The Wiggles’ John Pearce isn’t sure if he’s been to St. Louis before.
“I think I have been there,” the much-loved Purple Wiggle tells St. Louis Magazine in a phone interview from his home in Sydney, Australia. “I’ve toured the United States previously in my previous pop group, but it’s such a big country. You’re in one green room, and then you are on to the next.”
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And while Pearce has in fact gotten a taste of tour life as a past member of the Australian dance and music group Justice Crew, The Wiggles’ fave now affectionately known as ‘Big Strong John’ has not experienced touring the world as an official Wiggle.
That is, until now.
“When I joined The Wiggles four years ago, I soon realized how much hard work it takes to reach so many people,” says 34-year-old Pearce, who will visit St. Louis’ Stifel Theatre on June 22 alongside his Wiggles comrades as part of their Bouncing Balls International Tour. “We bring joy to families around the world, and there’s no shortcuts. We put a tour together to go and visit everybody, and once we are there, we get into the crowd during the shows, and we do meet and greets. There are no shortcuts. The Wiggles are who they are for a reason, and that’s why I loved watching them growing up. And now, I’m so grateful to be one of them.”
It could be argued that The Wiggles find themselves enjoying legendary status these days, as the iconic children’s group has amassed three decades worth of accomplishments including more than 3 billion music streams, 5 billion views on YouTube, 30 million album and DVDs sales, and more than 8 million books sold globally. On March 7, The Wiggles released their newest album Wiggle Up, Giddy Up – with Friends! , which pairs the accomplished group with country greats such as Dolly Parton, Lainey Wilson, and fellow Australian Morgan Evans.
“Country music is just so relevant now,” Pearce explains. “I think it’s just a fun way to introduce a whole different sound of music for children and families to enjoy together.”
For some young artists featured on the album, it was a dream come true to collaborate with some of their childhood loves. “Dasha mentioned that she grew up watching The Wiggles,” he chuckles of the country music singer/songwriter and TikTok sensation who is featured on the line dance-ready song “Wiggle Up, Giddy Up!” “It was crazy to see [Dasha] in the studio working on the song that we had been writing. Just to see it all tie together and see her in there singing along just made the song come to life. It was such a cool experience.”
This tour will be a cool experience for all involved, Pearce explains, but especially for him personally, as he will be joined by wife Jessie and their baby son Henry. “They’re coming on the whole trip,” he gushes. “This will definitely give Henry a taste of what tour life is like nice and early, so that he can get used to that. It’ll be a challenge, but we’re definitely excited to experience all of it together as a family.”
