OCTOBER 2017 | THEMUSICNETWORK.COM AUSTRALIAN SINGLES REPORT CUT THE SMALL TALK SMALLZY Australia's most listened to night time radio jock opens up to TMN about Australian music, scoopes, his globtrotting lifestyle and Johnny Ruffo. ith the latest radio survey still Perhaps what makes the Surgery stand out fresh in people’s minds, it’s the most is the interviews – and specifically, fair to say quite a few of the Smallzy’s knack for really getting to know an major networks are heading artist. They eschew the typical promo tour back to the drawing board with some of content you can get any day of the week – Wtheir content. That is no concern for Kent “Generic 101 interview: plug the song, plug ‘Smallzy’ Small, however, with Smallzy’s the album, and out they go,” says Small Surgery scoring as the highest rated Nights dismissively. show across the country. And just last week, the 10-year Nova veteran picked up Instead, provided they hit it off, he’ll uncover an ACRA for Best Entertainment/Music just little extra something that stands out Presenter for the second year running. from the rest of the interviews – his secret weapon is to ask something mundane (like So what differentiates his show from the “What’s your coffee order in the morning?”) other networks’? He can’t quite say. and follow that conversational thread into unexpected, often personal territory. He “I wouldn't be able to tell you what it is that builds connections into relationships, and wields responsibly the trust and access that I do differently to what someone else is doing,” he says. “I’m blessed to work in an goes with it. environment where I'm allowed to do the things that I like to do. If that wins some As if to illustrate his point, the night before awards along the way fantastic, that's just Small spoke to TMN, he broke the news the icing on the cake. If it gets me a couple of Ed Sheeran’s recent accident – which of number ones in the ratings then I'm also resulted in the guitar-toting superstar very blessed.” breaking both arms – to the world. And it’s not as simple as just sticking around “My official line on the scoop with Ed last for a decade – Small says he’s earned that night is just to say [that] Nova and Ed flexibility by balancing “Everything you do Sheeran, we're blessed to have a close that you haven't been told to do is a risk, and relationship that has formed over the if it pays off and it works well then yeehaw, years,” he explains. “When you have a close that's awesome. It allows a little bit more relationship these things can pay dividends. freedom.[…] it's less to do with the time that I've been with the business, more with the “Let me tell you, it was certainly consistency and the results that breeds the unexpected last night. When I freedoms to back a new song or interview found that out originally, I was someone that I think should be interviewed.” like ‘Oh shit!’ Number one: I hope Small refers to his role as a form of content [he’s] okay. Number two: no one curation. “You’re bringing together all of else in the world knows this, what the pieces in a world that is so busy and so does one do with this information noisy, you curate the songs and things that right now?” you think are most important or relevant for your audience.” Popular demand as well as what tests well ST helps drive the Smallzy’s Surgery “Then I knew he was aligning AT playlist – whether it’s an international himself with the walk for up and comer, a big established ST TS S name or a hometown hero. Unusually the brain cancer cure. I was amongst local radio hosts, Small like, ‘Well if we can play your doesn’t even pay lip service to the songs and interview you idea of favouring Aussie artists. “I when times are good then the don't ever view [programming choices through] the lens of, ‘This is an least I can do is in your time Australian artist, we should support of need stand by you, and that’, or ‘This is Taylor Swift's new shine a light to your cause, record, we should support that’. That and raise some money for it.’” 10 does not happen. Good songs are good songs, and that's generally the At the time of writing, Small has only lens I put through it. raised a total of $2975 for the walk, 10 Years Working for while Team Johnny in total has raised Nova Of course, the fans – who are $18850. famously vocal on social media – do have a say. “I'm led by the audience So what’s Small’s coffee order? A too,” he admits. “Sometimes there are skim latte, made at home – because things that they are onto way before for him, that extra effort makes all the I'm onto it and I'll take their lead on it, difference. because who am I to argue with what the people want, right?” 