Latest news with #TobyGad
ABC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
How The Veronicas' 'Untouched' became their Hottest 100 debut in 2025
Please stand for your national anthem and number three placegetter in the Hottest 100 of Australian songs — 'Untouched' by The Veronicas. Written in Los Angeles by the sister duo of Jess and Lisa Origliasso, with German producer and songwriter Toby Gad whose credits include Beyoncé, John Legend, Fergie, Nicole Scherzinger and more), 'Untouched' explores the all-encompassing longing that's felt when you're physically separated from those you love. In The Veronicas' case, being on the other side of the world and away from their family in their early 20s. Released in 2007 and recognised as the Australian response to alternative pop icons like Avril Lavigne and P!NK, 'Untouched' was the first single in the US and UK from Hook Me Up, The Veronicas' second album, and delivered the sisters their first taste of international attention. Defying the hesitations of their record label at the time, 'Untouched' peaked at number two in Australia, number one in Ireland and reached the top 10 in Czech Republic, Canada, the Netherlands, the UK and New Zealand. Locking in double platinum in the US, and platinum in Australia and Ireland, 'Untouched' truly established The Veronicas as a pop force to be reckoned with. But it had never made a Hottest 100 countdown, until now. The power-pop heater opens with those iconic strings and then explodes into its fast-paced lyricism and tempo to match. It's certifiably a speedy song. Sitting at 177 BPM, 'Untouched' is one of the most amped-up tracks in the entire Hottest 100 of Australian Songs, narrowly behind Amyl and the Sniffers' 'Hertz' at 185 BPM. Something about them just makes you want to get up and go , and that's in the beat. The music video is an iconic piece of Australian cinematic history in itself. Filmed at the Marble Bar at Sydney's Hilton Hotel, it captures the essence of edgy teen fashion in the mid-2000s. Black lace, sweeping fringes, heavy eyeliner — a gothic, baroque moment seen throughout the era (looking at you, Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy). It's no surprise that The Veronicas launched their own fashion range in major Australian department stores shortly after. While 'Untouched' had its time in pop culture around the time of its release — notably in TV series such as The Hills and 90210 — the song lived primarily in '00s pop party and throwback playlists until it found a renewed audience with the queer community. After Jessica was outed by tabloids at age 20, and just beginning her career, she famously dated Ruby Rose on and off from 2008 to 2018. She later got engaged to her partner Alex Smith in late 2022. "It was weird to have it written about so publicly because you don't really see that anymore. I was 20," Jessica told Stellar Magazine in 2023. "I didn't want to give them an answer because I didn't know what the answer was at the time. Labels were loaded back then. But all our fans knew I was queer; I wrote about it in so many songs." Fast forward to 2019 where the pair introduced 'Untouched' at LA Pride as "the national gay anthem", cementing the LGBTQIA+ community as the custodians of the power pop hit. "People say that we gave the gays 'Untouched,' but it was actually the gays that gave us 'Untouched'." "Because we literally grew up influenced by all the music that was defining queer culture," Jessica told Nylon Magazine in 2019. "So, of course, we were going to go on to create music that reflected that. 'Untouched' doesn't say 'I want to kiss a girl,' that's 'Take Me on the Floor'. There's no overt language in 'Untouched', but it's something about that song." Back home in Australia, The Veronicas struck the sweet spot when they joined Allday at Splendour In The Grass in 2019, bringing a whack of 2000s nostalgia to the stage. Their trap-infused remix of the song countless young Aussies had on their childhood iPods catapulted Jessica and Lisa into the zeitgeist, and ushered in a whole generation of new fans. This new legion of fans showed their love for the track in the way a chronically-online generation knows how: memes. Lots and lots of memes. Most recently, 'Untouched' has featured in the psychological supernatural horror Bring Her Back by fellow Australian power twins, Danny and Michael Philippou. "You're always trying to find songs that tie into the themes of the film or tie into something we're trying to convey," Danny told triple j. "And Laura's a character that when she's in these uncomfortable situations, she blasts music to try and cope with her nerves." So how do The Veronicas feel about a track they wrote 17 years ago having new life breathed into it? "It's literally the dream as a songwriter and as a performer," Lisa told Lucy Smith in 2023. "It was the first song for our second album. For us we took everything that we learned and we took a risk with 'Untouched' because at the time the genre and style of music that it was wasn't being played on radio. Lady Gaga hadn't even come out yet, so electro pop rock just wasn't a thing. "For this to be the blueprint of The Veronicas that people really feel like solidifies our sound is, for us, just the highest compliment." 