Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian
popPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
,
R&BContemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
, and
soulSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer-songwriter who was the first winner of
Australian IdolAustralian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of
The X FactorThe X Factor is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent. The 2010 season premiered on 30 August 2010 and was won by Altiyan Childs on 22 November 2010. Ronan Keating emerged as the winning mentor of the series...
. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and number-two. He has also released 11 top 15 singles, with eight reaching the top ten, including five number-ones. He is the only Australian male artist in Australian music history to achieve five number-one singles, and is equal third overall for all Australian acts. He is also the only Australian act to have three singles reach at least triple platinum. "
Angels Brought Me Here"Angels Brought Me Here" is a pop song written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid for 2003 Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian, for his first album Just as I Am . Recorded versions were made for both grand finalists, Sebastian and Shannon Noll, with only Sebastian's version officially released by BMG...
" and "
Who's That Girl"Who's That Girl" is a song performed by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. The single features American rapper Eve. It was written by Sebastian, with Eve writing and performing the rap, and Sebastian co-produced the song with Andre Harris. Released as a digital download on November 5,...
" both reached 4× platinum and in 2010
ARIAThe Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
named "Angels Brought Me Here" the highest selling song of the last decade. "Like it Like That" achieved 3× platinum. With 26 platinum and two gold accreditations and combined album and single sales of over two million in Australia alone, Sebastian has the highest accreditations and sales of any Australian Idol contestant.
Sebastian also reached number-one in four Asian countries and New Zealand with "Angels Brought Me Here". He had a second number-one single in New Zealand with "Who's That Girl", two other top ten singles and a number-three album, and has four platinum and two gold accreditations there. He has worked with a number of well-known American musicians. He co-wrote songs with
Brian McKnightBrian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....
and
Robin ThickeRobin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
for his album
Beautiful Life, which also included a duet with
MýaMýa Marie Harrison , professionally referred to as Mýa, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, model, activist, and philanthropist...
.
The Memphis AlbumThe Memphis Album is a cover album of Memphis soul songs by Australian singer Guy Sebastian released in Australia by Sony Music on 10 November 2007. The album was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis with Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Steve Potts , and Lester Snell...
was recorded with members of the MGs including
Steve CropperSteve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
, and they were his band on his 2008 Australian tour.
Like It Like ThatLike It Like That is the fifth album by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. The album was produced by David Ryan Harris & Fredrik Odesjo and was released in Australia on 23 October 2009 and in the US on 29 June 2010. The album contains a duet with Jordin Sparks, and also three tracks with John Mayer...
has three tracks with
John MayerJohn Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
on guitar and backing vocals, and "
Art of Love"Art of Love" is the second single from Australian pop singer Guy Sebastian's fifth album, Like It Like That. The single features the vocals of Jordin Sparks "Art Of Love" was released on 20 November 2009 and reached No. 8 on the ARIA singles chart and has achieved platinum certification. It was...
" featuring
Jordin SparksJordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
. "Who's That Girl" from his album
Twenty Ten features US rapper Eve.
During his career Sebastian has been nominated for 14
ARIA Music AwardsThe Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
, including Single of the Year, Best Male Artist and Best Pop Release. He won Highest Selling Single ARIA Awards for "Angels Brought Me Here" in 2004 and for "Who's That Girl" in 2011. "Who's That Girl" also won the 2011
APRAThe APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
Urban Work of the Year Award. His other awards include the
[V] Oz Artist of the Year AwardChannel [V] Australia is an Australian subscription television music channel, and also the newest Channel [V] channel. It is available on Foxtel, Optus TV and Austar satellite and cable services...
, and
Urban Music AwardsThe Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand were established in 2006 as a means of celebrating hip hop, soul and R&B acts throughout the two countries. Two awards ceremonies were held, in 2006 and 2007....
for Best Male Artist and Best R&B Album. Sebastian has performed at many notable events, including performing for
Pope Benedict XVIBenedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
,
Oprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
and Queen Elizabeth II. He has a strong commitment to charity, and is currently an ambassador for World Vision Australia, Golden Stave and the
Australian Red CrossThe Australian Red Cross is one of the many national Red Cross societies around the world. The Australian organisation was established in 1914, nine days after the commencement of World War I, by Karen Tenenbaum, when she formed a branch of the British Red Cross.the organisation grew at a rapid rate...
.
Early life
Guy Sebastian was born in
KlangKlang , formerly known as Kelang, is the royal city and former capital of the state of Selangor, Malaysia. It is located within the Klang District in Klang Valley. It is located about 32 km to the west of Kuala Lumpur and 6 km east of Port Klang...
,
SelangorSelangor also known by its Arabic honorific, Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity") is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east, Negeri Sembilan to the south and the Strait of Malacca to the west...
,
Malaysia on 26 October 1981. His father Ivan was also born in Malaysia and is of
Sri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n descent, while his mother Nellie has an English and Portuguese background and was raised in India. They met while Ivan was studying geology in India and a year later they married. The family migrated to Australia in 1988, living in
MelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
for several years before eventually moving to
AdelaideAdelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
South AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
due to Ivan's work as a geologist. As a child Sebastian took violin lessons, and although he had no formal training in other musical instruments also plays guitar, drums and piano. He attended
Paradise Community ChurchParadise Community Church is a multi-campus Christian church, located in Paradise, situated in north east Adelaide, South Australia, affiliated with Australian Christian Churches. The church was founded in 1907 by British evangelist Smith Wigglesworth. In 1969, Andrew Evans became its first...
, which is a Pentecostal
Assemblies of GodThe Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
church and one of the largest churches in Australia, becoming one of their main worship singers. He also sang with the then Paradise Community Church Youth Conference
PlanetshakersPlanetshakers is a Christian youth movement that began as an annual conference and grew into an international ministry and large church in Melbourne, Australia. The conference was born out of Paradise Community Church in Adelaide, South Australia by Pastor Russell Evans...
, performing both lead and backup vocals for their 2002 and 2003 conferences and albums. After winning
Australian Idol he continued his association with Paradise Church, recording on two of their albums,
Adore in 2004 and
Set Me Free in 2005. After leaving school Sebastian began studies in Medical Radiation, but left to pursue a career in music. He taught vocals at Temple Christian College and other high schools while also working as a recording engineer and studying
Music TechnologyMusic technology is a term that refers to all forms of technology involved with the musical arts, particularly the use of electronic devices and computer software to facilitate playback, recording, composition, storage and performance. This subject is taught at many different educational levels,...
at the
Elder School Of MusicThe Elder Conservatorium of Music is Australia's senior academy of music and one of the country's most distinguished institutions for comprehensive education, professional training, and research in music...
