GO-JO: A SHOWMAN

Vasili Papathanasopoulos
Jul 7
19 min read

Updated: Jul 28

JULY 2025

Photographs by Vasili Papathanasopoulos.

Hailing from Western Australia, Marty Zambotto, better known globally as singing sensation Go-Jo, grew up on a self-sustaining property with his parents and siblings. They spent their afternoons and weekends away from the television, and instead embraced the outdoors and their own creativity. “We get very creative on the property and playing games to come out with traps to try to catch footsteps that we'd hear at 4:00 AM and we thought were ghosts. There was so many things that we would think about creatively.” He notes these earlier days are where his individuality began to spur; he calls it his ‘weirdness.’ Without the influence of television, iPad’s and the modern tropes of childhood, Zambotto and his siblings, including a twin sister, were able to form their own experiences on love, respect, nature and surroundings. “It allowed me to think on my own, all the time.”

A launching pad for his musical endeavours, he cites his mother and father filling the home with music and the staple So Fresh CDs as two pivotal influences that led him towards being an artist. “My mum, she was a front woman in a band in the eighties and they'd done a massive regional tour around Western Australia and she would often tell us about her stories. Her voice is still like nothing I've ever heard. It's a very unique voice she has. It's very, a very soft tone and I remember she used to sing to me a lot growing up.” I ask him if he would ever invite his mother on stage to perform together. He tells me his parents have yet to experience a Go-Jo live show and takes a pause to text his mother, asking her to join him on-stage at his hometown show. “Can you come on stage with me in Perth to sing a song? I think it would be very special,” he sends. Zambotto tells me she toured throughout regional Western Australia. “It was just those things that I would always remember of just being like, ‘music is so beautiful.” I ask him if the musical gene has been passed throughout his siblings, to which he responds yes - however is quick to note he is the only sibling to have pursued it. “My brother plays an instrument, he just does it as a hobby. My sister started playing violin for a little bit, but they all have such a good ear. I've written songs with my brother before, and he's never done anything like that. He doesn't write music or anything, but I knew when we wrote that song if he pursued this, he'd have a very serious talent. So I think it is in us, but it just hasn't been explored in all of us.”

Top, Jean Paul Gautier. Jeans, Wrangler. Jewellery, Gucci and Vivienne Westwood.

At the age of nineteen, Zambotto set his sights on a career in music. Prior, he had written very few songs, “I didn't really know a formula of [how to write] a song.” As his journey continued, he was exposed to the ways of creating music, and how accessible it can be. “I suppose just consciously [I] would’ve assumed that it was just created out thin air essentially. I just didn't think about the fine print of it. It wasn't until I found out that all you need is a computer to make music because, you know, everything is so accessible as a musician these days - all you need is a computer.” I tell him my first exposure to the process of songwriting and creating was in Los Angeles with Sydney-based artist, SALTY. Having sat in on a studio session with her, observing a piece of art brought to fruition from thin air truly is a marvel.

Having seen a friend creating songs on his laptop, an obsession was born for Zambotto. He then booked himself in for singing lessons, and began working alongside his first mentor following a chance encounter that he defines as a ‘sign sent from the universe’. “It came about with this South African producer that had moved to Perth like the day that I decided to go in and do a singing lesson. It was my first ever singing lesson and I had delayed it for months. Then it just so happened to be that exact day he had moved into that studio. I remember I just walked into it and I was like, 'whoa, what is this?' It was kind of like walking into a spaceship for the first time, just seeing all these buttons and parameters and just being like, 'this looks fascinating.' Then he walked in behind me, literally like a voice of God. We started talking and he ended up becoming my biggest like musical director during. He just put me on the course and the passion of what I love doing and where I am now.” Originally, Zambotto intended his first offering to the world to be a cover of Mario’s Let Me Love You, but under the advice of his mentor, shifted to creating original music. He released his debut single, Nobody Like You, in 2016, which was met with a great reception across Indonesia. Serving as his first taste of the business side of the music industry, Zambotto was contacted by industry executives and began to feel the allure of life in the spotlight. “You get really excited because you're like, 'whoa; record label, all this shit, I'm gonna be the next Justin Bieber or whatever.’” However, his path led him towards a longer-haul trip to success. Over the years that followed Zambotto honed in on his craft and explored the crevices of his creativity to arrive at the Go-Jo we meet today. Looking back, he is resolute in the path taken; remaining independent and being given the chance to fully form his creative output. He notes how his naivety regarding the industry at the age of nineteen could have been taken advantage of. His advice to musicians who receive a glimmer of success early on in their careers: “Have you got a lawyer? Because it is like, we focus on what we do - we make music, it's what we've been doing, that's our profession. The business side, it's really important for us to also know the main terms of all those things. But then you have a lawyer who's been studying all that, like give it to them.” I tell him of a podcast I had just listened to, Every Single Album, with guest Miley Cyrus. The bonafide superstar revealed on the podcast that during her earlier days starring as Hannah Montana, she contributed a fair amount to the songwriting for the hit TV shows soundtrack. However at such a young age, and fresh in Hollywood, she and her team were unaware of the importance of pursuing writing credits. It goes to show, Zambotto’s advice of having a good lawyer is applicable at any stage of your career.

