Gemma Lyon - Sexy every day of the week, not just Sundays
By Cruising With Honey - 10:49
She’s the human version of an effervescent bottle of the finest champagne; bubbly, sparkling, glamorous and undeniably irresistible!
You might recognise her gorgeous face (and vocals) from the TV show, The Voice. This pocket-rocket smashed the blind auditions and was hand-picked by music royalty, Kelly Rowland to be mentored on this current season.
The very first time I met this remarkable artist, I couldn’t keep my eyes off her! She has an infectious joie de vivre, and the knack to make you feel instantly happy. Let me present, my stunning friend, Gemma Lyon.
Name: Gemma Lyon
Title: Guest Entertainer, Singer, Front Woman
Current act/band name: SSJ PACIFIC (Sexy Sunday Jam) &
Sibling Rivalry (Duo)
Latest Cruise, length, destination: Our last cruise was on board the Pacific Jewel, it was a 3 day
party cruise at sea
Next Cruise:
OPENING FOR THE PACIFIC EXPLORER! 22 June.
When and why did you first become interested in performing at sea? My very first cruise contract was in October 2015 as a Duo with my brother Aaron Lyon. When the job description is island hopping, sun drenched days at sea and acoustic tunes with my family, you must admit it was hard to say no!
Had you cruised before? If not, what was your first impression? I had cruised once before with my best friend for around 11 nights. We had a wonderful time so I was quite excited to see how it would feel on board as a Guest Entertainer. (Behind the scenes)
How is performing on a cruise ship different to performing on land? I feel like the general vibe on a cruise ship for passengers is super relaxed. Everyone is on holidays and there is no rush to be anywhere, people just want to enjoy themselves and the music and be entertained. When the time is right though… boy do cruiselings know how to party!
What are Australian audiences like? Aussie audiences are such good fun. My favourite part about Aussie audiences is they are quite easy to read. If they do or don’t like something you will know about it!
When and why did you first become interested in performing at sea? My very first cruise contract was in October 2015 as a Duo with my brother Aaron Lyon. When the job description is island hopping, sun drenched days at sea and acoustic tunes with my family, you must admit it was hard to say no!
Had you cruised before? If not, what was your first impression? I had cruised once before with my best friend for around 11 nights. We had a wonderful time so I was quite excited to see how it would feel on board as a Guest Entertainer. (Behind the scenes)
How is performing on a cruise ship different to performing on land? I feel like the general vibe on a cruise ship for passengers is super relaxed. Everyone is on holidays and there is no rush to be anywhere, people just want to enjoy themselves and the music and be entertained. When the time is right though… boy do cruiselings know how to party!
What are Australian audiences like? Aussie audiences are such good fun. My favourite part about Aussie audiences is they are quite easy to read. If they do or don’t like something you will know about it!
I especially love having a good sleep in and coming
up to the top deck and seeing everyone sprawled out on the deck chairs with
Pina Coladas and tinnies in the air having a good old sing-a-long with the
entertainment team at midday somewhere in the middle of the ocean.
What do you enjoy most about being at sea? I kid you not, not having to shop, cook or clean up makes me so joyful! Goodbye Adulting and hello stress free schedule.
On a more serious note I just love being out on the
open ocean. The serenity of it all, not having reception and only having to
worry about my immediate needs. Bliss
Another wonderful thing about being at sea is how
easy it is to travel and see the world. You wake up and hop off the ship in
another Country! Hassle free adventure!
How many
cruises have you completed? How many do you have left? I have
completed 22 cruises. All of which are usually around 4-5 nights. As all our
band members are full time session musicians on land it’s hard to commit to
anything over a week or so. We currently have another 4 cruises booked this year
which takes us up to October.
Longest number of days at sea? Do you get sea sick? What are your living quarters/cabin like? My longest contract was 12 nights. I seem to have my sea legs but on the very rare occasion that the swell is over 4-5 metres I’m in the cabin trying to sleep it off! You can forget about any winged eyeliner on those nights! As there are different types of guest entertainers on board and we are only on for short periods of time our cabins are located within the crew areas. Although sometimes we get spoilt with a guest cabin which is lovely!
