Joel Madden Launchs Samsung Galaxy S III at Vodafone Pitt St Store in Sydney

The big buzz in the tech world today is surrounding the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone, and one of the phone’s carriers, Vodafone, had The Voice coach Joel Madden on hand to help with the gadget’s debut in Sydney. Being a famous twin with brother Benji, Joel was a perfect match for Vodafone’s special 12-month double data offer. After helping with the sale to the first customer, Joel, complete with signature toothpick, sat down for a Q&A session with The Voice social media host Faustina Agolley. Here’s some of what Joel had to say:

• On being a twin: “I actually work in pairs pretty much my whole life. I function in pairs. I’m always a part of some sort of duo, whether it’s my wife, my twin brother . . . or Seal [laughs]. I tend to be a sidekick more than the main superhero.”
• On whether he’s double-dated with Benji: “Yes, we have. It didn’t end well. It was a long time ago. The thing about Benji is you can’t take him anywhere [because] he doesn’t have very good manners. Also, the first girls we ever liked were a set of twins [at school]. We were in love with them. We tried to date them. I think we were a bit underdeveloped at that point . . . We were late bloomers.”
• What it’s been like to work on The Voice: “It’s been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my career. It’s been completely different from anything I’ve ever done before. Obviously I’ve done TV before, but I’ve never been part of a show. I knew it would be good, I knew it would be fun, but I had no idea it would be the experience it’s been.”
• On Australian TV production: “Australia has, for me, the best production in TV in the world. It’s so laid-back but at the same they get the job done, and they do a great job. Being on the inside has been really awesome for me to see what goes into making a TV show.
• On the contestants: “With the artists I’ve been able to work with, who are all at the beginning of a new phase in their careers, it’s been magical to see some of them come to life and become stars in front of our eyes. I really think we have — not to compare, but it’s human nature to compare, right? — I think we have the best talent on our show of all the Voice’s. We have the most interesting characters.”