Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''

Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program '' Pop Ido ...

'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach on ''

The Voice Australia ''The Voice'' is an Australian singing competition television series. It premiered on the Nine Network on 14 April 2012, before moving to the Seven Network in 2021. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice '' ...

'' since 2019.Moran, Jonathon (2 May 2015)
Chris Isaak and James Blunt: Meet the new X Factor guys
Perthnow. Archived fro
the original
on 3 May 2015. He represented Australia at the

2015 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Vienna, Austria, following the country's victory at the with the song " Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst. Organised by the European Br ...

, finishing in fifth place.Idato, Michael (24 March 2015
Eurovision 2015: Sweden's Mans Zelmerlow wins; Australia's Guy Sebastian fifth

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

. Retrieved 6 December 2015. Sebastian has released ten top ten albums, including three number ones. The first seven all gained either platinum or multi-platinum certification.Girly Sebastian in the Australian Charts
australian-charts.com. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 March 2009. He has also achieved twenty three top twenty singles, with fourteen reaching the top ten, including six number ones. He is the only Australian male artist in Australian chart history to achieve six number one singles, and places third overall for all Australian acts.Ryan, Gavin (19 August 2012)
Guy Sebastian Equals Abba For Number 1 Hits In Australia
Noise11. Archived fro
the original
on 19 August 2012. Ten of his singles have been certified multi-platinum, including the 12× platinum "

Battle Scars "Battle Scars" is a song performed by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian and American rapper Lupe Fiasco. It was released digitally in Australia and New Zealand on 10 August 2012 by Sony Music Entertainment.ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Singles
Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 4 May 2010
Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 1 May 2011
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 15 June 2012.
Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 March 2013
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 30 March 2019. His debut single "

Angels Brought Me Here "Angels Brought Me Here" (or "Faith Has Brought Me Here") is a pop music, pop song by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. It was released in Australia on 24 November 2003 as the lead single from his debut album, ''Just as I Am (Guy Seba ...

" was the highest selling song in Australia in the decade 2000 to 2009.ARIA's End Of Decade Charts*
(PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. 7 January 2010. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012. With 69 platinum and seven gold certifications and combined album and single sales of over five million in Australia, he has the highest certifications and sales of any ''Australian Idol'' contestant. Sebastian has worked with a number of notable American musicians, including

Brian McKnight Brian Kelly McKnight (born June 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, radio host and multi-instrumentalist. He is most recognized for his strong head voice, high belting range and melisma. McKnight is known for h ...

Robin Thicke Robin Alan Thicke (born March 10, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2013 hit single " Blurred Lines", which is one of the best-selling singles of all time. At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, h ...

Steve Cropper Steven Lee Cropper (born October 21, 1941), sometimes known as "The Colonel", is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s, which backed artists such as ...

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 wit ...

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...

, Eve and

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, '' Lupe Fiasco's ...

. "Battle Scars", a collaboration with Fiasco, spent 20 weeks on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 71 and achieved platinum certification.Guy Sebastian and Lupe Fiasco - Battle Scars
aCharts.US. Retrieved 29 January 2013.Gold Platinum searchable database

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

. Retrieved 6 November 2016 "Battle Scars" also reached number two in Norway and New Zealand.Battle Scars Norway
norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 January 2013. Sebastian has reached the top ten in New Zealand with an album and six singles, including two number ones, and gained six platinum and three gold certifications there.Guy Sebastian in the NZ charts
Charts.org.nz. Retrieved on 17 September 2012.RIANZ Archived Charts 18 January 2004

Recording Industry Association of New Zealand Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded ...

(RIANZ). Retrieved 4 October 2013.Latest Gold/Platinum Singles
RadioScope New Zealand. Archived fro
the original
on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2012. In 2015 his Eurovision song charted in the top 50 in five European countries.Guy Sebastian - Tonight Again
acharts.us. Retrieved 30 May 2015.Guy Sebastian – Tonight Again, Chartlist week 23, 2015
Tonlist. Archived fro
the original
on 9 June 2015. During his career Sebastian has received 34

ARIA Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...

nominations, winning seven including Best Pop Release and Best Live Act.ARIA Awards History by Artist
Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived fro
the original
on 30 November 2012.ARIA Nominations
Australian Recording Industry Association. 28 September 2010. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012.ARIA Award nominees announced for 2011
thevine.com.au. 12 October 2011. Archived fro
the original
on 30 November 2012.
''The Sydney Morning Herald''. 27 November 2011. Archived fro

on 30 November 2012.Smith, Sarah (6 October 2014)
Chet Faker and Violent Soho lead 2014 ARIA nominations
Faster Louder. Archived fro
the original
on 7 October 2014.Here are all the winners from the 2019 ARIA Awards
The Music Network. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019. ARIA Awards 2020: Big winners include Tame Impala, SAMPA & Amy Shark
Mediaweek. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2021 Other awards include the APRA Urban Work of the Year, the Oz Artist of the Year,

Urban Music Awards The Urban Music Awards (UMA) is a hip-hop, R&B, dance, and soul music awards ceremony which was launched by Jordan Kensington in 2003 and is now held in several countries. The US version of the award ceremony, the Urban Music Awards USA, was ...

for Best Male Artist and Best R&B Album, and an International Songwriting Competition award for "Battle Scars". Sebastian has sung at many notable events, including performing for

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', b ...

and

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

.Pope personally thanks WYD08 Volunteers
Catholic News Agency. 20 July 2008. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012.
Today Network. The Dirt. 16 December 2010. Archived fro

on 21 January 2012.Iggulden, Tom (28 October 2011)

ABC Lateline. Archived fro

on 21 January 2012. He has a strong commitment to charity, and was previously an ambassador for

World Vision Australia World Vision Australia (WVA) is an ecumenical Christian non-governmental organisation based in Melbourne, Australia. It is a part of the ''World Vision International Partnership'' led by World Vision International. WVA is Australia's largest ov ...

and the

Australian Red Cross The Australian Red Cross, formally the Australian Red Cross Society, is a humanitarian aid and community services charity in Australia. Tracing its history back to 1923 and being incorporated by royal charter in 1941, the Australian Red Cro ...