Vest, artists own. Scarf, artists own. Jewellery, Gucci and Vivienne Westwood.

Zambotto spent the following years releasing a string of singles and building his fanbase across the globe, utilising social media as a tool. He offers me some insight into a vital encounter that reshaped his approach to digital identity and music promotion. In a reflective account of a chance encounter with fellow Perth musician Sam McGovern, Go-Jo recalls the inspiration sparked during their first meeting - a seemingly ordinary experience in a shopping centre that marked a major shift in his creative strategy. Although they had known of each other through Perth’s tight-knit music scene, it was McGovern's success with TikTok videos that prompted Go-Jo to reconsider his own branding. “We interacted and he was telling me how he has been posting these videos and showed me this video that he did and even the reach that it had and it just triggered something in me. Then I was like, I've really got to rethink about how I'm branding myself.” By taking a critical approach to his previously uploaded content, Zambotto was able to recognise a disconnect between his personal charisma and his online persona. From here, the task was simple: bringing his authentic self to his online persona in an effort to create a true connection online. This signals a broader trend among emerging artists to use platforms such as TikTok not merely for promotion, but as an extension of their artistry and personal narrative. “Throughout my life, I've had a lot of people always be very fascinated by the way I show off. There was this whole part of me that was kind of missing to my online image. So that was when I started incorporating that.”

This reflection revealed the increasingly blurred lines between musicianship and content creation in the digital age. As he began to integrate his self-proclaimed wacky” ideas and unique personality into his videos, approaching video editing with the same narrative focus he brings to songwriting. “I've always got wacky ideas and all these weird ideas, but when it came to finding an editing structure, because I edit all my stuff, I was thinking about how to tell a story through a video. It's kind of like songwriting - it's very similar. It was kind of like this switch that happened and then I learned that the TikTok Instagram algorithms - they're all a fucking beast and they're all something that needs to be learned.” This creative crossover highlights how social media has become a medium not only for exposure but for storytelling - a space where editing and branding are as critical as musical composition. Zambotto's self-taught approach to navigating TikTok and Instagram algorithms underscores the necessity for artists to adapt to rapidly evolving digital landscapes. “You can't walk into a sumo wrestling match without any experience and expect a win. You need to study it, you need to train. So I started experimenting a lot more on all those things.” His metaphor of algorithmic engagement as a “sumo wrestling match” he needed to train for illustrates the intensity and competitiveness of modern music marketing. Through experimentation and persistence, the evolution of Go-Jo reflects a wider understanding that artistic success now often hinges on a fusion of musical talent, self-presentation, and digital fluency.

Suit, artists own. Shirt, artists own. Jewellery, Gucci and Vivienne Westwood.

Whilst Zambotto does acknowledge how these platforms can amplify an artist’s reach, he does place the emphasis of success on the quality of the song itself. “Obviously you can tell a narrative, you can have a viral video with your song in it, but you really have to think about these things in the sense of how can I make a video that's putting the song as the attention?,” he poses. He critiques the more common approach where the song being promoted is used passively in content, and instead urges that the content should place the song as its focal point. Undertaking this approach within his own output, he noticed a more international reach when beginning to tease Mrs Hollywood. “I noticed the videos blew up in America. They were blowing up in Southeast Asia. They were like blowing up across Europe. There is this kind of fundamental versatility that you need to remember these things need as well.” His nuanced understanding of the digital music landscape is refreshing, using it as a tool to really drive his art as opposed to reaching fame. He cites YouTube creator MrBeast as a reason for his broadened understanding on the topic, sharing “MrBeast said something about how before he does videos, he'll run the dialogue of his videos through an age checker, and he always tries to make sure that the dialogue is like year four - that people in year four can understand. The average age is year four that can understand everything that's going on. So it's simplicity as well simplicity is the greatest thing ever.” Adapting this perspective reflects an increasingly important reality for artists: to thrive globally in an algorithm-driven environment, the key to cross-cultural and cross-generational appeal is straightforward messaging that forms itself around the art.

