SYDNEY ~ British-born 70s pop star Leo Sayer became an Australian citizen this week, saying the country had given him a new lease of life.

The singer, who topped the charts with hits like You Make Me Feel Like Dancing and When I Need You, first toured Australia in 1974 and moved here in 2005.

“I’m 60 and I feel like a 20-year-old at the moment in my life here, because everyone is so much encouraging me to keep working and everything,” Sayer told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

“In the old country, England, it would have been, ‘Sorry – you’re from the 70s and that’s it.'”

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd looked on as Sayer and 59 others took their citizenship at a special ceremony on Monday to mark the national holiday, Australia Day.