.
Australian and World Idol
In May 2003 Sebastian successfully auditioned for
Australian IdolAustralian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
, singing
Stevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's "
Ribbon in the Sky"Ribbon in the Sky" is a hit 1982 R&B single released by Motown star, American singer Stevie Wonder. The ballad was first featured on the greatest-hits compilation, Original Musiquarium, and charted at #54 pop and #10 R&B when it was released...
". He progressed through the Idol series establishing a strong fanbase and praise from the judges, who often made reference to his afro hairstyle which became a focal point of his image. He was declared the winner on 19 November 2003, and gained a recording contract with BMG Australia, which later merged with Sony Music. Shortly after winning
Idol, Sebastian travelled to the UK to compete in
World IdolWorld Idol was the title of a one-off international version of the television show Pop Idol, featuring winners of the various national Idol shows around the world competing against each other.The performance show was held on Christmas Day 2003, with the results show held on New Year's Day...
. He sang "
What a Wonderful World"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released as a single in 1968. Thiele and Weiss were both prominent in the music world . Armstrong's recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999...
", and his performance was well received by the World Idol judges with several suggesting he could win the competition. However, after the viewer voting was tallied he was ranked seventh out of the 11 competitors. There were questions over his song selection for the competition as his new arrangement of "What a Wonderful World" was an unusual version of a classic. He had wanted to sing
When Doves CryA hit cover version by R&B singer Ginuwine was produced by Timbaland in 1996 for Ginuwine's The Bachelor album, Ginuwine's cover uses actual dove sound effects as texture for its jungle music-inspired instrumental track.-Charts:-Other cover versions:...
, but could not get clearance to perform the song.
(2003–2004) Just as I Am
Within a day of becoming the first Australian Idol, Sebastian began recording his debut album, which had to be completed in six days to ensure it was out by Christmas. Despite this time restriction, the album included three songs co-written by Sebastian. His winner's song "
Angels Brought Me Here"Angels Brought Me Here" is a pop song written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid for 2003 Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian, for his first album Just as I Am . Recorded versions were made for both grand finalists, Sebastian and Shannon Noll, with only Sebastian's version officially released by BMG...
" debuted at number-one and was the highest selling single in Australia in 2003, reaching 4× platinum accreditation. In January 2010 when ARIA released the lists of the highest sellers of the previous decade, "Angels Brought Me Here" was named the Highest Selling Song of the Decade, ahead of
Anthony CalleaAnthony Cosmo Callea is an Australian singer-songwriter who rose to prominence in the 2004 season of Australian Idol when he became runner up. He was signed to Sony Music Australia until 2009 and is now an independent artist...
's cover of "The Prayer". Sebastian's debut album
Just As I AmJust as I Am is the debut album by the first Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian.Given the relative popularity of Australian Idol in late 2003, BMG Australia subsequently contracted Sebastian for a record before Christmas 2003. He wanted to record a mixture of pop and R&B material...
was released in December 2003 and also debuted at number-one. Its first week sales of 163,711 units are the second highest one week sales in ARIA Chart history.
Just As I Am reached sales of 480,000, just a few thousand short of 7× platinum, and is the highest selling album ever released by an Australian Idol contestant.
"Angels Brought Me Here" also reached number-one in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and New Zealand.
Just As I Am peaked at number-three and reached double platinum in New Zealand, with "Angels Brought Me Here" achieving platinum accreditation there. In early 2004 Sebastian and the other Idol finalists toured around Australia and Sebastian appeared at the Asian MTV Awards, was a guest judge on
New Zealand IdolNZ Idol, more commonly known as New Zealand Idol, was the New Zealand version of the Idol series originated as the hit British TV series Pop Idol. New Zealand first saw the Idol format when TV2 aired American Idol 2, which garned impressive ratings...
and performed on
Indonesian IdolIndonesian Idol is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia Asia, which began airing on RCTI on March 2004. Part of the Idol franchise, it was as a spin-off from the UK show Pop Idol...
. His second single "
All I Need Is You"All I Need Is You" is a single by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. "All I Need Is You" is the second single from the album Just As I Am, following "Angels Brought Me Here". "All I Need Is You" reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and was accredited 1 x Platinum in Australia, and reached...
" was released in March and debuted at number-one and was accredited platinum, and also reached number-five in New Zealand. After a promotional trip to Malaysia in April he travelled to Europe and the US to write for his second album, and while overseas he was invited to perform on
American IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
.
(2004–2005) Beautiful Life
Sebastian's second album
Beautiful Life had a more R&B edge to it and included "Forever with You", a duet with American R&B singer
MýaMýa Marie Harrison , professionally referred to as Mýa, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, model, activist, and philanthropist...
. It also contained songs he co-wrote with
Robin ThickeRobin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
and
Brian McKnightBrian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....
. The first single, "
Out with My Baby"Out with My Baby" is a song by Australian R&B artist Guy Sebastian. Out With My Baby was co-written by Guy Sebastian and Robin Thicke, the renowned US/Canadian R&B artist. Thicke also produced this single for Sebastian...
", was released in October, and became Sebastian's fourth consecutive number-one release and gained platinum accreditation. Sebastian performed at the 2004 ARIA Music Awards where he received the award for the Highest Selling Single for "Angels Brought Me Here", and the
Channel VChannel [V] Australia is an Australian subscription television music channel, and also the newest Channel [V] channel. It is available on Foxtel, Optus TV and Austar satellite and cable services...
Oz Artist of the Year Award. He was also nominated for Highest Selling Album for
Just As I Am.
Beautiful Life was released in October, debuting at number-two. It reached platinum accreditation, and eventually sold in excess of 100,000 units. Sebastian embarked on a national tour in November, with a second stage from March to June 2005. Two more singles were released from the album, "
Kryptonite" which peaked at number-fifteen, and "
Oh Oh" at number-eleven. In 2005 Sebastian received awards for Favourite Video, Favourite Music Artist, and Favourite Aussie at the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards, and a MTV Video Music Award for "Out With My Baby". He also received a nomination for Highest Selling Album for
Beautiful Life at the ARIA Music Awards. He spent some time overseas writing for his third album during 2005, and in December he was named as a state finalist for the 2006 Young Australian of the Year Award.
(2006–2007) Closer to the Sun
Sebastian's third album
Closer to the SunCloser to the Sun is the third studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian, released on 28 October 2006 by Sony BMG Australia. Early news hinted that the album would feature a little bit of rock, soul, funk and pop genres. Some tracks that appear on the album were premiered at the...
was a mix of genres including
popPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, R&B,
soulSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
,
pop-rockPop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
and
jazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. It was mainly co-written with Australian musicians, as Sebastian scrapped most of the songs he had written on his overseas trips in 2005. The first single, the ballad "
Taller, Stronger, Better-Charts:...