In 2023, Zambotto released his break-out single, Mrs Hollywood. Built atop a bubbling bass line and ear-worm guitar melody, the song has amassed over 100 million streams across all platforms, peaked in the top fifty on the iTunes Charts, and reached viral success on TikTok. I ask him if during the writing process if he felt like he had a hit on his hands. “No, I never know,” he responds. “Whenever I write a song, I'm always like, this is my favourite song. Anyone that knows me, who I play my music to, will always quote that. Every time I play them a song I say, 'this one's my favourite one,' and they're like, 'oh, I've heard that one before.' It follows that step thing, right? It's like you just keep making music that you're proud of and that you think is better and better. You just gotta keep releasing music until something lands, but you never know what's gonna land.” The process of writing Mrs Hollywood differed for Zambotto, who says he always intends to enter a writing session prepared with song ideas, lyrics, musical motifs and more. “I think that was the quickest song I've ever written. I wrote the hook in an Uber on the way to a session. I have a sign up in my studio that says, luck favours the prepared. I always follow that before I go into a session, I always wanna have a few things up my sleeve, like hook melodies or lyrical concepts. But I remember going into this session, I had nothing. I remember I was in the Uber, I was like, 'I've gotta think of something.' The tire in the Uber was making this rhythm like a BPM - I think there was a groove in the road or something - and it was like a very slow tempo. That was when I started singing that, and then I took that into the session.” Lyrically, the song was inspired by a fleeting flame and mixed connection. “It was funny because I was actually speaking to someone at the time, and her name was Mia. That was where the song came from because we were supposed to hang out a lot when I was on that trip to LA. But she had to fly to Milan straight away to go do some acting stuff. So that was when it was like, you know, missing in action. "She's always MIA," which is the acronym of her name.”

Jeans, Wrangler. Jewellery, Gucci and Vivienne Westwood.

It is easy to assume that Go-Jo was an overnight success with the scope and reach of Mrs Hollywood. But that thought undermines years of hard work and dedication. “That's the one thing I don't like about social media as much, is that people are very quick to judge and people are very quick to - exactly what you said - see an artist just having a lot of success at the moment and you just look at them, and you just frame up this entire narrative of their life. When you don't know how much hard work these people have put in.” By this point, Zambotto was seven years into his career. Reflecting on those earlier years, he places an emphasis on the intensity and consistency of his dedication, sharing with me that music has been a daily part of his life since he began all those years ago. His devotion extended beyond just songwriting and performing; he undertook extensive research and learning to familiarise himself with the structural workings of the music business. When a flurry of record labels approached him in 2023, Zambotto was not only artistically mature, but also strategically prepared - knowing precisely what he wanted from those negotiations. His experience with the single Mrs. Hollywood is particularly illustrative: despite initially receiving no responses after sending demos of an unreleased EP that featured the song to a dozen labels, he recalls on conversations with Sony Music and City Pop Records, it was only after publicly teasing the track that more labels began showing interest. This anecdote not only reflects the reactive nature of the industry, but also reinforces Zambotto’s belief that artists must build their own value before seeking label support. As he asserts, “every artist, they need to work on themselves and get to the point where labels are doing that because you're never gonna sign a good deal otherwise,” highlighting a broader message about artistic autonomy and long-term vision.

Traditionally, one might think the natural progression following a break-out hit would be to keep the music coming. Zambotto and his team opted for another strategy. Reflecting on the decision to delay releasing other ready-to-go songs, Go-Jo notes, "I understand if I probably could go back then I probably would've done that – in the sense of released a song straight away. Because we had a few ready to go as well." This though highlights an initial inclination toward a more rapid, perhaps more independent, release strategy - one that was ultimately tempered by the realities of working within a label system. Once he signed with City Pop Record, he explains, "there's a lot more people who are a part of the project now and we're all making creative decisions and we're all kind of going off majority rules." This shift in decision-making dynamics somewhat speaks to the collaborative, and sometimes constraining nature of label involvement, where individual artistic vision must often be balanced with broader strategic goals. The commercial performance of Mrs. Hollywood was a pivotal factor: "We were really pushing on that because the numbers that it was doing was showing that it was going to be this worldwide massive kind of smash." This focus on maximising the track's viral potential led to a shift in priorities, as he recounts, "The main focus after when I started teasing Mrs. Hollywood was just to really hone in on it and like make it this massive thing. So that was the big focus and I wasn't in sessions as much." Instead of chasing the next hit, he utilised Mrs Hollywood as a strategic tool for longevity in the industry from early on in his career. “We really wanted to try and push that and hit some milestones so then we could just keep it going and keep that snowball effect going.” In turn, the decision to over-extend promotion of a charting song can somewhat temporarily sideline the creative process, raising questions on the delicate balance between artistry and commercial strategy in today’s music landscape.