. He has created his own foundation, The Sebastian Foundation, with his wife Jules.The X Factor Australia: Guy Sebastian
Yahoo!7 tv. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012.Cronin, Seanna (5 October 2016
Flume leads nominations for 30th annual ARIA Awards
Retrieved 5 October 2016. Sebastian was made a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

(AM) in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours in recognition of his significant service to music and charity.Darren Hayes, Guy Sebastian & More Named On Queen's Birthday Honours List
OZtix. Retrieved 11 June 2019.

Early life

Guy Sebastian was born in Klang,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

, on 26 October 1981. His father, Ivan, was born in Malaysia and is an ethnic

Malaysian Indian Malaysian Indians or Indian Malaysians are Malaysian citizens of Indian or South Asian ancestry. Today, they form the third-largest group in Malaysia after the Malays and the Chinese. Most are descendants of those who migrated from India duri ...

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

origin and

Ceylonese Sri Lankan or Ceylonese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Sri Lanka * A person from Sri Lanka, see Demographics of Sri Lanka ** Sinhalese people, the ethnic majority ** Sri Lankan Tamils, an ethnic minority ** Sri L ...

descent with distant colonial Portuguese roots, while his mother Nellie is an ethnic

Eurasian Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipela ...

of English and Portuguese descent and was raised in India.Cheah, Jason (22 December 2003)
Nice guys do win
thestar.com. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012. They met while Ivan was studying

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other Astronomical object, astronomical objects, the features or rock (geology), rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology ...

in India, and married a year later. Guy Sebastian at Australian Gospel Music Fesitval 11 April 2004 (1)

Sebastian is the second of four sons. His older brother Ollie was born in India, and his younger brothers

Chris Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name *Chris Abani (born 1966), Nige ...

and Jeremy were born in Australia after the family migrated there. They lived in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, for several years before moving back to Adelaide due to Ivan's work as a geologist.Bermingham, L. B. (2004). Guy Sebastian ''Angels Brought Me Here: The Official Biography'', Funtastic, Victoria. As a child, Sebastian took violin lessons; he would later learn to play guitar, drums and piano, although he has had no formal training in these other musical instruments. Sebastian attended King's Baptist Grammar School. He then began studies in medical radiation at the

University of South Australia The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...

, 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 technology Music technology is the study or the use of any device, mechanism, machine or tool by a musician or composer to make or perform music; to compose, notate, playback or record songs or pieces; or to analyze or edit music. History The earli ...

at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

Elder Conservatorium The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is Australia's senior academy of music and is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder. Dating in ...

. Sebastian, former member of the

Planetshakers Planetshakers is a contemporary worship music band, a central part of Planetshakers Church in Melbourne, Australia. With over 30 albums, the band toured annually to the US, UK, Europe, South Africa, Asia, South America, Australia and New Zealan ...

band from 2002 to 2005 was a

worship leader Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the 20th century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found in a wide range of churches, including many ...

and background vocals recording albums for

Planetshakers Church Planetshakers Church is an evangelical Christian Pentecostal megachurch adult and youth movement based in Melbourne, Australia, with several church campuses around the world. The church is also known for its contemporary worship music, with ...

at Paradise Community Church conferences, won went on to win the first ''

'' and become a massive star in the country. He attended ''Paradise Community Church'', an

Assemblies of God The Assemblies of God (AG), officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 144 autonomous self-governing national groupings of churches that together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination."Assemblies of God". ...

church and one of the largest churches in Australia, and he became one of their main worship singers, after winning ''Australian Idol'' he recorded two albums, ''Adore'' in 2004 and ''Set Me Free'' in 2008.

Recording career

2003–2004: ''Australian Idol'' and ''Just as I Am''

In May 2003, Sebastian successfully auditioned for ''

'', singing

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...

's "

Ribbon in the Sky "Ribbon in the Sky" is a song by American singer Stevie Wonder. The ballad was first featured on the 1982 greatest hits album, '' Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I'', and charted at No. 54 pop, No. 21 Adult Contemporary, and No. 10 R&B in the ...

". 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, which later merged with

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

. Following his ''Idol'' win Sebastian was required to record his debut album in six days, but despite this time restriction the album included three songs co-written by him. He then travelled to the UK to compete in ''

World Idol ''World Idol'' (Germany: ''SuperStar Weltweit'', Arab World: ''SuperStar El Alaam'') is a one-off international version of the singing competition television show ''Pop Idol'', featuring winners of the various national ''Idol'' shows around t ...

''. Although he impressed the judges, with several suggesting he could win the competition, he finished seventh. Sebastian's winner's single "

" debuted at number one and was the highest selling single in Australia in 2003, reaching 5× platinum certification.ARIA Charts Top 100 Singles 2003
Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived fro

on 23 January 2012. In 2010 it was named the highest selling song of the decade 2000 to 2009, ahead of

Anthony Callea Anthony Cosmo Callea (born 13 December 1982) is an Australian singer-songwriter and stage actor who rose to prominence as the runner-up in the 2004 season of ''Australian Idol''. Callea's debut single, a cover of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocell ...

