PETER Andre's music has been called funky, dance-beat and rap so it might not occur to many that he might also be a die-hard fan of Motown, the genre that spawned the soulful sounds of Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson.
That is just how he likes it because he believes ''you can't do Motown [as Detroit is known] unless you are born and bred in Motown''.
He goes on: ''I want my music to be a bit more in touch with nowadays generation. But Motown is definitely my biggest influence.'' Andre was born in London but did most of his growing up in Australia, and his love of the music took root a long time ago.
''For 12 years in London, Motown music was all I listened to day in, day out. When my family moved to Oz, I found Motown was still all over me.'' His debut album Peter Andre was released last November and so far four singles have been released, the latest being Take It To The Top.
''This is my favourite. It was written about being with a girl and making the relationship the best thing possible. But for me, it means taking it to the top musically,'' he said.
''I have a strategy for writing songs. I always write a song and imagine what it would be like six months after.'' That way people would still want to hear the numbers later on, he says.