", was released in August 2006, and debuted at number-three, and achieved gold accreditation.
Closer to the Sun reached number-four and platinum accreditation. The video for its second single "
Elevator Love-Charts:...
" featured former
Miss UniverseMiss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
Jennifer HawkinsJennifer Hawkins is an Australian beauty queen, model and television presenter best known as Miss Universe 2004 and the face of Australian department store Myer.-Early life:...
as his love interest. This single reached number-eleven and gold accreditation. Sebastian received an award for most played Urban work for "Oh Oh" at the 2006
APRA Music AwardsThe Australasian Performing Right Association is a copyright collective representing New Zealand and Australian composers, lyricists and music publishers. The association's head offices located in Sydney Australia, and it has branch offices in Auckland, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth...
. "Oh Oh" was also awarded Best Video and Sebastian named Best Male Artist at the
Urban Music AwardsThe Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand were established in 2006 as a means of celebrating hip hop, soul and R&B acts throughout the two countries. Two awards ceremonies were held, in 2006 and 2007....
, and for the second year in succession he received the Fav Aussie award at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. In early 2007 it was announced he would be recording an album of soul classics in
Memphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
with
StaxStax can refer to:* StAX, Streaming API for XML. An API for reading and writing XML in Java.* Stax Earspeakers, a Japanese brand of electrostatic earspeakers* Stax Records, an American record company...
musicians who played on and wrote some of the original songs. The third single from
Closer to the Sun, "Cover On My Heart", was released in August, peaking at number-thirty two on the Aria chart.
Closer to the Sun was awarded Best Album at the 2007 Urban Music Awards, and Most Popular Album at the
Dolly Teen Choice AwardsThe Dolly Teen Choice Awards began in 2006 as a non-broadcast show with hosts Stephanie McIntosh and Jules Lund. The show was held at Sydney's Luna Park Big Top on August 31, 2006 and included guests The Veronicas, Anthony Callea, Guy Sebastian, Lee Harding, Rogue Traders, Girlband, and Kid...
.
(2007) The Memphis Album
Sebastian recorded his tribute album of soul classics at
Ardent StudiosArdent Studios is a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee. Ardent Records/Ardent Music is the in-house label.- History :Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and was initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first Ardent Records 45's. In 1966 the operation moved...
, Memphis in August 2007, with
Steve CropperSteve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, and Steve Potts (a.k.a. The MGs), with Lester Snell on keyboards. Cropper also co produced the album with Sebastian, which was recorded on analogue tape live in the studio. Sebastian wrote about his time in Memphis in a series of blogs for Australian newspapers: "I started recording four days ago with the band members from Booker T and the MGs. And in the four days, we cut 15 tracks. It's been such a great experience to watch these guys work. I mean, they are mostly in their late 60s and have such a wealth of experience." Cropper later spoke on AllMemphisMusic, an online Memphis radio station: "This kid came into Memphis, and just blew everybody’s socks off. He had the grit and the grime and the soul of Otis Redding, and he had the sweet soul of Al Green, he had the wonderful sweet church sound of Sam Cooke, and he just took us by storm."
Shortly after his return to Australia Sebastian performed an acoustic tour and it was announced that The MGs would tour Australia with him in early 2008.
The Memphis AlbumThe Memphis Album is a cover album of Memphis soul songs by Australian singer Guy Sebastian released in Australia by Sony Music on 10 November 2007. The album was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis with Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Steve Potts , and Lester Snell...
was released in November 2007, debuting at number-three, and was the seventh highest selling Australian artist album in 2007. The critically acclaimed album reached double platinum certification. The album also attracted attention from Memphis. The Memphis Flyer, a weekly alternative newspaper serving the Memphis area wrote a series of articles about Sebastian recording with The MGs. AllMemphisMusic, which specialises in playing music originating from Memphis, began playing
The Memphis Album songs in late December 2007. They also had two special programs featuring songs from the album and interviews with some of the people involved in recording it.
(2008) The Memphis Tour and working on fifth album
The
MGsBooker T. & the M.G.'s is an instrumental R&B band that was influential in shaping the sound of southern soul and Memphis soul. Original members of the group were Booker T. Jones , Steve Cropper , Lewie Steinberg , and Al Jackson, Jr....
travelled to Australia in February 2008 to be Sebastian's backing band for his 18 date national tour. He spoke on radio about what it felt like fronting the MGs: "There were so many moments when I just had to take a step back and think 'This is unbelievable'. Like the history that is behind me, and I'm singing these songs. You know they start playing Dock Of The Bay, and the guys that played it are on the stage. You know the guy who wrote the song with
Otis ReddingOtis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
is playing guitar." Cropper later spoke on AllMemphisMusic: "hearing him singing our music, which was born and raised and produced and recorded in Memphis Tennessee. It was just something I, it's hard to explain the excitement coming from being on stage and that excitement coming out of the audience. It just filled our hearts." One of the Melbourne concerts was filmed and a live DVD/CD entitled
The Memphis Tour-Personnel:DVD and CD* Guy Sebastian - vocals* Steve Cropper - guitar* Donald 'Duck' Dunn - bass* Steve Potts - drums* Lester Snell - piano, keys, organ* Carl Dimatago - guitar* Ben Gurton - trombone* Mat Ottignon - saxophone...
and was released in May.
Sebastian was nominated for a
Helpmann AwardThe Helpmann Awards recognize distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in Australia's live performing arts sectors. The recognized disciplines include musical and physical theatre, contemporary and classical music, opera, and dance, with a comedy category introduced in 2006...
for Best Performance In An Australian Contemporary Concert for The Memphis Tour, and was awarded two Australian Club Entertainment Awards, best Original Music Performer and Outstanding Club Performer Of The Year.
The Memphis Album received a nomination for Highest Selling Album at the 2008 ARIA Awards, his third album to be nominated in this ARIA Awards category. He travelled to the US several times after
The Memphis Tour to write for his fifth album, spending time with Cropper in Nashville on these trips. During 2008 Sebastian was also signed to release an album in the US, and in November he returned to America to work on his new album. He recorded songs with John Mayer's band, and
John MayerJohn Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
himself played guitar and sang backing vocals on three of the tracks.
