Winner Cam (centre) flanked by second-place winners Nerina and Grace, with third place winner Jason at the back. A handsome crooner with a background in country has proven to be the king of the most urban of karaoke contests. Cameron "Cam Cam" Clayton, 25, beat a variety of performers who pulled out everything from double acts, to shirtless singing, to pole dancing to win Sing 4 Your Life, the final of Family's karaoke competition. Though there was plenty of talent on offer at the K' Rd gay bar, the judges were wowed by his voice and stage presence and gave him first prize for his two songs; Robbie Williams' Have You Met Miss Jones and Jason Mraz's I'm Yours. He says he loves Williams' Swing When You're Winning album and I'm Yours is his favourite song, which is a standard when he is handed a guitar. "They just seemed like songs that I could have fun with and that hopefully the crowd enjoyed," he tells GayNZ.com Daily News. He is still digesting the fact he won, saying he was numb from when his name was read out until he was leaving Family, "I couldn't sit still, and had to jump around for no reason and squeal like a little girl for a while ... So exciting!" Clayton started singing country music when he was just 10-years-old and still belts out country to this day. He adds the Family karaoke title to a long list including NZ Entertainer of the year, Gore Gold Guitar Overall Winner, trans-Tasman Entertainer of the year and NZ Songwriter of the year, all of which he picked before the age of 20. "Now that I am 25 and with the experience that I have had in the country music industry I am now considered a veteran, so much so that I am Judging this year at the Gore Gold Guitar awards," he says. "As well as country I've done a lot of theatre with my favourite role to date as Angel in the 2009 production of Rent at the Civic Theatre as well as about another 15 other shows in my time and I plan to do a lot more." Despite his pedigree, Clayton says making a career out of music is harder than it seems. "The industry is very competitive and I think I will need to go overseas and try my luck there," he says. During the day he works in a call centre, which he says pays his rent and helps him do what he loves. He has a trip for two to Sydney to look forward to, a prize he will share with his best friend who celebrated his birthday the night before the final. "He has been one of my biggest fans for the past eight years that I have known him and we have never been away together by ourselves so this will be a first," Clayton says. Second place went to the girl-power double act of Grace and Nerina who were all sass and class, while the stripping, strapping rocker Jason was awarded third place.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Wednesday, 13th April 2011 - 4:48pm