff. But then, I guess it’s the top songwriters, co-writers and producers in the world so it’s not going to do you any harm to be writing with them. Honestly, I’ll be looking forward to travelling and writing with other people just because it’s a good learning experience.”
Dean may miss the old country and his distant extended family, but ironically, his fame in Australia has brought him a little closer to the folks he left behind in South Africa. As his star continues to rise, it will be difficult to limit Dean’s fame to these shores.
“They were talking about me in South Africa on the radio,” Dean says, laughing. “I don’t know how that came about but they’re very excited to hear it over there. You know, they sort of followed me throughout my musical life I guess, and to now see me taking a step forward in my dreams they’re very happy and excited for me.”
