‘He Filled The Room’: Big Pig’s Sherine Abeyratne Recalls Working With Michael Hutchence

Sisters Sherine and Zan Abeyratne were a key part of the Australian music scene in the 1980s, both as vocalists of bands Big Pig and I’m Talking, but also as in-demand backing singers. In Episode 2 of podcast A Journey Through Aussie Pop, Sherine explains how she ended up singing background vocals on INXS’s Burn For You and touring with the band for The Swing. And she reflects on the legacy of the late Michael Hutchence.

“That guy was a true freakin’ rock star,” she says. “When he walked in a room… he filled the room. There is no one else like Michael Hutchence and there won’t be. Look at his videos, look at his performances – how phenomenal. He was such a unique person. Just went too fast. I’d be curious to know where he’d be today, but his legacy is strong.”

The sisters’ voices can be heard on other Australian classics of the era like Models' Barbados and Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight, and Kids In The Kitchen’s Something That You Said.

“We didn’t set out to just be backing vocalists necessarily, but the artists we got asked to sing with were so phenomenal, that it was like, why not?” Sherine says.

The twins also discuss the impact their own bands had – from Big Pig’s dazzling mix of percussion, bold imagery (those aprons!), and driving tunes like Breakaway and Hungry Town, to I’m Talking’s more club-oriented groove in a scene dominated by pub rock.

“It was almost like we were a breath of fresh air,” Zan says about I'm Talking, in which she shared vocal duties with Kate Ceberano. “I think we presented something different at the time, which was probably how we cut through.”

Listen to A Journey Through Aussie Pop on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all major podcast platforms or at chartbeats.com.au/aussie.