(2009–2010) Like It Like That
Sebastian moved to New York in early 2009 to prepare for the release of his US album which was to be a combination of Mempis Soul covers and original songs. He performed showcases at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin Texas in March 2009, and a residency at the Drom in New York. His song "Like it Like That" was chosen as the theme song for the
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network's summer promotional campaign. The US release was then delayed due to restructuring of Victor Records, but it was later reaffirmed the album would be released in 2010.
"Like It like That", the title track of Sebastian's fifth Australian album, was released as the first single in August 2009 and reached number-one on the ARIA Chart, his fourth number one single. It was the highest selling Australian artist song in 2009, reaching triple platinum accreditation.
Like it Like ThatLike It Like That is the fifth album by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. The album was produced by David Ryan Harris & Fredrik Odesjo and was released in Australia on 23 October 2009 and in the US on 29 June 2010. The album contains a duet with Jordin Sparks, and also three tracks with John Mayer...
, an original soul album with all songs written or co-written by Sebastian, was released in October 2009 and reached number-six and platinum accreditation. As well as the three songs featuring
John MayerJohn Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
, the album also includes "
Art of Love"Art of Love" is the second single from Australian pop singer Guy Sebastian's fifth album, Like It Like That. The single features the vocals of Jordin Sparks "Art Of Love" was released on 20 November 2009 and reached No. 8 on the ARIA singles chart and has achieved platinum certification. It was...
", a duet with
Jordin SparksJordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
. It was released as the second single in November 2009, peaking at number-eight and reaching platinum accreditation. It also reached number-seven New Zealand, gaining gold accreditation there. Two further singles, "
All to Myself"All to Myself" is the third single to be lifted from Guy Sebastian's fifth album Like It Like That. John Mayer is featured playing guitar in the song. The single's B-sides are both covers of Michael Jackson songs...
" and "
Never Hold You Down"Never Hold You Down" is the fourth single released from Australian singer, Guy Sebastian's fifth studio album, Like It Like That. The single was released digitally on 4 June 2010 The video for the single was released on Friday 28 May 2010 and premiered on ABC's Rage music program the next...
", did not chart in the ARIA top 50.
Sebastian toured in Australia during February 2010 and again in June and July. The US album, now identical to the Australian album, was released in June 2010. He was chosen as a judge on the 2010 series of Australia's
The X-FactorThe X Factor is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent. The 2010 season premiered on 30 August 2010 and was won by Altiyan Childs on 22 November 2010. Ronan Keating emerged as the winning mentor of the series...
, and to fulfil commitments to X-Factor and also the release of his album in America Sebastian divided his time between Australia and the US during the show. He toured the US
West CoastWest Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
between July and September, including guest performances singing "Art of Love" with Sparks at three of her
Battlefield TourThe Battlefield Tour was a concert tour by American pop singer Jordin Sparks in support of her second studio album Battlefield. It is Sparks' first headlining tour. The tour consisted of mostly general assembly venues such as theaters, ballrooms, amusement parks, and casinos. It was initially only...
concerts, and also played support for
ChicagoChicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
at a concert in
OregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Sebastian was nominated for six
ARIA Music AwardsThe Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
for
Like It Like That. He received nominations for Best Pop Release, Best Male Artist, Most Popular Australian Album and Most Popular Australian Artist, with "Like It Like That" and "Art of Love" receiving nominations for Most Popular Single.
(2010–present) Twenty Ten
Sebastian released a
retrospective albumA compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
titled
Twenty Ten in November 2010. The album reached number-four on the
ARIA Album ChartThe ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, Sebastian's sixth consecutive top ten album.
Twenty Ten spent twelve weeks in the top ten, reached platinum accreditation and was the fifth highest selling Australian artist album of 2010. It also charted at number-twenty four on the New Zealand Charts. The album was a two disc release. The first disc had 18 songs from his previous albums and two new tracks, with the second disc containing acoustic versions of ten of the songs. One of the new tracks, "
Who's That Girl"Who's That Girl" is a song performed by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. The single features American rapper Eve. It was written by Sebastian, with Eve writing and performing the rap, and Sebastian co-produced the song with Andre Harris. Released as a digital download on November 5,...
" featuring US rapper Eve, was released as the lead single. The dance-driven
electro R&BElectronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
song was a departure from Sebastian's previous pop, R&B and soul releases. Eve came to Australia in November to film her part of the music video, and performed the song with Sebastian on The X Factor Grand Final.
"Who's That Girl" reached number-one on the
ARIA Singles ChartThe ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, Sebastian's fifth number-one single. He is the only Australian male artist in Australian music history to achieve five number-one singles, and is in equal third overall with
Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
for all Australian acts. "Who's That Girl" reached 4× platinum accreditation in May 2011, becoming the fourth Australian artist single in Australian chart history to achieve that accreditation level, with Sebastian's debut single "Angels Brought Me Here" being the first. "Who's That Girl" also reached number-one and platinum accreditation in New Zealand. With the release of
Twenty Ten Sebastian had completed the terms of his original contract with Sony, but has re-signed with them for another long term contract. He said in an interview in the Daily Telegraph that he was planning to continue sharing his time between the US and Australia to promote his music in both countries.
Sebastian supported
BoyzoneBoyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
on their
UKThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
tour in March 2011, and Lionel Ritchie on his Australian and New Zealand tour in March and April 2011. Richie stated in an interview with the Daily Telegraph that he handpicked Sebastian to support him on his tour. He re-recorded his 1983 number-one single "
All Night Long"All Night Long " is a hit single for Lionel Richie from 1983. Taken from his second solo album, Can't Slow Down, it combined Richie's soulful Commodores style with Caribbean influences. This new, more dance approach proved popular, as the single reached number one on three Billboard charts...
" with Sebastian to raise money for Australian and New Zealand
floodA series of floods hit Australia, beginning in December 2010, primarily in the state of Queensland including its capital city, Brisbane. The floods forced the evacuation of thousands of people from towns and cities. At least seventy towns and over 200,000 people were affected. Damage initially was...
and earthquake relief. The track was produced by
RedOneNadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
. It peaked at number-twelve on the New Zealand charts and number-twenty six in Australia. Richie and Sebastian performed the song together at most of the concerts on the Australian leg of the tour. In 2011 Sebastian received an Australian Club Enterainment Award for best Original Music Performer, and a Mo Award for Rock Performer of the Year. He also won the Highest Selling Single ARIA Award for "Who's That Girl, and received nominations for Single of the Yea, Best Pop Release and Most Popular Australian Artist. "
Don't Worry Be Happy"Don't Worry Be Happy" is a pop song written and performed by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian. It was released digitally on 18 November 2011 and entered the Australian ARIA Singles Chart at number-seven.-Background:...
