A song in her heart
Fran Metcalf
May 02, 2007
IT'S a long way from hosting a quiz show about music to actually singing on national television.
But that's the journey that Julia Zemiro is about to embark on and the actor-singer concedes she's feeling a bit nervous.
Despite more than two decades of performance experience, the French-born Zemiro is about to take her vocal ability to a new level and she's going to do it in front of millions of people.
Zemiro is one of 10 celebrities plucked from the entertainment and sporting industries to be a contestant on the second series of It Takes Two which will return to Channel 7 on Tuesday night.
"I did a show called Spontaneous Broadway last year which is improvised musical theatre and I had to sing in that but I didn't have to hit a correct note that people recognised because it was about making things up and being funny," Zemiro says from her hometown of Melbourne.
"But when you're singing a song that everybody knows and you're expected to hit a correct note, that's a bit more daunting."
Nevertheless, Zemiro has the confidence to perform in front of a large audience. She's been doing it for years, starting with a two-year stint with the Bell Shakespeare Company after graduating from the Victorian College of the Arts back in the 1980s.
She played a role in the new musical comedy Eurobeat based on the Eurovision Song Contest and appears on Channel 10's improvisation show, Thank God You're Here.
She's the host of SBS's music quiz show Rockwiz which is in its fourth series and can also be heard co-hosting radio programs across the country but that's just scratching the surface.
Zemiro crosses a host of live theatre, radio and television shows and gets regular work as an MC and debater in the corporate arena where she relishes showing off her charm and wit.
And yet It Takes Two is different. In this role, Zemiro will play herself.
"When I do Rockwiz, I have a costume and a look and when I do Thank God You're Here, I play a lot of different roles but you really can't be a character on this," she says.
The singing show pairs celebrities with some of Australia's renowned singers including Australian Idol's Anthony Callea, country crooner Troy Cassar-Daley and Screaming Jets frontman Dave Gleeson.
Apart from Zemiro, celebrity contestants include former Olympic swimmer Daniel Kowalski, TV presenter Lochie Daddo and comedian Russell Gilbert.
Zemiro intends to do justice to every genre.
"I believe when you sing a song you should be trying to sing it from you so, if it's a love song, it should be as truthful as possible," she says.
"If it's a sad song, I want to get into that and not try to make it funny because I feel uncomfortable."
She thinks rock will be the most challenging because it's about "letting yourself go" but she's also nervous about soul.
"Fake white girl's soul can be really bad so that'll be about how to make it work without faking it," she says.
Zemiro admits reality TV shows aren't her first choice in viewing and she worries her participation may upset loyal Rockwiz fans who think she's "sold out" by taking part in It Takes Two.
"I really believe you should do at least one thing a year that really pushes you outside of your comfort zone and this is it for me," she says.
Besides, it's all for charity with any votes awarded to Zemiro going to The Mirabel Foundation which supports children of parents who have died from drug overdose.
It Takes Two, Seven, Tuesday 7.30pm
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