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Biding his time and only releasing a handful of singles in between, earlier this year Go-Jo was announced as Australia’s representative in the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest. As he recounts, his Eurovision journey began almost accidentally during a tour in Germany: “My guitarist said to me out of just nowhere… ‘you should do Eurovision.’” This casual comment blossomed into the idea for Zambotto, who had long been a fan of the competition - having been introduced to it at a young age by his French father. The intersection of spontaneous inspiration and long-held passion propelled him to act. Upon returning to Australia, he contacted his publicist and submitted a song for consideration, only to hear nothing for three months. When he was finally contacted for a meeting with Eurovision Australia’s creative team, he found immediate rapport with Paul Clark, noting, “I could tell that Paul and I really clicked and… that he had a lot of belief as soon as he saw me.” This sense of mutual understanding and belief proved crucial as Zambotto navigated the complex process of being "shopped" to SBS executives. One particularly high-stakes moment came during a performance at the Enmore Theatre, attended by SBS representatives. Aware of the stakes, Go-Jo sought to make a memorable impression, incorporating unexpected flair: “I entered the stage on the unicycle… it created this energy in the room straight away.” This act of theatrical showmanship, emblematic of Eurovision’s playful spirit, he believes distinguished him from Australia's previous, more "serious" acts. His final confirmation came in an unexpectedly emotional and dramatic fashion, when during a filmed interview, an SBS executive surprised him and asked, “How does it feel to be representing Australia in Eurovision this year?” - a moment Go-Jo described simply as “what the fuck?”

In the spirit of Eurovision, his entry, Milkshake Man, is a bold, playful burst of eccentricity that reflects his desire to break from convention and embrace creative risk. “I know with Eurovision you can get very extravagant,” Zambotto says, “You can really just get weird and have fun with it.” It’s a sentiment that echoes throughout the track’s candy-coated chaos, marrying tongue-in-cheek humour with playful production. Having initially submitted a different song, Zambotto went back to the drawing board upon learning of his anointment as he believed he could “top it.” What emerged was a sonic departure meant to showcase his versatility: “I’m multidimensional. I don’t just make the same music… I produce my own stuff. I write my own stuff. I’m very hands-on.” He sees the song as a manifesto for artistic freedom. He attributes his Eurovision selection not only to his musical talent but also to his singular creative vision. “Even with the whole Mrs. Hollywood campaign, all of those ideas came from me. It wasn't a team behind it,” he explains, highlighting a DIY ethos that sets him apart. With Milkshake Man, he delved “a bit more artistic” than before, wrapping sexy innuendo around a deeper message of embracing one's inner eccentricity. “It’s this human experience that is in all of us that we’re a little fearful to bring out sometimes,” he says, having aimed to create a “wacky world” that invites audiences to step into their own boldness throughout his whole Eurovision campaign. Milkshake Man went on to chart in fifteen countries prior to the song competition. And for those who may be wondering; no, he has not watched Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.

Vest, artists own. Scarf, artists own. Jewellery, Gucci and Vivienne Westwood.

Beyond travelling to Switzerland for the competition, Zambotto was able to spend eight weeks touring Europe with fellow contestants in the lead up to the semi-final. “It was so much fun,” he says of his time touring the continent. “I was caught up with all the artists in all the other countries and became really good friends with everyone. I really wanted to put a foot in the Eurovision door because it's obviously within the contest, but the contract isn't forever. It's always kind of being resigned and things like that. I just wanted to show Eurovision how committed we are and how much we love being a part of it as well. So that was a big part of the campaign.” He tells me he often trained in the gym with San Marino entrant Gabry Ponte, having no idea he was the producer behind Blue (Da Ba Dee).