'Untouched' is a song that has lasted the test of time, seen an artist through the bell curve of rising, falling and rising popularity, and now reached the podium of the best Australian Songs. The Veronicas are truly untouchable.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Paloma Faith stuns in a nude diamond-embellished catsuit as she joins glamorous Megan McKenna for Toby Gad's star-studded Sunset Concert at The Shard
Paloma Faith looked nothing short of sensational as she joined Megan McKenna at songwriter Toby Gad's Sunset Concert at The Shard in London on Wednesday. The singer, 43, turned heads in a nude, diamond-embellished catsuit, posing up a storm for the cameras. She layered the dazzling ensemble with an oversized black double-breasted blazer and added extra height with a pair of silver metallic platform heels. Radiating high spirits, Paloma joined Toby on stage to welcome guests to the event. For the special occasion, Toby opted for a stylish black knit jumper featuring exposed white stitching. He completed the look with baggy black trousers as he beamed alongside Paloma on stage. Meanwhile, Megan, 32, cut a stylish figure in a black frilly crop top and chic brown leather bomber jacket. Flashing her toned midriff, the former TOWIE star teamed the look with light blue wide-leg jeans, a black woven leather belt and green trainers, carrying her essentials in a black cross-body bag. The beauty looked in her element as she took to the stage for a special performance for Toby and his VIP guests. Hosted by The View from The Shard, the exclusive one-night-only concert featured a lineup of incredible talent, including Paloma, Megan, Victoria Canal, RuthAnne Cunningham, the Morassi String Quartet and more. Toby, 57, is the hitmaker behind global anthems like John Legend's All Of Me, Beyonce's If I Were A Boy, Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry and tracks from Madonna's Rebel Heart album. Guests were also treated to the first live performance of his latest single Run (Piano Diaries), a long-lost collaboration with the late disco legend Donna Summer, recorded during sessions for her Crayons album and released with the blessing of her family. Paloma's attendance at the event comes after she pulled out all the stops as she attended the star-studded Butterfly Ball at London's Dorchester Hotel last month. The Only Love Can Hurt Like This hitmaker turned heads as she put on a leggy display in a striking white gown by Ronald van der Kemp. The statement dress featured a semi-sheer embroidered lace bodice, an asymmetric pleated neckline, and a dramatic high-slit skirt that showed off her toned pins. The singer elevated her look with black patent bow heels and gold pearl drop earrings, while styling her blonde locks in a unique French braided updo. She joined Caudwell Children founder John Caudwell, 72, and his glamorous partner Modesta Vžesniauskaitė, 41, on the carpet for several snaps ahead of the lavish event. The Butterfly Ball is an annual fundraising gala hosted by Caudwell Children, a charity dedicated to supporting disabled and autistic children across the UK.
Perth Now
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Fergie nearly rejected biggest hit Big Girls Don't Cry
Fergie's biggest hit Big Girls Don't Cry nearly didn't get released by the singer. The song's co-writer, Toby Gad, was concerned that the it wasn't going to make the cut on the former Black Eyed Peas star's 2006 debut solo album, The Dutchess, and claimed that she had to be "convinced" by label bosses to put it on the LP. He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "Big Girls Don't Cry wasn't going to be Fergie's song, and in the end, Jimmy Iovine and my manager David Sonnenberg were the ones who convinced Fergie in the end, it must be on her album. "And just before the album came out, I was looking at the online tracklisting and the song was not on there. I was panicking "And then when the album came out, I saw that it was actually on the album, and I was so relieved. And then it ended up as a fourth single, and the world loved it." Big Girls Don't Cry - which was produced by her former bandmate - was a huge hit that year, topping the Billboard Hot 100, and me Fergie the first female artist with three number-one singles from one album since Christina Aguilera in 2000.