's " The Prayer". "Angels Brought Me Here" held the record for being the highest selling single ever released by an Australian act until 2011. Cashmere, Paul (29 January 2005)
Anthony Callea Premature Sales Announcement
undercover.com.au. Archived fro

on 31 January 2004. Retrieved 4 February 2012. Sebastian's debut album '' Just as I Am'' was released in December 2003 and also achieved number one. Its first week sales of 163,711 units are the second highest one week sales in Australian chart history, the highest for an Australian act. It eventually reached sales just 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.Guy Sebastian biography
Guy Sebastian official site. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012.
opensubscriber.com. Archived fro

on 19 January 2012. ''Just as I Am'' reached number three and double platinum certification in New Zealand, with "Angels Brought Me Here" achieving platinum certification there. The second single "

All I Need Is You "All I Need Is You" is a single by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. The song was the second single released from Sebastian's debut album, '' Just as I Am'' (2003), following " Angels Brought Me Here". "All I Need Is You" reached number one on th ...

" reached number one and platinum in Australia, and peaked at number five in New Zealand.ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2004 Singles
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived fro

on 25 January 2012. In early 2004 Sebastian appeared at the Asian MTV Awards, was a guest judge on ''

New Zealand Idol ''New Zealand Idol'', also known as ''NZ 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 garnered ...

'' and performed on ''

Indonesian Idol ''Indonesian Idol'' is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by RCTI Production Team and FremantleMedia Asia, which began airing on RCTI in March 2004 and became one of the most popular shows in the hist ...

''. After a promotional trip to Malaysia in April he travelled to Europe and the US to write for his next album, performing on ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to ...

'' while in the US.

2004–2007: ''Beautiful Life'' and ''Closer to the Sun''

'' Beautiful Life'', Sebastian's second album, had a more R&B edge to it and included songs he co-wrote with

and

and "Forever with You", a duet with American R&B singer

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), (stylized as Mýa), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born into a musical family, she studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Initially, Mýa began her career as a VJ ...

. The lead single "

Out with My Baby "Out with My Baby" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. It was co-written by Sebastian and Robin Thicke, who also produced this single alongside Pro Jay. "Out with My Baby" topped the Australian Singles Chart and was accredit ...

" debuted at number one in October 2004, and gained platinum certification. 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 V Channel '' ("V" standing for the letter, not the Roman numeral "5") is a Chinese and former Asian pay television musical network originally launched by Star TV Hong Kong (now Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific). It was part of the unit of Disney ...

Oz Artist of the Year Award.Canak, Danny (15 November 2004)
Aria Awards 2004
Musicdish. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012. He was also nominated for Highest Selling Album for ''Just as I Am''. ''Beautiful Life'' peaked at number two and was also certified platinum. Sebastian embarked on a national tour in November, with a second stage from March to June 2005.Guy & Paulini Announce More Shows For The Beautiful Life Tour
Guy Sebastian official website. 6 April 2005. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012. Sebastian performed at the 20th Anniversary SAFM Sky Show in Adelaide in front of approximately 150,000 people along with

Slinkee Minx Slinkee Minx (also known as Slinky Minx) are a dance act from Melbourne, Australia, who formed in 2001 and are best known for their 2004 cover of Belinda Carlisle's " Summer Rain", which debuted at No. 5 on the Australian ARIA Music Charts an ...

, one of the largest open-air concerts held in Australia in 2005. Two further singles were released from the album, "

Kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...

" which peaked at number fifteen, and "

Oh Oh "Oh Oh" is a song written by Guy Sebastian and Jarrad Rogers, released as the third and final single from Sebastian's second studio album, '' Beautiful Life'' (2004). The song was released on 7 March 2005 and peaked at number 11 on the Australian ...

" at number eleven. In 2005 Sebastian received awards for Favourite Video, Favourite Music Artist, and Favourite Aussie at the

Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...

, and a

MTV Video Music Award The MTV Video Music Awards (commonly abbreviated as the VMAs) is an award show presented by the cable channel MTV to honour the best in the music video medium. Originally conceived as an alternative to the Grammy Awards (in the video categor ...

for "Out with my Baby".Kids' choice – Guy
''The Age''. 21 September 2005. Archived fro

on 21 January 2012. He also received a Highest Selling Album ARIA Award nomination for ''Beautiful Life'', and was named as a state finalist in the Young Australian of the Year Awards. 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 Ryan Sarah Michelle Ryan, Order of Australia, OAM (born 20 February 1977) is an Australian former sprint Freestyle swimming, freestyle swimmer, who won relay medals at three consecutive Olympics from the 1996 Summer Olympics to the 2004 Summer Olym ...

and they finished second. During this period Sebastian also recorded his third album '' Closer to the Sun'' which was a mix of genres including

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

, R&B,

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and mainly co-written with Australian musicians. The lead single "

Taller, Stronger, Better "Taller, Stronger, Better" is a song written by Guy Sebastian, Gary Pinto and Phil Turcio and was the first single off Sebastian third studio album, '' Closer to the Sun''. He performed the song in the finale of '' It Takes Two'' and the Top 24 s ...

" debuted at number three in August 2006, and achieved gold certification.ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2007 Singles
Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 27 February 2009. The album peaked at number four and was certified platinum. The second single "

Elevator Love "Elevator Love" is the second single released from Guy Sebastian's third studio album, '' Closer to the Sun''. The single also contained two non-album B-sides, "Never Said Goodbye" and "Wish I Didn't Tell You", as well as an instrumental version ...

