Singer Caeleb “Zander” Doughty chatted about performing and singing for Magic Men Australia and his own musical influences.
Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” This quote applies to Zander.
He has been performing with the popular Australian male revue since June of 2022. He is drawn to Magic Men due to the camaraderie he has with his fellow performers. “It is really good to be around everyone,” he said. “All the guys are good people. Will Parfitt is a very content person and he is humble as well.”
“It is pretty cool to be their singer,” he admitted. “It may be daunting at times because I also run all the audio for the shows, so I am behind the DJ booth for most of it, and I am doing backups and performing. I like it.”
Zander had great words about fellow performer Jeff Conelius. “Jeff is awesome and a sweetheart, he is a really funny dude. He has a big heart,” he said. “A lot of the Brisbane boys are full of life, and they have so much talent. They have good energy to them, and they just want to make people happy. I love them all so much, they are kind and gentle people.”
He also records his own music, such as his latest tunes “All Night” and “Mood.” “Those songs are very slow R&B,” he said. “When I sit down and write these songs, they come from a place that makes one feel like they are in that situation. I will draw inspiration from many sources but I try to stay current. I like to let my beats to do all the talking, they are very melodic. It all comes from the beats. Magic Men gives me a platform.”
“I love making music, my life revolves around music,” he acknowledged. “If I am at home and I am not trying to make music, I would be sitting on my couch playing the guitar or the piano or something like that. It’s my entire life, basically. I enjoy every single second of it.”
Zander listed global music star Chris Brown as one of his biggest musical influences. “Chris Brown is the G.O.A.T. He is an insane artist because he is able to dance and sing at the same time,” he said.
For young and aspiring performers, he said, “Do it because you want to do it and not because other people are doing it. That’s something that I see all too often. A lot of people want to perform but they don’t want to put the work in.”
On being an artist in the digital age, he said, “Honestly, I would have preferred to be doing it in the analog days, when there were CDs and vinyl. That would have been so dope. That was a cool era.”
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Growth.” “It’s all about growth, I just want to grow, that’s all it is, learn new things everyday as an artist and as a person. I want to be the best version of myself for people and not just for myself,” he said.
On his definition of success, he said, “The feeling of being content with myself. That’s as simple as it is. Being happy that I have done all I can do to get to where I want to be.”
For his fans, he expressed his appreciation. “I love and adore every single one of my fans. I respond to every single person that messages me and I always thank them and let them know how much I appreciate them. I love to do that, it’s important to me and it means a lot to me when people support my music,” he said.
To learn more about singer and entertainer Caeleb “Zander” Doughty, follow him on Instagram.
For more information on Magic Men Australia, visit their website and follow them on Instagram.
