Michael's still an idol! 'MY SONG FOR FREDDY'

The Kiwi star's heartfelt contribution was a family affair

- Kasia De Vydt-Jillings

Sprawled in a slick leopard-print suit worthy of a rock star, with princesses, a pirate, a superhero, an astronaut and more around him for a Make-A-Wish Aotearoa campaign, musician Michael Murphy felt compelled to do more to help the worthy organisation.

Then it came to him: “We should be writing a song!”

In just one week, the new single The Waiting Room was written, recorded and uploaded to streaming platforms as a gift to Make-A-Wish.

“It was an absolute whirlwind,” beams Michael, whose sons Archie, nine, and Harry, six, feature on the track with their mates. “We wrote it on Thursday with Davie Wong [Michael’s Written By Wolves bandmate], recorded it on Friday, and on Saturday I got all our friends and their kids over for a barbecue and put the kids in the studio. The following Thursday, it was uploaded, ready for release.”

Creating a song for the cause had a special significance for Michael, who first hit our screens as the 17-year-old runner-up of the first season of NZ Idol in 2004 - Archie’s best friend Freddy was diagnosed with leukaemia six years ago.