" reached number 11 and gold certification. The video featured

Jennifer Hawkins Jennifer Hawkins (born 22 December 1983) is an Australian model, television presenter and beauty queen best known for being crowned Miss Universe Australia and later the same year Miss Universe 2004. She was the host of '' Australia's Next T ...

as his love interest. Sebastian received an award for most played Urban work for "Oh Oh" at the 2006

APRA Music Awards The APRA Music Awards in Australia are annual awards to celebrate excellence in contemporary music, which honour the skills of member composers, songwriters, and publishers who have achieved outstanding success in sales and airplay performan ...

. "Oh Oh" was also awarded Best Video and Sebastian named Best Male Artist at the

, and for the second year in succession he received the Fav Aussie award at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.Sebastian, MacRae get gongs at Urban awards
''The Sydney Morning Herald''. 21 July 2006. Archived fro

on 21 January 2012. ''Closer to the Suns third single "Cover on My Heart" was released in August 2007, peaking at number thirty two on the ARIA Singles Chart. ''Closer the Sun'' was named Best Album at the 2007 Urban Music Awards and Most Popular Album at the Dolly Teen Choice Awards.Lizza (17 August 2007)
2007 Urban Music Awards at Luna Park, Sydney
inthemix. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012.

2007–2008: ''The Memphis Album'' and ''Tour''

Guy Sebastian The Memphis Tour 7 Mar 2008

In early 2007 it had been announced Sebastian would be recording a tribute album of soul classics in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

with

Stax Streaming API for XML (StAX) is an application programming interface ( API) to read and write XML documents, originating from the Java programming language community. Traditionally, XML APIs are either: * DOM based - the entire document is read i ...

musicians who played on and wrote some of the original songs. The album was recorded at

Ardent Studios Ardent Studios is an American recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. History Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and were initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first 45s for the Ardent ...

, Memphis in August 2007, with

, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, and

Steve Potts Steve Potts may refer to: *Steve Potts (jazz musician) (born 1943), American jazz saxophonist * Steve Potts (footballer) (born 1967), American-born English football coach and former professional footballer * Steve Potts (drummer), drummer with Book ...

(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 just took us by storm." Shortly after Sebastian's return to Australia it was announced that The MGs would tour Australia with him in early 2008. '' The Memphis Album'' debuted at number three in November 2007, and was the seventh highest selling Australian artist album of the year. The critically acclaimed album reached double platinum certification in 2008.The Memphis Album Reviews
. Blogspot.com. Retrieved 25 June 2009. ''

The Memphis Flyer The ''Memphis Flyer'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper serving the greater Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the County seat, seat of Shelby County, Tennessee, Shelby County in the southwest part ...

'', 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. The MGs came to Australia in February 2008 to be Sebastian's backing band for his 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 Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

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 just filled our hearts." One of the Melbourne concerts was filmed for a live DVD/CD titled ''

The Memphis Tour ''The Memphis Tour'' is a live DVD/ CD by Australian singer Guy Sebastian, released on 3 May 2008 through Sony BMG. The DVD features a live recording of one of Sebastian's concerts from his national tour of the same name. Sebastian's backing b ...

''. Sebastian was nominated for a

Helpmann Award The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical th ...

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.2008 Helpman Award Nominations
Helpman Awards. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012.11th Australian Club Entertainment Awards
. ACE Awards. Retrieved 27 February 2009. ''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.

2008–2010: ''Like It Like That''

Jordin Sparks & Guy Sebastian Club Nokia LA

In 2008 Sebastian was signed to release an album in the US, and in November he returned to America to work on it. He recorded songs with John Mayer's band, and

himself played guitar and sang backing vocals on three of the tracks. He moved to New York in early 2009 to prepare for the release of the US album which was a mix of Memphis soul covers and original songs. He performed showcases at the

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

Music Festival in Austin Texas, and a residency at the Drom in New York. His song " Like It Like That" was chosen as the theme song for the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

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 album, was released in Australia in August 2009 and reached number one. It was the highest selling Australian artist song in 2009, and achieved 4× platinum certification.ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2014 Singles
Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 March 2014 '' Like It Like That'', an original soul album with all songs written or co-written by Sebastian, was released in October 2009. It reached number six and was certified platinum.ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2010 Albums
Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 8 June 2010. " Art of Love", a duet with

was released as the second single. It peaked at number eight and reached double platinum certification. It also charted at number seven in New Zealand, gaining gold certification there. Two further singles, " All to Myself" and "

Never Hold You Down "Never Hold You Down" is the fourth single released from Australian singer, Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, ...

", did not chart in the ARIA top 50. Sebastian toured in Australia during February 2010 and again in June and July.Like It Like That Tour For 2010
Guy Sebastian official website. Retrieved 9 September 2009. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012.The Bring Yourself Tour!
Guy Sebastian official website. 11 May 2010. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012. The US album, now identical to the Australian album, was given limited release on the

Red Ink Rubrication is the addition of text in red ink to a manuscript for emphasis. Practitioners of rubrication, so-called ''rubricators'' or ''rubrishers'', were specialized scribes who received text from the original scribe. Rubrication was one of s ...

label in June 2010, with distribution via iTunes and

Barnes & Noble Barnes & Noble Booksellers is an American bookseller. It is a Fortune 1000 company and the bookseller with the largest number of retail outlets in the United States. As of July 7, 2020, the company operates 614 retail stores across all 50 ...

stores.Like It Like That Barnes & Noble Exclusive
Barnes & Noble. Archived fro
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on 28 January 2012. He was chosen as a judge on the 2010 series of Australia's

The X-Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003) ...

, 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 Coast between July and September, including guest performances singing "Art of Love" with Sparks at three of her ''

Battlefield Tour The 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, ballro ...

