34. Sam Sparro
Australian born singer/songwriter and music producer, Sam Sparro (born Sam Falson) was destined to be in the music business from the start. When Sparro was only 10, his father, Chris Falson, signed a record deal to create a soul album and moved his entire family from Sydney to Los Angeles. While in L.A. Sparro got a start as a child actor and was featured in McDonald’s commercials. Sparro also lent his vocals to his father’s albums and was a common back-up singer at his dad’s shows. Sparro released his debut single “Cottonmouth” in 2007, but it was his follow-up single “Black and Gold” that peaked the charts and created numerous covers from the likes of Wale,Ellie Goulding, Adele, and more. Producers Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse) and Paul Epworth (Florence + the Machine, Bloc Party) worked with Sparro on his self-titled debut album, which reached the top 5 on the UK Album Charts. Openly gay, Sparro has been dubbed a “gay superhero.” He chose to come out at the start of his career so that, in Sparro’s words, “gay teenagers don’t have to get the shit kicked out of them in school and think that they’re a horrible person. It’s easier to be an ‘out’ pop star today. Morrissey never came out, and Neil Tennant left it very, very late, whereas Jake Shears was open from the start.” Sparro is currently working on his sophomore album to be released in 2011.
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