• • • • • Sam Sparro has vivid memories of the first time he was complimented on his remarkable voice. The flamboyant Australian singer grew up with church music, and when the family moved from Sydney to Los Angeles, he became a child star on the West Coast gospel circuit. The singing didn't stop after church, either. His dad, Chris Falson, was a Baptist minister, and the custom after most services was to retire to a nearby house for some food and more songs around the piano.

Sam Sparro Album: “Sam Sparro”. Although Sam Sparro was born in Australia, he's set down roots in both Los Angeles and London, and his international trajec.

It was there that young Sam first encountered Chaka Khan. Free as a bird: Sam Sparro has found Britain more tolerant than the United States When someone told Khan, one of the world's leading soul stars, about a new gospel track that she should consider recording, 11-year-old Sam offered to sing it for her. The superstar was mightily impressed at what she heard. 'Damn,' she said.

'That white boy can sing!' Today, 14 years on, that boy is one of 2008's most engaging and accessible new talents. A purveyor of electronic dance music that is meaty and melodic, he has taken the mantle of blueeyed soul singers such as George Michael and Jamiroquai and blended that with the kitsch disco beats of the Scissor Sisters and Mika. The results have been encouraging. Sparro's hypnotic debut hit, Black And Gold, is already one of the year's best-selling singles, while next week's sequel, 21st Century Life, is shaping up to follow suit. But Sam, now 25, hasn't forgotten his humble gospel roots - or Chaka Khan.

'As a child, I was always around a lot of gospel music,' he says, chatting backstage just minutes after an electrifying London show. Gameshark Codes For Pokemon Sapphire Vba more. 'That's how the Chaka Khan thing happened. 'I was young and bolshie.

I didn't even know who she was, so I got up and sang a number for her. Later on, once I'd realised that she was one of the best funk and soul singers ever, I became a huge fan. Support: Sam Sparro counts Mark Ronson among his celebrity fans 'My mum and dad are loving, generous and open-minded, so everything turned out fine in the end. I think it's always best to be honest with people about who you are. Rockers Hi Fi Dj Kicks Rarest. ' After moving briefly back to Sydney when he was 16, Sparro - who takes his stage name from an Australian radio character called Sammy Sparrow - relocated to London in 2000 and began making music in earnest, although his earliest songs never made it beyond his front room. Another move - this time back to LA - finally gave him the opportunity he craved.

Paying the rent for a Hollywood apartment by taking a day-job with a music publisher, he hooked up with his musical partner Jesse Rogg (who produces and co-manages him), and began making waves on the LA dance underground. A rough demo version of Black And Gold - funded by a grant from Sam's grandparents Ron and Gill - was released as an independent EP last year and the singer soon found himself swamped by praise and signed to Island Records. One of his earliest champions was DJ Mark Ronson, who e-mailed him out of the blue. 'Support from people like Mark kept me going,' says Sam.

'He's a sweet, humble guy and a great person to be around. If I hear someone speak badly about him, I'll always leap to his defence.' Like his hero, Prince, Sparro is writing for other people, too.

But while he has penned songs for Lindsay Lohan, the priority is his own career - one that continues to take flight. 'I'm touring until the end of the year, but I'm itching to get back into the studio,' he says. 'I want to top my first record because I know I can make an even better album.' • 21st Century Life is out on Monday.

Sam Sparro plays the Global Gathering festival near Stratford-upon-Avon tomorrow and the V Festival in August. His British tour starts on September 23 at the ABC Glasgow.