'' concerts, and also played support for

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

at a concert in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

.Guy Sebastian Releases Debut U.S. Album, Tours West Coast
popdirt.com. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012.Guy Sebastian announces more US tour dates
antimusic.com. 4 August 2010. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012. Sebastian was nominated for six

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

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.

2010–2011: ''The X Factor'' and ''Twenty Ten''

In 2010 Sebastian was selected as a judge on the Australian series of ''

''. It 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, Boys, 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 in 2010, and was assisted in choosing his final three acts by

Rai Thistlethwayte Rai Thistlethwayte (born 21 April 1980) is an Australian rock, pop and jazz musician and songwriter. Thistlethwayte is an accomplished pianist, guitarist, and vocalist. He is the lead singer and primary songwriter in the Australian pop rock band ...

, lead singer of

Thirsty Merc Thirsty Merc are an Australian pop rock band formed in 2002 by Rai Thistlethwayte, Phil Stack (bass guitar), Karl Robertson (drums), and Matthew Baker (guitar). In 2004, Baker was replaced by Sean Carey, who was, in turn, replaced by Matt Sm ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

and

Usher Usher may refer to: Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place: * Usher (occupation) ** Church usher ** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony ** F ...

. Sebastian released a

retrospective album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rele ...

titled '' Twenty Ten'' in November 2010. The album reached number four on the ARIA Album Chart. It spent twelve weeks in the top ten and was the fifth highest selling Australian artist album of 2010. It was certified double platinum in 2014.ARIA Album Certifications 2014
Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 31 October 2014 It also reached number twenty four on the New Zealand Albums Chart. 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. "

Who's That Girl Who's That Girl? may refer to: Film and television * ''Who's That Girl'' (1987 film), an American film starring Madonna * ''Who's That Girl'', a Philippine film of 2011 * "Who's That Girl?", an episode of ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!'' Music * Who's Tha ...

" featuring US rapper Eve, was released as the only single. The dance-driven electro R&B song was a departure from Sebastian's previous pop, R&B and soul releases. Eve performed the song with Sebastian on ''The X Factor'' Grand Final.McCabe, Kathy (22 November 2010)
One very suave Guy Sebastian
''The Daily Telegraph''. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012. "Who's That Girl" reached number one and 5× platinum certification in Australia, and number one and platinum in New Zealand. Lionel Richie and Guy Sebastian

With the release of ''Twenty Ten'' Sebastian had completed the terms of his original contract with

, but re-signed with them for another long-term contract. He supported

Boyzone Boyzone were an Irish boy band, created in 1993 by talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's '' The Late Late Show''. Their most successful line-up was composed of Keith Duffy, Steph ...

on their 2011 UK tour, and

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...

on his Australian and New Zealand tour.Lionel Richie and Guy Sebastian to Play A Day on the Green
Undercover. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012.Boyzone Brother Tour support announcement
Boyzonebrotheralbum.com. 7 February 2011. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012. They re-recorded Richie's 1983 single " All Night Long" to raise money for Australian and New Zealand

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

and

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...

relief. The track was produced by

RedOne Nadir Khayat ( ar, نادر الخياط; born 9 April 1972), better known by his stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan singer, songwriter, record producer and record executive. As a record producer and songwriter, he has worked with many high-profi ...

. Richie and Sebastian performed the song together at most of the concerts on the Australian leg of the tour. It peaked at number twelve in New Zealand and number twenty six in Australia. Sebastian received the 2011 Australian Club Entertainment Award for best Original Music Performer, and a

Mo Award The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

for Rock Performer of the Year.13th Australian Club Entertainment Awards
aceawards.com.au. Retrieved 8 April 20112011 Mo Award Winners
Mo Awards Inc. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012. He also won the Highest Selling Single ARIA Award for "Who's That Girl", and received nominations for Single of the Year, Best Pop Release and Most Popular Australian Artist. Sebastian continued as a judge on the 2011 ''The X Factor''. He mentored the Boys and was assisted in choosing his final three by

Wynter Gordon Diana Gordon, previously known by her stage name Wynter Gordon, is an American singer and songwriter. She began her career writing music for other artists, later signing with Atlantic Records where she started to work on her own album. Her deb ...

and

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

Reece Mastin Reece Mastin (born 24 November 1994) is an English-born Australian singer and songwriter who won the third season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2011. Mastin subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia. His debut single " Good Night" reac ...

who was in his group was the winner.

2011–2013: ''Armageddon''

In November 2011 "

Don't Worry Be Happy "Don't Worry, Be Happy" is a 1988 song by American musician Bobby McFerrin, released as the first single from his fourth album, '' Simple Pleasures'' (1988). It was the first ''a cappella'' song to reach number-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 c ...

", a pop song Sebastian wrote after encountering an angry motorist in Los Angeles, was released as the lead single of his seventh album ''Armageddon''. It peaked at number five and reached 5× platinum certification. Sebastian spent time in the US in early 2012 working on the album, and "

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

", an uptempo soul track, was released as the second single in May. It peaked at number ten, gaining platinum certification. Sebastian toured nationally during June and July to showcase new songs.TOURING : Guy Sebastian
auspOp. 5 February 2012. Archived fro

on 5 February 2012. In 2012, Sebastian appeared as a judge on ''The X Factor'' for a third and final year (until 2015). He was given the Over 25s, and was assisted in selecting his final three by

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

. His contestant

Samantha Jade Samantha Jade Gibbs (born 18 April 1987) is an Australian singer and songwriter. She has written tracks for artists including JoJo and Ashley Tisdale. In 2012, Jade won the fourth season of ''The X Factor Australia'', the first woman to win ...

was the winner. ''Armageddons third single "

