Leo Sayer’s secret weapon before global fame? A clown costume
Leo Sayer’s secret weapon before global fame? A clown costume
Leo Sayer’s secret weapon before global fame? A clown costume
Gary Oberholzer
Leo Sayer’s secret weapon before global fame? A clown costume
Before Leo Sayer became one of the biggest hitmakers of the 1970s, he was a shy boy from Sussex hiding behind white clown makeup just to get on stage.
As HOT 102.7 News marks his 78th birthday, the story behind the voice of hits like You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, When I Need You and Thunder in My Heart reveals a performer who almost never found the confidence to step into the spotlight at all.
Sayer reflects on the insecurity that shaped his early career — and how performing as a Pierrot clown became a kind of emotional armour while he was still finding his identity as an artist.
The transformation worked. By the mid-1970s, Leo Sayer was a global superstar, with his first seven UK singles all reaching the Top 10 — a remarkable run that established him as one of the defining voices of the decade.
Click below to hear how Gerald Sayer became “Leo” — and the surprising story behind the famous curls, the makeup, and the stage name that helped launch a global career:
Images: facebook.com/LeoSayerMusic
What many fans may not realise is that Sayer was also a gifted songwriter long before his solo fame exploded. He co-wrote Giving It All Away, which became Roger Daltrey’s first solo hit in 1973.
There were setbacks too. Sayer has spoken openly about signing poor early contracts that cost him financially, but he never stopped performing — and never stopped creating. Even now, more than five decades after his breakthrough, he continues to tour internationally and release new music from his adopted home in Australia, where he became a citizen in 2009.
And at 78, Leo Sayer still sounds convinced that his next great song could be just around the corner.