Following months spent preparing for his big moment, Go-Jo hit the Eurovision stage this past May. “I remember being really tired,” he says when I ask him of his emotions in the minutes that led up to the performance. Getting candid, he pulls back the glittering curtain to reveal the sheer intensity of the experience. “We did a dress rehearsal the day before and we were all there until one in the morning,” he explained, highlighting the surreal and exhausting demands behind-the-scenes. The adrenaline didn’t let up - Zambotto recalled a sleepless night, followed by an early morning call and yet another full rehearsal before the semifinal. Between frantic costume fixes, hair and makeup, interviews, and relentless scheduling, he painted a picture of a whirlwind that left little time for normalcy or rest. Ultimately, he shows endless gratitude for his time at Eurovision, which was unfortunately cut short when Australia did not proceed to the grand finale. “I think these things happen for a reason,” he tells me of the outcome. “I remember at the time, I think the thing that hurt me the most about it was not even all the hard work I put into it, but the hard work that my team put into it as well. I think initially that's what really got to me at the start. But they reassured me within like two hours and I left that room being like, 'we did everything we could.' I started seeing the response online and I was like, 'Jesus this is just insane.’” I ask him what longterm influence competing in the Eurovision Song Contest has had on him, not only as an artist but personally as well. “I haven't really thought about this,” he responds. “It's a very, like, a longevity thing and even just the response on the European tour - like selling out London two nights in a row and selling out a bunch of other countries, just even those things in itself has been so beneficial. You can tell these fans, and you see them every year the Eurovision comes around - they all come back.” Being of French heritage, I pose the possibility of representing France in the future. “Yeah, that would be awesome,” he responds. “But France love their ballads. I love my ballads too, but I'm not in my ballad era at the moment. Go-Jo is the tenth artist to represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest, cementing himself within the competitions history.

Suit, artists own. Shirt, artists own. Jewellery, Gucci and Vivienne Westwood.

Now, a few months on the other side of his whirlwind Eurovision experience, Zambotto is set to embark on his Australian and European tour. Fans can expect far more than just a standard live performance. “There’s a lot of surprises,” he teases. “I'm taking this tour very seriously creatively... I want to make it quite an immersive experience.” With a strong focus on theatrics, costumes, and even guest artists - particularly in Europe - he is crafting each show to leave a lasting impression. “I want people to come up and leave and be like, ‘whoa, remember when that happened?’” he says, hinting at a performance that transcends the typical concert format. For Zambotto, live music isn’t just about the songs - it’s about the shared connection between artist and audience. “You’re basically in a room with people who understand you and what you write about,” he explains. Recalling a technically disastrous show in Melbourne, he emphasises that even when everything goes wrong, the fans’ energy and support remains unwavering. “It’s what's so beautiful about it,” he says. “Those are the moments that you get to see all your hard work paid off.” This emotional exchange and the stories fans share about how his music helped them through tough times, fuels his passion for performing live. As he returns to stages across two continents, Zambotto is also keenly aware of the subtle differences in audiences. “I think it always comes back to the artist,” he reflects. “In London, I knew they were my crowd... they love their ballads and then they love the fun rock aspects.” Whether fans are moving to the beat or standing still, lost in a lyric, Go-Jo’s goal remains the same: to create an unforgettable, emotionally charged experience that celebrates the power of live music.

By the time he kicks off the tour, new music may have reached fans. I ask him to describe the next song in three words; “Sexy clubbing scene,” he responds. He then adds, “sonically it lives moreso in the Milkshake Man sonic realm.” Beyond, his focus is firmly set on delivering his debut album. “We’re just focusing on an album at the moment and then obviously once we do the album we’ll do an album launch tour as well,” he shares, hinting at a busy and exciting period ahead. Despite the pressure that often surrounds a first full-length release, Zambotto remains unfazed. When asked if he's scared to take the leap he responds with, “I don’t think so.” “I think it’s just a compilation of songs. That’s how I see it.” But make no mistake - this isn’t just a throwaway collection. Instead, he envisions his debut as a dynamic and emotionally rich body of work. “I want it to just be literally a fun time and also a time of connection. A time of relatability,” he explains. Known for his genre-defying approach, the artist plans to continue mixing the playful with the poignant. “That’s why I like to create songs like Milkshake Man, and then songs like Double Down, which is a lot more sad and a ballad, and meant to take life a little bit seriously when you’re feeling a little down,” he says. “I want to always stay as that type of artist.” Zambotto also hasn’t ruled out returning to the Eurovision stage for Australia - an experience he speaks of with affection and pride. “What I love about it is, I’m part of the family now,” he says. “But I do want to steer away at the time being from me just being a Eurovision artist... I think it’s time now to show everything that I’ve been working on since I started music.” His upcoming album, it seems, will serve as a reintroduction to Go-Jo - not just the performer seen on an international stage, but the artist with depth, range, and a clear vision for what he wants his music to mean.