, was released in August. It debuted at number one, Sebastian's sixth number one single in Australia. He has the most number one singles for an Australian male artist in Australian music history, and is third overall for all Australian acts. Only

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

and

Delta Goodrem Delta Lea Goodrem AM (born November 9, 1984) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Goodrem signed to Sony Music at the age of 15. Her debut album, '' Innocent Eyes'' (2003), topped the ARIA Albums Chart for 29 non-consecutive wee ...

have achieved more. "Battle Scars" was the third-highest selling single in Australia in 2012 and the highest-selling single by an Australian act. It reached 12× platinum in 2020. "Battle Scars" also reached number two and double platinum certification in New Zealand. Fiasco added "Battle Scars" to his fourth album, '' Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1'' in countries other than Australia, and it was released as the fourth single on 28 August 2012. He came to Australia in mid September to promote the single and the release of his album, and he and Sebastian performed "Battle Scars" live for the first time on ''

''. They also performed the song in America on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production ...

''. It was used in the US in the TV promotion for the movie ''

Red Dawn ''Red Dawn'' is a 1984 American action drama film directed by John Milius with a screenplay by Milius and Kevin Reynolds. The film depicts a fictional World War III centering on a land invasion of the continental United States by an alliance ...

''. "Battle Scars" spent 20 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 71. It also reached number 23 on the ''Billboard'' Digital Song Chart and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Chart. It has been certified platinum in the US for sales of one million. The song also spent 13 weeks in the top ten in Norway, including six weeks at number two, and reached 46 and gold certification in Sweden. ''

Armageddon According to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Armageddon (, from grc, Ἁρμαγεδών ''Harmagedōn'', Late Latin: , from Hebrew: ''Har Məgīddō'') is the prophesied location of a gathering of armies ...

'' was released on 12 October 2012. It reached number one in its seventh week and achieved double platinum certification. After only 12 weeks of sales the album was the ninth highest selling album in Australia in 2012, the second highest selling album by an Australian act. Sebastian was nominated for three 2012

ARIA Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...

. He received nominations for Best Pop Release and Best Male Artist for "Battle Scars", and "Don't Worry Be Happy" was nominated for Song of the Year. Sebastian and Fiasco performed "Battle Scars" at the Awards. "Battle Scars" was also nominated for an American

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

for Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration. The fourth single " Get Along", a song about the harm caused by religious, cultural and racial intolerance reached number five and triple platinum certification. The song also reached number nine and gold certification in New Zealand. In early 2013 Fiasco and Sebastian continued the US promotion of "Battle Scars", performing on ''

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon ''Late Night with Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by comedian Jimmy Fallon. About pag ...

'' and '' Conan''. From March to June 2013 he toured Australia with the 47-date Get Along Tour.Get Along Tour 2013
Guy Sebastian official site. Archived fro
the original
on 4 April 2013. Sebastian won two 2013 ARIA Awards, Best Pop Release for ''Armageddon'', and Best Live Act for the Get Along Tour. He was also nominated for Album of the Year and Best Male Act for Armageddon and Song of the Year for "Get Along".Zuel, Bernard (2 December 2013)

''Sydney Morning Herald''. Archived from the origina

on 2 December 2013.

2013–2016: ''Madness'' and Eurovision Song Contest

In October 2013 Sebastian released "

Like a Drum "Like a Drum" is a song by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian released digitally in Australia on 25 October 2013. It debuted at number four on the ARIA Singles Chart, Sebastian's twelfth top ten single in Australia, and has been certifie ...

", the lead single from his eighth studio album. Debuting at number four, it became his 12th top ten single in Australia, and his tenth to reach the top five. It was certified 4× platinum in Australia. Sebastian opened for

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...

on the Australian leg of her Red Tour.Adams, Cameron (16 May 2013)
Guy Sebastian will open for Taylor Swift on her stadium tour of Australia
news.com.au. Archived fro
the original
on 27 May 2013. "Like a Drum" was released in the United States, Canada, and Europe in January 2014 through

The Cherry Party RED Music, stylized RED MUSIC, formerly RED Distribution, LLC (Relativity Entertainment Distribution) was a Sony-owned sales and marketing division that merged under The Orchard in 2017. RED previously handled releases for more than sixty i ...

and

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

. The song reached number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Dance Club Chart and 49 and platinum certification in Sweden. The second single, " Come Home With Me", reached number 13 on the Aria Singles Chart and platinum certification. The third single, " Mama Ain't Proud" featuring

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, a ...

, peaked at number 17 and reached gold certification. Sebastian received two 2014 ARIA nominations, Best Male Artist for "Come Home With Me" and Song of the Year for "Like a Drum". Sebastian's eighth album, ''

Madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

'', was released on 21 November 2014 and debuted at number six and was certified gold. The album also reached number 34 in Sweden in 2015. 20150520 ESC 2015 Guy Sebastian 9251

The fourth single " Linger" reached number 17 and platinum certification. Sebastian held an arena tour in Australia in February 2015 to support the album release.McCabe, Kathy (7 August 2014)
Guy Sebastian to play Australian arenas on Madness tour 2015
news.com.au. Archived from the origina

on 16 August 2014. "Like a Drum" received 2015 APRA nominations for Pop Work of the Year and Most Played Australian Work. Sebastian was chosen as the Australian entrant in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2015 The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 was the 60th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Vienna, Austria, following the country's victory at the with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix" by Conchita Wurst. Organised by the European Broa ...

, making him the first artist to represent Australia in the competition. He performed the song "

Tonight Again "Tonight Again" is a song by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian. The song represented Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. It premiered on 16 March 2015, before the Eurovision entry deadline and it was released as a single on d ...