Longest number of days at sea? Do you get sea sick? What are your living quarters/cabin like? My longest contract was 12 nights. I seem to have my sea legs but on the very rare occasion that the swell is over 4-5 metres I’m in the cabin trying to sleep it off! You can forget about any winged eyeliner on those nights! As there are different types of guest entertainers on board and we are only on for short periods of time our cabins are located within the crew areas. Although sometimes we get spoilt with a guest cabin which is lovely!
Performing at sea must be a challenge. What is the atmosphere like among the entertainment team?
Yes performing on the sea can
often be a bit of a laugh! I have fallen off my stool many times, ran to the
bathroom to be sick in between songs, fallen in passengers laps, swapped the
song for stand up comedy, the list goes on! At the end of the day the show must
always go on and the entertainment team go above and beyond to ensure this
happens. The energy they invest into each and every cruise is absolutely
outstanding!
Favourite port or destination? So many favourites but when it comes to ports I love Port Vila, Champagne Bay, Isle of pines and Broome!
Favourite port or destination? So many favourites but when it comes to ports I love Port Vila, Champagne Bay, Isle of pines and Broome!
What are the biggest misconceptions cruisers have about cruising and cruise entertainers? The main misconception I would have to say is that every Aussie entertainer on board knows Khe Sahn and Horses HAHA!
Most questions we get from
passengers are about the duration of our contracts. Most people are quite
surprised that the guest entertainers are only on board for such short periods
but they love that the entertainment is always changing and different every
time they cruise.
Would you recommend other artists to experience performing on a ship? I would absolutely recommend the experience to other artists. We have gone about getting quite a few of our musician friends connected and on the ships within the last 2 years.
Have any of your family or friends cruised while you were on board? What was their reaction? Absolutely! My father and mother in law have been on a Vanuatu cruise whilst Aaron and I were on a contract and we always speak about how great it was. They loved how easy it was to travel and we went exploring by day and then they tore the dance floor up by night.
Would you recommend other artists to experience performing on a ship? I would absolutely recommend the experience to other artists. We have gone about getting quite a few of our musician friends connected and on the ships within the last 2 years.
Have any of your family or friends cruised while you were on board? What was their reaction? Absolutely! My father and mother in law have been on a Vanuatu cruise whilst Aaron and I were on a contract and we always speak about how great it was. They loved how easy it was to travel and we went exploring by day and then they tore the dance floor up by night.
How would you describe the quality of entertainment in ships in general? Variety, variety, variety! Once you know where to look, there is something for EVERYONE! So many talented groups and individuals with enormous amounts of experience from all over the world.
How often do you perform? Rehearse? Do you have a favourite show/time of day to perform? On average we play 3 sets of live music a day. If we need to rehearse we might do so within crew areas or we wait until very late at night and quietly sit by a piano. Our favourite show times are usually around the 8-11pm time frame in the beautiful “Blue Room” where we serenade those looking for something a little different.
What do you enjoy doing on your days off? Do you get to enjoy port days?
As long as we don’t have a show we are free to
enjoy the port days and go on an adventure! You will find us swinging off
vines, jumping into crystal clear waters and jamming with locals on the beach.
Do you enjoy
the buffet? How do you stay fit? As
young industry professionals it is crucial we stay fit and healthy and believe
it or not with a little self control the buffet helps us do that! We just have
to pick and choose what we put on our plate but there is enough protein, rice,
salad and veg to get us through! I struggle with food more than our other band
members as I don’t eat meat, gluten or Dairy but I still manage to make it
work. As guest entertainers we have access to both crew and passenger gyms so
we just time it right so we aren’t going at peak hour and we try to train every
day.
What else do you enjoy doing on board?
What else do you enjoy doing on board?
Another thing that keeps us active is Ping Pong!
You might just see one or two of us trying to compete with the passengers on the
top decks!
What's next for you?
What's next for you?
I am currently writing a brand new show that i hope to be debuting at sea later this year. Hoping you will join me in the Marquee Theatres soon!
