Kiwi singer Stan Walker has spoken about his health, fatherhood and comments made last year by Chris Bishop ahead of his return to New Zealand's stage after a six-year hiatus.
The singer, actor and television personality rose to stardom after winning Australian Idol in 2009, and was well-known for his songs Take It Easy and Black Box.
The 35-year-old told Breakfast it has been "quite a lot of work" to pull together his vision for Stan Walker - A Symphonic Experience, a one-night performance at The Trusts Arena on October 17, which he said aimed to create "an immersive experience".
Walker told Breakfast he had been "wanting to do a big show for myself and for my fans" in Aotearoa for a while.
"I feel like my shows, the way that I create them and the way that I do them, they're like a two-hour minimum show. It's storytelling. It's like coming to a movie," he explained.
"We've got a full orchestra, so I think it's like a 35-piece orchestra plus my band, which is my full band.
"So there'll be like over 50 people on stage, and I want to create an experience for people. Like when they walk in, I want them to feel it, I want them to hear it, I want them to see it, I want them to leave feeling so moved."
Walker also spoke about his health following his stomach removal surgery in 2017, after he was diagnosed with the rare cancer-causing gene CDH1, that runs in his family and has claimed the lives of 25 of his relatives.
"I'm doing really good," he smiled.
He said he had managed to "put on a lot of weight", as he was "trying to get fit and healthy and getting ready for the show".
"But in a bad way, I'm like a 'fat skinny'," he laughed. "Like I'm very grateful that my body can reproduce things that an organ used to do.
Walker said becoming a father had been part of his "drive" to keep his health steady.
"I think mostly being a father, and being a husband has been the biggest drive, and it's added to my purpose and made my purpose so much bigger," he said.
Last year, video footage circulated online from the Aotearoa Music Awards evening in Auckland, which showed National's Chris Bishop responding during a performance by Walker which featured a large Toitū Te Tiriti banner on stage.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has responded after comments made by Chris Bishop at the Aotearoa Music Award prompted criticism. (Source: Breakfast)
At the time, Bishop said he would not apologise to the singer, but conceded he should have kept his views to himself.
Bishop added that he didn't have an issue with Walker as an artist, citing his frustration with the "politicisation" of the segment as the reason for his comments.
Today, Walker told Breakfast "to be honest, I know this sounds sad, but I don't really care".
"I'm a storyteller ultimately, and I'm telling stories not just on behalf of myself, but on behalf of people that I represent.
"For me, it was a moment that I get to express myself and express the feelings and the hearts of our people in that moment. And I always take those moments really seriously because that's my platform at that time, and it belongs to me.
"And I get to be able to speak to people and share with people. I think it was just a beautiful moment to express how a lot of people were feeling at that time," he said.
The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including a strong quake rocks the south, and the rescue of a man stuck in a portaloo. (Source: Breakfast)
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