", and placed fifth in the competition overall. "Tonight Again" debuted at number 12 in Australia. It also charted at number five in Iceland, 16 in Austria, 22 in Sweden and reached the top 50 of the German and Swiss charts. It achieved gold certification in Sweden. Sebastian toured in Europe in August and September, performing in Sweden, Germany, Norway and The Netherlands.Gallagher, Robyn (11 August 2015
Guy Sebastian Announces Madness European Tour
wiwiBlogs.com. Archived fro
the original
on 17 December 2015. He was nominated for 2015 ARIA Award for Best Male Artist for "Tonight Again". He returned to the judging panel of the Australian version of ''

'' after a two-year absence. In November 2015 he released " Black & Blue". The song reached number 17, and achieved platinum certification. In January and February 2016 he held a 35 date Australian regional tour..Cashmere, Paul. (12 November 2015
Guy Sebastian to Head Out On Extensive Australian Tour in 2016
Noise11. Archived fro
the original
on 17 November 2015. Sebastian received 2016 ARIA Award nominations for Best Male Artist and Best Video for "Black & Blue".

2016–2017: ''Part 1'' EP and ''Conscious''

In late 2016 Sebastian released two singles, "

Candle A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candle ...

" which peaked at 59, and " Set in Stone" which reached number 11, and has been certified double platinum. Sebastian released ''

Part 1 Part 1 may refer to: * ''Part 1'' (Twin Peaks), the first episode of the third season of the TV series Twin Peaks * ''Part 1'' (EP), a 2016 EP by Guy Sebastian *''Part 1'', a 2017 EP by O-Town. See O-Town discography See also * PART1 In molecular ...

'' EP in December 2016. It was released digitally on 2 December, and peaked at number 31 on the ARIA Album Chart. The physical cd was released on 16 December. A third single, " Mind On You", did not chart. In March and April 2017 Sebastian toured the Australian eastern states to preview songs from his next album.Guy Sebastian Unveils Intimate Headline Dates To Preview New Album
the music.com.au. 6 February 2017. Archived fro
the original
on 17 March 2017 In September 2017, Sebastian released the single " High On Me" and announced his album ''

Conscious Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...

'' would be released on 3 November 2017. He also announced a November tour of the mainland capital cities and Newcastle.Guy Sebastian confirms Conscious; announces tour
auspOp. 1 September 2017. Archived fro
the original
on 2 September 2017 "Keep Me Coming Back" and "Vesuvius" were released as promotional singles from ''

'', ahead of the album release. It was also confirmed " Set in Stone" was also included in the album. "Set in Stone" was nominated for an ARIA Award for Song of the Year. "Bloodstone", the second official single peaked at number 59 and was certified platinum, with ''Conscious'' debuting at number four.

2018–present: ''T.R.U.T.H.''

On 4 October 2018, Sebastian released "

Before I Go "Before I Go" is a song by Australian singer Guy Sebastian. It was written by Sebastian and Jamie Hartman and released on 2 November 2018 as the lead single from Sebastian's ninth studio album ''T.R.U.T.H.''. The song was the most added song on ...

", the lead single from his ninth studio album, ''T.R.U.T.H.'' It peaked at number 43 and was certified platinum. He has been a coach on ''

'' since the 2019 season. Sebastian was made a

(AM) in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours in recognition of his "significant service to the music industry and charitable initiatives". In June 2019 he released the single "

Choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

", reached number seven, and has been certified 4xplatinum.ARIA Accreditations – 2020 Singles
Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 9 February 2020. Sebastian toured Australia in September and October with his Ridin' With You Tour.Fuamoli, Sosefina (10 June 201
Guy Sebastian Announces September Australian Tour
Music Feeds. Retrieved 11 June 2019. On 1 October 2019, it was announced that Sebastian would host the

ARIA Music Awards of 2019 The ARIA Music Awards of 2019 are the 33rd Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) and consist of a series of awards, including the 2019 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA ...

. He received 2019 ARIA Award nominations for Best Male Artist and Best Pop Release, and won for Best Video and Song of the Year for "Choir". The single " Standing with You" was released in June 2020 and peaked at number ten, Sebastian's 14th top ten single in Australia. It has reached gold cerification. In October 2020, Sebastian released his ninth studio album, ''T.R.U.T.H.'', which debuted at number 1 on the ARIA charts, becoming Sebastian's third career ARIA number 1 album. The album has been certified gold. Sebastian won

ARIA Award for Best Video The ARIA Award for Best Video, is presented at the annual ARIA Awards, which recognise "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), an o ...

for "Standing With You" at the

2020 ARIA Music Awards The 2020 ARIA Music Awards are the 34th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) and consist of a series of awards, including the 2020 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hal ...

Artistry

Musical style and influences

Sebastian cites a number of musicians as his musical influences, including

Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul music, soul artists of all time, Cooke is common ...

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, and

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan ...

. His music has crossed many genres, including

, R&B,

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the mi ...

, smokey soul,

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

Memphis soul Memphis soul, also known as the Memphis sound, is the most prominent strain of Southern soul. It is a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn line ...

covers, '60s soul/pop and electro R&B. While Sebastian's first three albums showed elements of soul, it was '' The Memphis Album'' 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 Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' 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." ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' music editor Kathy McCabe 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 Paul Cashmere is an Australian entrepreneur, broadcaster, music journalist and media executive. In 1995 he founded the digital music CD-ROM magazine, ''Undercover'', with Australian photographer and domestic partner, Ros O'Gorman (1960–2018) ...

from Undercover wrote: "By covering the classics on ''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." In an interview for the release of his seventh album ''

'', Sebastian spoke of how much ''The Memphis Album'' still influences his music: "I got to work with some people who were instrumental in shaping the careers of artists who heavily influence me. Artists like Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Sam Cooke. Being entrenched in that sort of environment really caused me to go 'You know what dude. Do what you want to do. Do what comes natural to you'. ..From that Memphis thing a few years ago it's always going to start with me being true to who I want to be and what I enjoy singing."

