NINA SIMONE - HEGARTY: 'I'M NOT ORIGINAL'

Singer ANTONY HEGARTY is bemused when his unique talent is likened to the voices of NINA SIMONE and ELVIS PRESLEY - he claims he is simply a blend of every musician that has ever influenced him.

The ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS frontman can't understand the fuss that's being made about his voice.

He says, "The comparisons I have had with Nina Simone and others are just ridiculous and outrageous. I really don't hear it at all.

"I don't think there's anything particularly original about my voice. It's just an amalgamation of all those who have inspired me.

"I really feel that if you followed the trail of breadcrumbs through the musicians I have followed and listened to since I was a kid then you'd come up with my voice."