", the lead single from his as yet untitled seventh album, was released digitally on 18 November 2011 and debuted at number-seven on the ARIA Singles Chart. It is an uptempo pop song he wrote after experiencing a road rage incident in America.
Discography
Studio albums
- 2003: Just as I Am
Just as I Am is the debut album by the first Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian.Given the relative popularity of Australian Idol in late 2003, BMG Australia subsequently contracted Sebastian for a record before Christmas 2003. He wanted to record a mixture of pop and R&B material...
- 2004: Beautiful Life
- 2006: Closer to the Sun
Closer to the Sun is the third studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian, released on 28 October 2006 by Sony BMG Australia. Early news hinted that the album would feature a little bit of rock, soul, funk and pop genres. Some tracks that appear on the album were premiered at the...
- 2007: The Memphis Album
The Memphis Album is a cover album of Memphis soul songs by Australian singer Guy Sebastian released in Australia by Sony Music on 10 November 2007. The album was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis with Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Steve Potts , and Lester Snell...
- 2009: Like it Like That
Like It Like That is the fifth album by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. The album was produced by David Ryan Harris & Fredrik Odesjo and was released in Australia on 23 October 2009 and in the US on 29 June 2010. The album contains a duet with Jordin Sparks, and also three tracks with John Mayer...
Compilation albums
DVD/CDs
- 2008: The Memphis Tour
-Personnel:DVD and CD* Guy Sebastian - vocals* Steve Cropper - guitar* Donald 'Duck' Dunn - bass* Steve Potts - drums* Lester Snell - piano, keys, organ* Carl Dimatago - guitar* Ben Gurton - trombone* Mat Ottignon - saxophone...
EPs
Musical style and influences
Sebastian cites a number of musicians as his musical influences, including
Sam CookeSamuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
,
Otis ReddingOtis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
,
Donny HathawayDonny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
,
Stevie WonderStevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
,
ChicagoChicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
, and
Boyz II MenBoyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
. From 2003 power ballad "
Angels Brought Me Here"Angels Brought Me Here" is a pop song written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid for 2003 Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian, for his first album Just as I Am . Recorded versions were made for both grand finalists, Sebastian and Shannon Noll, with only Sebastian's version officially released by BMG...
" through to his fifth album
Like it Like ThatLike It Like That is the fifth album by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. The album was produced by David Ryan Harris & Fredrik Odesjo and was released in Australia on 23 October 2009 and in the US on 29 June 2010. The album contains a duet with Jordin Sparks, and also three tracks with John Mayer...
which touched on 60's soul/pop reminiscent of the late
Sam CookeSamuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
, his music has crossed many genres. His tracks have also included
popPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
,
R&BRhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
,
funkFunk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
,
smokey soulSoul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
,
gospelA gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
,
jazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
,
pop-rockPop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
,
Memphis soulMemphis soul, also known as Memphis Sound, is stylish, funky, uptown soul music that is not as hard-edged as Southern soul. It is a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn lines, organ, bass, and a driving...
covers and
electro R&BElectronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
, and he has stated an interest in recording gospel,
danceDance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
and
BollywoodBollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
albums.
While Sebastian's first three albums showed elements of soul, it was
The Memphis AlbumThe Memphis Album is a cover album of Memphis soul songs by Australian singer Guy Sebastian released in Australia by Sony Music on 10 November 2007. The album was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis with Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Steve Potts , and Lester Snell...
which consolidated his reputation as a soul musician. Reviewers almost unanimously agreed he had captured the spirit and essence of the Memphis Soul classics. It was the critical and public reception for
The Memphis Album which gave Sebastian the confidence to stay with the soul genre for his fifth album
Like It Like That. In an interview with
The AgeThe Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
he said he was told early in his career, "If you self-indulge and just do what you're into, you're going to corner your market. Soul music isn't big here." but "the most comfortable I've ever felt in the studio was during
The Memphis Album. And the success of that prompted me to make a record like this one. Because I realised that this isn't obscure music." Kathy McCabe, a reviewer for the
Daily Telegraph said: "Sometimes it takes four records, with a detour into "concepts" covers territory to find where you fit. Sebastian has found his niche with
Like It Like That, which expertly balances the line between radio friendly pop and classic soul". Paul Cashmere from Undercover wrote: "By covering the classics on the
The Memphis Album Guy Sebastian discovered Guy Sebastian.[...] If
The Memphis Album was Guy’s initiation into becoming a Soul Man then
Like It Like That is the graduation."
Songwriting and production
Sebastian began writing songs before entering Australian Idol. "
All I Need Is You"All I Need Is You" is a single by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. "All I Need Is You" is the second single from the album Just As I Am, following "Angels Brought Me Here". "All I Need Is You" reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart and was accredited 1 x Platinum in Australia, and reached...
", the second single from his debut album
Just As I AmJust as I Am is the debut album by the first Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian.Given the relative popularity of Australian Idol in late 2003, BMG Australia subsequently contracted Sebastian for a record before Christmas 2003. He wanted to record a mixture of pop and R&B material...
was written when he was a teenager, and fine-tuned during his time on Idol. He also wrote gospel songs for his church during his teenage years. One of them, "Adore", was included in their 2004 album
Paradise Live: Adore. Sebastian wrote or co-wrote most of the songs on his albums
Beautiful Life and
Closer to the SunCloser to the Sun is the third studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian, released on 28 October 2006 by Sony BMG Australia. Early news hinted that the album would feature a little bit of rock, soul, funk and pop genres. Some tracks that appear on the album were premiered at the...
, and all the tracks on his fifth album
Like it Like ThatLike It Like That is the fifth album by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. The album was produced by David Ryan Harris & Fredrik Odesjo and was released in Australia on 23 October 2009 and in the US on 29 June 2010. The album contains a duet with Jordin Sparks, and also three tracks with John Mayer...
. In 2008 "
Receive the PowerReceive the Power is a Gospel song written by Guy Sebastian and Gary Pinto, and performed by Guy Sebastian and Paulini chosen in May 2007 as the official anthem for the Roman Catholic Church's XXIII World Youth Day held in Sydney in 2008....
", a gospel song written by Sebastian and Gary Pinto, was chosen as the official anthem for the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
's XXIII
World Youth DayWorld Youth Day is a youth-oriented Catholic Church event. While the event itself celebrates the Catholic faith, the invitation to attend extends to all youth, regardless of religious convictions....
. "
Art of Love"Art of Love" is the second single from Australian pop singer Guy Sebastian's fifth album, Like It Like That. The single features the vocals of Jordin Sparks "Art Of Love" was released on 20 November 2009 and reached No. 8 on the ARIA singles chart and has achieved platinum certification. It was...