2 “Yeah, life's too short for shit coffee. That's my takeaway. Particularly when Recently Smallzy threw all his support you work shift hours as well. I'm here behind Johnny Ruffo’s ‘Team Johnny’ 2 ACRA’s for Best 'til 11:00 at night some days. You have for walk4brain cancer, after Ruffo Entertainment/Music to really look after yourself. Presenter (2 years in a announced he’d been diagnosed with row) the disease earlier this year. “That was my one thing that I was asked at the [ACRAs]: ‘What advice “That literally could be any would you give to younger people one of us,” reflects Small. and people in the biz?’ Look after “I've known Johnny for years. yourself. It's taken me 33 years to get If someone was to ask me, to that point but you've got to look after yourself because this business… #1 ‘Who can you imagine is you give so much to it. When you're doing it tough?’ He's the last creative, and I'm sure you know this, person I would think would when you're creative you can keep #1 FM night show in be doing it tough. I was going, and going, and going, and Sydney going. shocked.” I'd do this for free I love it so much. The revelation inspired him to do Otherwise you'll have this amazing some research to better understand gig or create this amazing experience the scope of the issue. “1600 Aussies and set up for your life, but you'll be in are diagnosed with brain cancer every bad condition or bad health, or don't #1 year. […] Here is a guy that everybody have a social circle of friends or family would think would be the last person around to share it with. That's my big to cop a health moment like that” learning. #1 night show overall in continues Small. Brisbane AUSTRALIAN SINGLES REPORT October 23, 2017 Compiled by The Music Network© FREE SIGN UP Hot 100 Aircheck spins, weighted with audience data & time of spins #1 hot 100 Too Good At Goodbyes 1 Sam Smith | EMI too good at goodbyes Perfect Sam Smith | EMI 2 Ed Sheeran | WMA what about us 3 P!NK | SME Sam Smith takes over the top spot on the latest TMN Hot 100 with ‘Too Good At Goodbyes’, his first friends ever #1 on the chart. P!NK’s ‘What About Us’ has fallen to #3 as her other singles ‘Beautiful Trauma’ 4 Justin Bieber & Bloodpop... and ‘Revenge’ ft. Eminem gradually increase their presence. Havana 5 Camila Cabello | SME Camila Cabello is enjoying a late burst of airplay with her hometown track ‘Havana’ ft. Young Thug. 6 feel it still It's peaking at #5 this week with Nova really upping their commitment to the Cuban-born singer. Portugal. The Man | WMA Melbourne’s Nova 100 and Adelaide’s Nova 919 spun the track 51 times each over the past week. 7 Dusk till Dawn ZAYN | SME Prior to the release of her radio-slaying track ‘Sorry Not Sorry’, Demi Lovato never had a Top 10 single new rules 8 Dua Lipa | WMA as a lead artist. She’s put out six studio albums with an abundance of singles on each, yet Aussie radio sorry not sorry has never caught on. Now she’s enjoying an uninterrupted five-week run in the bracket with ‘Sorry Not 9 Demi Lovato | UMA Sorry’, remaining steady at #9 for another week. I Like Me Better 10 Lauv | IND Good Old Days 11 Macklemore | WMA glorious #1 MOST ADDED TO RADIO 12 Macklemore | WMA praying let you down 13 Kesha | SME Peking Duk ft. Icona Pop | SME Too Much To Ask 14 Niall Horan | EMI 15 body like a back road It was another blow-out week of radio additions with Peking Duk’s ‘Let You Down’ ft. Icona Pop being Sam Hunt | UMA thoroughly adopted across commercial. 16 thunder Imagine Dragons | UMA Hit commercial stations were firm supporters, as was the entire Hit Regional Network. Both Nova and Without You 17 Avicii | UMA Hit nights hosts Smallzy and Ash London added the single to their respective playlists, while the ACE rockstar Radio network also backed the track. 18 Post Malone | UMA Post Malone’s ‘rockstar’ follow-up track ‘I Fall Apart’ – the first single from his debut LP Stoney – also beautiful trauma 19 P!NK | SME went well this week.