The multi-platinum record-selling hit maker who sings We Built This City and Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now says he is a fan of New Zealand teen singing sensation Lorde.
''I like her. I like the production values [of Royals and Tennis Court] - it's very atmospheric and very moody,'' Mikey Thomas, lead vocalist of Starship, said from Los Angeles.
Thomas became lead singer of a band aged just 15 after being inspired by seeing the Beatles live.
He was lead vocalist on Fooled Around and Fell in Love with the Elvin Bishop Band in 1976, but entered pop super-stardom as the frontman of Jefferson Starship in 1979.
The band secured the No 1 spot with Jane, streamlined their name and continued with a string of hits, including No Way Out, We Built This City, Sara, the Academy Award-nominated Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, Find Your Way Back, Stranger and It's Not Over Till It's Over.
Thomas said he was excited about playing with Starship bandmates Stephanie Calvert (vocals), Mark Abrahamian (guitar), Phil Bennett (keyboards), Jeff Adams (bass guitar) and Darrell Verdusco on drums, and alongside old touring buddies in Lynyrd Skynyrd and 10cc.
''It's the first time we've ever been to New Zealand in the history of Starship, Jefferson Starship, Jefferson Airplane. None of the entities of the band have ever been to New Zealand and I've never been.''
Tickets are now on sale for the Summer Concert Tour starring Lynyrd Skynyrd, Starship and 10cc, which all play live at Gibbston Valley Winery on February 15.
We Built This City and Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now have become beloved anthems of the 1980s, but Thomas said he was not initially convinced they would be hits.
''We got offered Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now, which appeared in the movie Mannequin, and when I first got the demo I thought, 'This is kind of cute, kind of different - maybe we can interpret it in this pop R'n'B way.
''Honestly, I thought it would be something that would be an interesting experiment and fun, but it would probably just go away.
''Instead, couples come up to me all the time and say, 'Oh, that's our wedding song', or 'That's our first date song', or 'He proposed to me to that song', and that's very nice.''