", co-written by Adam Reilly, was one of the songs shortlisted for the
APRAThe APRA Music Awards are several award ceremonies run in Australia and New Zealand by Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually....
Song of the Year in 2010. "
All to Myself"All to Myself" is the third single to be lifted from Guy Sebastian's fifth album Like It Like That. John Mayer is featured playing guitar in the song. The single's B-sides are both covers of Michael Jackson songs...
", written with Carl Dimatago, and "
Who's That Girl"Who's That Girl" is a song performed by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. The single features American rapper Eve. It was written by Sebastian, with Eve writing and performing the rap, and Sebastian co-produced the song with Andre Harris. Released as a digital download on November 5,...
" were shortlised for the 2011 APRA Song of the Year, with "Who's That Girl" winning the APRA Award for Urban Work of the Year.
Sebastian has an interest in writing for other artists as well, and has gained a world-wide, long term publishing agreement with
Universal Music PublishingUniversal Music Publishing Group is a music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group.UMPG owns or administers more than 1 million copyrights. They are one of the largest music publishing businesses in the world with more than 47 offices in 41 countries...
.
The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
music editor Kathy McCabe said of his songwriting skills, "Sebastian has matured into a genuine hitmaker, his gift with melody so finely-honed he can pretty much punch out a catchy number in his sleep." "My Miss Universe", a song written by him was included as a B side on Japanese group
Chemistryis a Japanese Pop/R&B duo, composed of and . They were the winners of the Asayan audition in 2000 organized by Sony Music Entertainment Japan....
's single "Shawty". Sebastian is also involved in music production. Apart from co-producing
The Memphis Album with
Steve CropperSteve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
, he has his own recording studio,
Cooper Lane Studio, where he produces and mixes some of his music, and which is also used by other musicians. The studio has an extensive collection of rare gear he has accumulated throughout his career. He produced a song called "Think Of Me" for 2009 Australian Idol
Stan WalkerStan Walker , is an Australian recording artist and actor. In 2009, Walker was the winner on the seventh season of Australian Idol. He subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia....
's debut album, as well as playing most of the musical instruments on the track.
Charitable work
Throughout his career Sebastian has had a strong commitment to charity. He has been an ambassador for the Ronald Mcdonald House charities, and is currently an ambassador for the
Australian Red CrossThe Australian Red Cross is one of the many national Red Cross societies around the world. The Australian organisation was established in 1914, nine days after the commencement of World War I, by Karen Tenenbaum, when she formed a branch of the British Red Cross.the organisation grew at a rapid rate...
and Golden Stave, which is the Australian music and entertainment industry's charity fund raising organisation. He is also an ambassador for World Vision Australia, and in 2005 he travelled to
UgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
to film a World Vision documentary "An Idol in Africa" for a
Network TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
television special. Sebastian has continued his work with World Vision, supporting the Child Rescue program and the 40 Hour Famine. He has also been involved in the
Make Poverty HistoryMake Poverty History is the name of a campaign that exists in a number of countries, including Australia, Canada, Denmark , Finland, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Romania, the United Arab Emirates, Great Britain and Ireland...
coalition of which World Vision is a part. In 2008 he was presented with the Extreme Inspiration Award at the Dolly Teen Choice Awards for his continuing support of World Vision. Sebastian is also strongly committed to the Sony Foundation, which raises funds to help young Australians facing homelessness, severe illness, disability and isolation. In 2009 the Sony CEO Denis Handlin said: "Every time I’ve asked Guy to get involved with the Sony Foundation through charity he’s been completely proactive. Guy’s been such a great ambassador for that, and a lot of it is under the radar but it just tells you so much about what a decent human being he is."
Sebastian contributes to many other charitable projects. In 2005 he was the guest performer on the annual
Indian Pacific Outback Christmas Journey which raises money for the
Royal Flying Doctor's ServiceThe Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia is an emergency and primary health care service for those living in rural, remote and regional areas of Australia...
. In 2008 he performed a series of 11 concerts with the Australian Army Band to raise funds for
LegacyLegacy is an Australian organisation, established in 1923 by ex-servicemen. The organisation has the aim of caring for the dependents of deceased Australian service men and women. The dependants of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, Malayan emergency and Vietnam War deceased are cared for...
. Legacy is a voluntary organisation which supports the families of deceased veterans. The concerts were held in theatre venues around Australia and the funds raised went to the local Legacy branch in the area each concert was held. Sebastian regularly performs at other fundraising events including Brisbane radio station
B105B105 is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting on 105.3 MHz in Brisbane, Australia. It is part of the Austereo Radio Network. B105's primary audience is 10 to 24 age group.-History:...
's Christmas appeal for the Royal Children's Hospital, and
PerthPerth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
’s annual
TelethonThe Channel Seven Perth Telethon, known simply as Telethon, is an annual telethon produced by TVW, a Seven Network owned television station in Perth, Western Australia for two main beneficiaries; Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, and the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, plus...
. He also donates his time to annual Christmas carol events such as
Carols in the DomainCarols in the Domain is an annual Christmas concert free event held in the Domain Gardens, Sydney, Australia. It began in 1982. It is broadcast around Australia on the Seven Network and simulcast on 101.7 WSFM....
, Vision Australia's
Carols By CandlelightCarols by Candlelight is an Australian Christmas tradition that originated in southeastern Australia in the 19th century and was popularised in Melbourne in the 1930s. The tradition has since spread around the world. It involves people gathering, usually outdoors in a park, to sing carols by...
, and
BrisbaneBrisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
's
Carols in the CityCarols in the City , is an annual free Christmas concert event held at the Brisbane River Stage, in Brisbane, Australia. It is broadcast across Australia through the Nine Network with media partners being The Sunday Mail, 4BC and 4BH...
. His songs are frequently featured on charity cds including the
Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
Christmas fundraising CDs, The Spirit Of Christmas albums. Sebastian also makes unofficial appearances at hospitals several times a year.
It Takes Two 2006
Between May and August 2006 Sebastian appeared as a mentor on the inaugural
It Takes Two, in which performers from non-musical fields are teamed with professional singers to perform a duet each week. Sebastian's partner was three-time Australian Olympic swimmer
Sarah RyanSarah Michelle Ryan OAM is a former Australian sprint freestyle swimmer, who won relay medals at three consecutive Olympics from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to the 2004 Athens Olympics, but who was perhaps best known in Australia for her colourful long fingernails.-Career:Coming from Adelaide, South...
and they finished second.
