coffee
Coastie WITH A
FORMER HI5 MEMBER
NATHAN FOLEY
Spending a few years on the Central Coast as a kid was enough to anchor him to the Coast. And whilst the initial years of his career took him back to Sydney, it was only a matter of time before the Coast was calling him back again. Your gorgeous son Jackson is almost 2, you’ve posted pictures and videos on social media of him playing your piano and listening to music with headphones. Does he love daddy’s music? What’s his favourite song of yours? Absolutely, Jackson has loved music for so long now, but I really do think it’s what we expose to our kids. I’ve had him sitting on my knee while I play piano and always getting involved while I play guitar. The early years of development for a child is so crucial, and music is my everything and hopefully Jackson will pursue it one day too. Jackson loves my song “She Devil”, he watches the music video over and over again. Do you think Jackson will get into music? Hmm, not sure. Deep down, I hope he will, but I’m never going to be pushy though, whatever he decides, I’ll support him 100%. How do you juggle family life and writing/touring? Definitely no touring yet, because of Covid, but I always wondered how it would work before the little guy came along, but it just does. My family have added to my life in such a positive way, so instead of having one love (music), I
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O N T H E C OA S T – FA MILIES
now have two. Juggling both has been a blessing. Twins run in the family on your wife’s side. Would you like to add to ‘Team Foley’? We’d love to one day, but the way the world is right now with so much uncertainty, we are just taking our time and enjoying Jackson at the moment. Out of all the places you visited touring over the past 20 years, what made you choose the Central Coast to settle down? How long have you been on the Coast? I LOVE the Coast. I was actually born in Liverpool (NSW) and grew up in Ingleburn. My folks and I moved up to the Central Coast when I was 10 years old and lived at Toukley for a few years until Sydney started beckoning me for work. I ended up going to Newtown High School of the Performing Arts to continue my “normal” studies around other people that also were in the arts. Newtown was great as there was so much individuality. Australia is such a massive sports driven place that I wasn’t really understood or accepted at my previous school. I was taunted daily for wanting to be a singer and for trying to fulfil my passion as an entertainer. As I grew older, the coast once again was calling me, so I
moved back up in 2004 and bought a house. I haven’t left since. The Coast has everything and it’s a great place to raise kids too. You started in this industry at a very young age, singing in clubs and doing the School Spectacular, how old were you when you wrote your first song? I was 10 when I started doing professional shows, clubs/corporates, they were a great starting point to learn my craft as an artist, especially working with bands. The first song I wrote was “What’s happening to this world of ours” which is an environment song that I recorded and it was chosen in a song writing competition. My school at the time, Toukley Primary School and I, were invited to compete at Darling Harbour and perform the song. The second song I wrote was a song called “The good times” in which I wrote about my school friends and teachers. Both songs are on an album I recorded back then. You never know, I “may” release it one day. How did you get into music? What drew you to music? The Jackson 5 were the start of my passion for music. The first time I heard them, I tried to mimic every
