Australian singer-songwriter Alex Lloyd will share the most personal account of his career in an episode of Australian Story airing August 18th.
The 50-year-old musician, best known for his 2001 hit “Amazing”, has spoken publicly for the first time about the addiction that derailed his life and career for more than a decade.
Lloyd, who has won four ARIA Awards and released four hit albums, says his troubles began after a 2009 court case in which he was accused of plagiarising “Amazing”. The case, which was later dropped, forced him to revisit difficult periods in his life.
“That court case made me go back to a place I didn’t want to go back to,” Lloyd said. “I was the happiest guy on the planet before that.”
Following the trial, Lloyd experienced depression, alcohol abuse, and significant weight gain. Chronic neck pain then led to a dependence on prescription medication, which he describes as a “five-year deadly addiction.”
“I had no idea what I was getting into with that drug,” he said.
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Lloyd credits his four children and a new creative partnership with helping him through his recovery.
“People saw the worst side of me, but I had the music I was performing and that saved my arse,” he said.
Now almost three years sober, Lloyd is preparing to release his first new collection of music in 12 years.
Australian Story has a long history of profiling prominent Australian musicians, including Nick Cave, Cold Chisel, Bon Scott, and members of Silverchair and Parkway Drive. The program also covers a wide range of Australians with remarkable stories, from cricket commentator Bharat Sundaresan to Jim Rogers, who is living with younger-onset Alzheimer’s.
Australian Story airs Monday, August 18th at 8pm on ABC TV and ABC iview. The episode, Dark Star – Alex Lloyd, offers an exclusive look at the musician’s life and career.
