Johnny Ruffo Take It Home Interview

Johnny Ruffo Take It Home Interview

Sony Music Entertainment Australia is pleased to announce the new single, Take It Home, the party anthem from one of Australia's favourite music & TV stars, Johnny Ruffo.

'The whole song is about having a good time, dancing, enjoying the music and having fun," says Johnny. 'It's about not wanting the party to end, we just want to pack it up and take it home!"

Co-written by Johnny Ruffo and the DNA team, Take It Home is another infectious smash pop song that showcases Johnny's fun, cheeky and lovably personality.

The video, shot last week in Sydney, showcases a typical night out. All the cool kids are out having fun – being a little cheeky and irreverent, but typically, the party isn't as amazing as it should be. Johnny sees a girl he likes, and invites her back to his place! Unbeknownst to him when they get home though is that she has invited the whole party - her friends, the music – they have literally Taken It Home!

Since his The X Factor debut in 2011, where he came 3rd, Johnny Ruffo has been winning the hearts of the nation. He won Australia's Dancing With The Stars for 2012, and been on tour with global pop sensations One Direction on their record-breaking tour down under, as well as recently touring with US pop icons Backstreet Boys and NKOTB on their recent Australian NKOTBSB tour and international hip hop superstars Salt 'N Pepa. Johnny has also been out on the road with home grown favourites Guy Sebastian and Reece Mastin.

His debut single On Top was a #1 iTunes video and achieved PLATINUM sales. The video has received over 770,000 views and he has a strong presence online with over 152,000 followers on Twitter and constant top trending topics on Twitter.
www.johnnyruffo.com

Interview with Johnny Ruffo

Question: Tell us about Take It Home?

Johnny Ruffo: Take It Home is my new single and I'm excited to have it out, finally. Everyone has had a good reaction to the song and I hope we can replicate the same success as On Top!


Question: What inspired you to write Take It Home?

Johnny Ruffo: It is based on when you go out and then all of a sudden the night comes to an end and nobody wants to go home and Take It Home is a song about taking the party home!


Question: What did you enjoy most about filming the clip for Take It Home? Where did the idea for the clip come from?

Johnny Ruffo: Filming video clips is always fun and the ideas come from what I'm trying to get people to visualise when they hear the song. I had so much fun filming the clip for Take It Home because of the dancing, the party vibe and being surrounded by beautiful women is never a bad thing (laughs).


Question: What was it like to tour with Backstreet Boys and NKOTB? How did that come about?

Johnny Ruffo: Yes, I was very fortunate to have toured with the Backstreet Boys, New Kids On The Block and One Direction. I worked really hard to try and secure those gigs and they were all a lot of fun!


Question: Do you have another tour planned for this year?

Johnny Ruffo: Not at this stage; I'm in talks to organise a tour, at the moment. Once the album comes out, next year, there will be a tour although at the moment I am so busy and we're still trying to juggle, everything.


Question: You've just joined the cast of Home and Away – can you share with us anything about your character?

Johnny Ruffo: I have just joined the cast of Home and Away to try acting which has been so much fun and I can't wait for my character to air.

My character is a little bit of a representation of me which is a good thing because it makes it a lot easier to play the part; he is fun, cheeky and a big fan with the ladies; an all-round Aussie larrikin.


Question: Did you see yourself as an actor, twelve months ago?
Johnny Ruffo: I have always studied drama, singing and dancing through high school and have always wanted to try acting which is why I auditioned for the part on Home and Away – I've kept my fingers crossed and I am very fortunate that I got the part. I'm taking it one step at a time.


Question: What do you enjoy most about acting?

Johnny Ruffo: Everything! I love being on the set at Home and Away were I'm able to work with amazing people and at the same time learning on the job which is the best part about it because I learn the craft, as I'm doing it and Home and Away is one of the best platforms to do that.


Question: Why is it important for you to communicate with your fans, via Twitter?

Johnny Ruffo: Twitter is really important because I can communicate directly with my fans, one on one, as there is no middle man or television screen. It's important to me to let them know what's going on and allow them to be the first to hear things, from me.


Question: How would you describe the last 12 months of your life?

Johnny Ruffo: It's been so busy, absolutely ridiculously busy but I love working hard and I believe that is why I've been able to sustain a career, in this industry, because I do work hard and this industry is all about working hard.


Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

Johnny Ruffo: Funnily enough I'm listening to Guy Sebastian's album, Armageddon, at the moment and in my opinion it is one of the best albums to come out, this year. Guy Sebastian is such a good artist; I'm a big fan as well as a good friend (laughs).

Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording in regards to music?

Johnny Ruffo: Performing live, any day of the week; I believe performing live is ten times better than being in the studio.


Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Johnny Ruffo: The biggest influence for me would have to be Michael Jackson; he has done so much for the music industry and what his done, can't be matched by anyone. To be involved in the music industry and live part of my dream is a dream come true and Michael Jackson was a big part of why I got involved in the first place.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success? How did you overcome this?

Johnny Ruffo: I'd say criticism and that is probably one of the biggest challenges that a lot of people face but all you can do is be yourself, do what makes you happy and keep working hard because you can't always please everyone.


Question: What's a typical day like? What is your daily schedule like?

Johnny Ruffo: A typical day involves getting up at around 5:30am and doing some interviews on breakfast radio and in the afternoon I'll be in the studio or rehearsing – my days are flat out busy! On top of that I have X-Factor on Monday and Tuesday nights and performances on the weekend. When I'm filming on Home and Away, during the week, the start is usually early and I'm up at 4:30am. I'm absolutely flat out, but I love it!


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Johnny Ruffo: I could pick 100! Performing live is probably my favourite part because I love seeing the reaction on people's faces when they see me perform live and I enjoy taking photos with fans – it's the best feeling.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Johnny Ruffo: I would kill to work with Justin Timberlake, he would be incredible and is number one on my list!


Question: Tell us one thing, not many other people know about you:

Johnny Ruffo: When I go to sleep at night, I usually hug a pillow because I can't go to sleep unless I'm hugging a pillow!


Interview by Brooke Hunter