Australian Philharmonic Orchestra Concerts 2007
In May 2007 Sebastian was the guest vocalist in a series of 3 concerts with the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra. These concerts were conducted by English conductor
Gavin SutherlandGavin Sutherland is a conductor, composer/arranger and pianist.Born in Chester-le-Street, County Durham, England, he studied conducting, piano and orchestration at Huddersfield University and graduated with first-class honours, as well as gaining the Kruczynski Prize for Piano and the Davidson...
, and were at the
Sydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
and
Hamer HallThe Victorian Arts Centre is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Southbank in Victoria, Australia....
in Melbourne. The Australian Philharmonic Orchestra has been presenting concerts with a blend of popular classical and contemporary music for nearly 30 years. Artists they have performed with in the past include Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, Sir Cliff Richards and Ray Charles. In the 2007 concert series "Guy & the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra", Sebastian performed his own original songs and also songs which helped shape his musical development with the 60 piece orchestra and a 40 voice choir.
World Youth Day 2008
"
Receive the PowerReceive the Power is a Gospel song written by Guy Sebastian and Gary Pinto, and performed by Guy Sebastian and Paulini chosen in May 2007 as the official anthem for the Roman Catholic Church's XXIII World Youth Day held in Sydney in 2008....
" a song written by Sebastian and Gary Pinto was chosen as official anthem for the
Roman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
's XXIII
World Youth DayWorld Youth Day is a youth-oriented Catholic Church event. While the event itself celebrates the Catholic faith, the invitation to attend extends to all youth, regardless of religious convictions....
(WYD08) held in Sydney in 2008. The song also features the vocals of
Paulini CuruenavuliPaulini Curuenavuli , commonly known as Paulini, is an Australian R&B/pop singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as a contestant of the first season of the television series, Australian Idol in 2003....
. "Receive the Power" was released in English and also an international version with the chorus in English and verses in Italian, Spanish and French. It was used extensively throughout the 6 days of World Youth Day in July 2008, and also in the television coverage which went around the world. Sebastian and Curuenavuli performed both the English and International versions at the final Mass at Randwick Race Course on 20 July which was attended by 400,000 people. They also performed "Receive the Power" at the Pope's Farewell on 21 July.
The X Factor
Sebastian, along with
Natalie ImbrugliaNatalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
,
Ronan KeatingRonan Patrick John Keating is an Irish recording artist, singer-songwriter, musician, and philanthropist. Keating debuted on the professional music scene alongside Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch and Stephen Gately, in 1994 as the lead singer of Boyzone. His solo career started in 1999, and...
and
Kyle SandilandsKyle Dalton Sandilands is an Australian radio and TV personality. He is currently the host with Jacqueline Henderson, better known as Jackie O, on the weekday morning radio program The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Sydney radio station 2Day FM, The Kyle and Jackie O Hour of Power which airs on...
was a judge on the Australian series of
The X FactorThe X Factor is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent. The 2010 season premiered on 30 August 2010 and was won by Altiyan Childs on 22 November 2010. Ronan Keating emerged as the winning mentor of the series...
, screened on
Channel 7The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
in 2010.
The X Factor is a talent competition where the judges also mentor the contestants. The contestants are selected by all the judges at the auditions, and the chosen acts are divided into four categories, Under 25 Boys, Under 25 Girls, Over 25s and Groups. Each judge is given a category and has to reduce their acts to three. The three acts from each category then compete in the live shows with continuing help from their mentors. Sebastian was given Groups, and was assisted in choosing his final three acts by
Rai ThistlethwayteRai Thistlethwayte is an Australian rock and jazz musician and songwriter. Rai is an accomplished pianist, guitarist, and vocalist. He is most widely known as the lead singer and primary songwriter in the Australian rock pop band Thirsty Merc...
, lead singer of
Thirsty MercThirsty Merc are an Australian pop rock band formed in 2002 in Sydney, Australia. The band consists of Rai Thistlethwayte , Phil Stack , Karl Robertson , and Matt Smith ....
,
Snoop DoggCalvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
and
UsherUsher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
. Sebastian returned as a judge in 2011. He has the Under 25 Boys and was assisted in choosing his final three by
Wynter GordonDiana "Wynter" Gordon is an American pop/dance singer-songwriter. She began as a writer for other artists, later signing with Atlantic Records where she began working on an album while continuing to write songs for other acts and providing vocals on songs...
and Beyoncé.
Notable performances
- Asian Idol
Asian Idol is a reality singing competition, which featured winners of Idol competitions from six Southeast and South Asian countries consisting of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam...
, December 2007: Sebastian was a guest star on Asian Idol, held in Jakarta, Indonesia. He performed an "Angels Brought Me Here"Angels Brought Me Here" is a pop song written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid for 2003 Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian, for his first album Just as I Am . Recorded versions were made for both grand finalists, Sebastian and Shannon Noll, with only Sebastian's version officially released by BMG...
" duet with Indonesian IdolIndonesian Idol is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia Asia, which began airing on RCTI on March 2004. Part of the Idol franchise, it was as a spin-off from the UK show Pop Idol...
Mike MohedeMichael Prabawa Mohede , better known as Mike, is an Indonesian singer and the winner of the second season of Indonesian Idol.He represented Indonesia in Asian Idol, losing to Hady Mirza of Singapore Idol....
and a medley of Memphis soul songs.
- Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
& Friends Concert, September 2008: This concert was held at the State Theatre in Sydney to raised funds for Newton-John's Cancer and Wellness Centre Appeal. Sebastian was chosen to sing a duet with Newton-John. They sang her iconic hit from GreaseGrease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
, "Summer Nights".
- Oscar Haven – Hollywood, California, February 2009: Sebastian was a headline act at an Oscar Haven party hosted by Stardust Pictures and Jamie Kennedy
James Harvey "Jamie" Kennedy is an American comedian, rapper, and actor.-Early life:Kennedy, the youngest of six children, was born in Upper Darby Township, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His family is of Irish descent and he was raised Roman Catholic. He attended and graduated from...
. "Haven is held during Oscars week so invitees include all Film Academy nominees as well as actors and insiders from film, television and music industries."
- 9th Annual NON-COMMvention – Philadelphia, May 2009: Sebastian performed with Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
and David Ryan HarrisDavid Ryan Harris is an Atlanta, Georgia based singer-songwriter. Born in Evanston, Illinois, Harris moved to Atlanta at a young age. Harris has had a varied career as a musician. He is married and has 4 sons: Miles, Life, River, and Truman.-Influences:...
at the 9th Annual NON-COMMvention. The event is the premier annual conference for North America's non-commercial Triple A radio.
- Australian launch of Michael Jackson's This Is It
Michael Jackson's This Is It is a 2009 American documentary–concert film directed by Kenny Ortega that documents Michael Jackson's rehearsals and preparation for the concert series of the same name scheduled to start on July 13, 2009, but canceled due to his death eighteen days prior on June 25. It...
DVD, March 2010: Sebastian and Delta GoodremDelta Lea Goodrem is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress. Signed to Sony at the age of 15, Goodrem rose to prominence in 2002, starring in the Australian soap opera Neighbours as Nina Tucker. Goodrem has achieved eight number-one singles and three number-one albums in her home...
were chosen by the Jackson estate to perform at the Australian launch of This Is It. The invitation only event was attended by the film's director Kenny OrtegaKenneth John "Kenny" Ortega is an American producer, director, and choreographer. He is known for directing the High School Musical trilogy and Michael Jackson's This Is It concert tour.-Life and career:...
, Michael's choreographer Travis PayneTravis Payne is an American choreographer, director, and producer. He is best known for working with Michael Jackson as the choreographer for This Is It until Jackson's death. Payne also served as the associate producer for This Is It, and along with the director, Kenny Ortega, was extensively...
, and Michael's brother Jackie JacksonSigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson is an American singer and musician, a member of The Jackson 5, and the second child in the Jackson family.-Life and career:...
Sebastian and Goodrem performed "Earth Song"Earth Song" is the third single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It is the fifth song on the second disc of the album. It is a ballad that incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Jackson had a long-standing history of releasing socially conscious...
".
- Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
's official welcome to SydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and wrap up party, December 2010: Sebastian was the guest performer at an event at Sydney's Botanical Gardens to officially welcome Oprah Winfrey and her American audience members to Australia on 11 December 2010. Winfrey was in Australia to record two of her shows at the Sydney Opera HouseThe Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. Sebastian sang for Winfrey a second time when she requested he perform at her private crew wrap up party on 15 December.
- G'Day USA
Since 2004, Australia Week has attempted to bring Australian food and wine, travel, film, arts, culture, fashion and business to a US audience. With over 15,000 participants in 2008, it was the largest annual foreign country promotion in the United States. The event is produced by the Department of...
Black Tie Gala - Los Angeles, January 2011: G'Day USA is an annual two week program designed to showcase Australian business capabilities, and is the largest foreign country promotion held in the US. The Black Tie Gala honours the achievements of Australians abroad and is one of the signature events. Sebastian and the The Qantas ChoirThe Australian Girls Choir is a choir which is part of the Australian School of Performing Arts. It was founded in 1984 by Judith Curphey, OAM, and has since achieved recognition world wide, with many considering it to be the most accomplished girls' choir in Australia.-History:Founder and...
were the entertainers at the 2011 Gala. Sebastian performed his own songs and also a medley of Bee GeesThe Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
songs prior to Barry GibbBarry Alan Crompton Gibb, CBE , is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born in the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed The Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found their major...
being honoured for excellence in Music at the event.
- 7th Annual Peapod Benefit Concert - Los Angeles, February 2011: The Peapod Benefit Foundation works to encourage social change by uniting people through the music. It was founded by will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
of The Black Eyed PeasThe Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
. During Grammy week each year they hold the Peapod Benefit Concert which is attended by musicians, DJ’s, philanthropists, Hollywood celebrities and industry executives. Sebastian was invited to perform at the 2011 concert.
- 7th Annual Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
Pre Grammy Jam Session - Los Angeles, February 2011: The Roots are a Grammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winning hip hopHip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and neo soulThe term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
American band. During Grammy week they hold a jam sessionJam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
and invite other musicians to perform with them. Sebastian was invited to perform at this event in 2011. It was hosted by Jimmy FallonJames Thomas "Jimmy" Fallon, Jr. is an American actor, comedian, singer, musician and television host. He currently hosts Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a late-night talk show that airs Monday through Friday on NBC...
and other performers included Sara BareillesSara Beth Bareilles is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She achieved mainstream success in 2007 with the hit single "Love Song", which brought her into the number one spot on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. She has sold over 1 million records in the United States alone and has been...
, Lalah HathawayEulaulah Donyll Hathaway best known as Lalah Hathaway referred to as the First Daughter of Soul, is a contemporary R&B and jazz singer. She is the daughter of soul singer Donny Hathaway and a classically trained vocalist. In 1990, Lalah Hathaway released a self-titled album. The album's first...
, Booker T. JonesBooker T. Jones is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. and the MGs. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, earning him a Grammy Award for lifetime...
and Chaka KhanChaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
.
- CHOGM 2011 Opening Ceremony - Perth, Western Australia, 28 October, 2011: Sebastian performed "Agents of Change", a song written by him especially for the event, at the opening ceremony of the biannual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Western Australia. In attendance at the ceremony were Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Julia Gillard
Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
, the Secretary-General of the CommonwealthThe Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
and heads of government from all 53 Commonwealth nations.
Awards and nominations
Sebastian has been nominated for numerous awards during his career, winning many of them. These awards and nominations include ARIA Awards, ARIA #1 Chart Awards, Australian Club Entertainment Awards, Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, Urban Music Awards, a Channel V Artist of the Year Award, a Mo Award, and a
Helpmann AwardThe Helpmann Awards recognize distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in Australia's live performing arts sectors. The recognized disciplines include musical and physical theatre, contemporary and classical music, opera, and dance, with a comedy category introduced in 2006...
nomination.
Personal life
In late 2007 after eight years of courtship Sebastian and girlfriend Jules Egan became engaged. They were married in Manly, Sydney on 17 May 2008. They are expecting their first child in early 2012.
Tours
- 2004/05: Beautiful Life Tour
- 2007: Closer to the Sun Tour
- 2007: Acoustic Tour
- 2008: The Memphis Tour
-Personnel:DVD and CD* Guy Sebastian - vocals* Steve Cropper - guitar* Donald 'Duck' Dunn - bass* Steve Potts - drums* Lester Snell - piano, keys, organ* Carl Dimatago - guitar* Ben Gurton - trombone* Mat Ottignon - saxophone...
- 2009: Live & By Request Tour
- 2010: Like It Like That Tour
- 2010: Bring Yourself Tour
- 2010: Like It Like That Tour (USA – Portland
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Seattle & CaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
)
Joint Tours
- 2004: Australian Idol in Concert
- 2007: Guy & the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra
- 2008: Army in Concert with Guy Sebastian
Support Tours
- 2011: Boyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
Tour (United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
)
- 2011: Lionel Ritchie Tour (Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
)
External links