Songwriting and production

Sebastian began writing songs before entering ''Australian Idol''. "

", the second single from his debut album '' Just as I Am'' 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 Sun'', and all the tracks on his albums '' Like It Like That'' and ''

''. In an article in ''

'', 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." Jamie Horne wrote in ''The Border Mail'', "The inaugural winner's longevity ..can be attributed to the fact that he's an accomplished musician and songwriter" and AllMusic reviewer Jon O'Brien said, "it's a testament to his vocal abilities and songwriting skills that, unlike many of his fellow winners, he's remained popular enough to see out his rather ambitious Sony contract ..a subtle and natural progression with each album, explains why he's managed to survive once the show's publicity machine died down." In 2008 "

Receive the Power "Receive the Power" is a gospel song written by Guy Sebastian and Gary Pinto, and performed by Sebastian and Paulini. It was chosen in May 2007 as the official anthem for the Roman Catholic Church's XXIII World Youth Day (WYD08) held in Sydney ...

", a gospel song written by Sebastian and Gary Pinto, was chosen as the official anthem for the Roman Catholic Church's XXIII

World Youth Day World Youth Day (WYD) is an event for young people organized by the Catholic Church that was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985, sometimes nicknamed in later years as the "Catholic Woodstock". Its concept has been influenced by the Light-L ...

.Australian Idol Wrote World Youth Day Anthem
famvin.org. 17 May 2007. Archived fro
the original
on 21 January 2012. " Art of Love", co-written by Adam Reilly, was shortlisted for the APRA Song of the Year in 2010. " All to Myself", written with Carl Dimataga, and "

" 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. "

" was shortlisted for the 2012 APRA Song of the Year. "

Battle Scars "Battle Scars" is a song performed by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian and American rapper Lupe Fiasco. It was released digitally in Australia and New Zealand on 10 August 2012 by Sony Music Entertainment.Get Along" was a finalist in the Pop/Top 40 category, and was awarded an honourable mention. "Get Along" was also one of the final five nominees for the 2013 APRA Song of the Year. " Set in Stone was shortlisted for the 2017 APRA Song of the Year, and " Black & Blue" was nominated for Pop Work of the Year. Sebastian has a worldwide, long term publishing agreement with

Universal Music Publishing Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) is a North American music publishing company and is part of the Universal Music Group. It was formerly known as MCA Music Publishing until it merged with PolyGram. Universal Music Publishing is the worl ...

. He has written songs for other artists, including co-writing "Dot Com", a song performed by

on ''Rhythm City Volume One: Caught Up''. He also has an interest in production and co-produced ''The Memphis Album'' with

. He has his own recording studio, ''Cooper Lane Studio'', where he produces and engineers some of his music, and which is also used by other musicians. He produced a song called "Think of Me" for 2009 ''Australian Idol''

Stan Walker Stan Walker (born 23 October 1990) is an Australian-born New Zealand singer, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh and last season of ''Australian Idol''. He subsequently signed a recording contract ...

's debut album, as well as playing most of the musical instruments on the track.

Notable performances

World Youth Day, July 2008: "

" a song written by Sebastian and

Gary Pinto Gary Pinto is an Australian singer, songwriter and musician and was the lead singer of dance group, CDB. Early life Gary Pinto is an Australian musician of Indian descent. His parents were from Chennai and members of a minority Christian Indi ...

was chosen as the official anthem for the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

's XXIII

(WYD08) held in Sydney in 2008. The song also features the vocals of Paulini Curuenavuli, who competed with Sebastian on the first season of ''

''. "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 six 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. Guy Sebastian and Olivia Newton-John at State Theatre

Guy Sebastian and Olivia Newton-John at State Theatre

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Awards, Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one s ...

& Friends Concert, September 2008: This concert was held at the State Theatre in Sydney to raise 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 '' Grease'', " Summer Nights". Oscar Haven – Los Angeles, February 2009: Sebastian was a headline act at an Oscar Haven party hosted by Stardust Pictures and

Jamie Kennedy James Harvey Kennedy (born May 25, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He has played Randy Meeks in the '' Scream'' franchise (1996–2000) and a multitude of characters in ''The Jamie Kennedy Experiment'' (2002–2004) on The WB. His ot ...

. Haven is held during Oscar week and invitees include 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

and David Ryan Harris 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 about Michael Jackson's rehearsals and preparation for the concert series of the same name scheduled to start on July 13, 2009, at the O2 Arena, but cancelled du ...

'' DVD, March 2010: Sebastian and

were chosen by the Jackson estate to perform at the Australian launch of ''This Is It''. They performed "

Earth Song "Earth Song" is a song written and performed by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson for his ninth studio album, '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' (1995). It was released on November 27, 1995, by Epic Records as the third ...

". The invitation only event was attended by the film's director

Kenny Ortega Kenneth John Ortega (born April 18, 1950) is an American filmmaker, touring manager, and choreographer. He is known for directing the films ''Newsies'', '' Hocus Pocus'', ''The Cheetah Girls 2'', '' High School Musical'', '' Michael Jackson's T ...

and Jackson's brother

Jackie Jackson Sigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson (born May 4, 1951) is an American singer best known as a founding member of the Jackson 5, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Jackson is the second child of the Jackson family, a ...

's official welcome to Sydney 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. Winfrey was in Australia to record two of her shows at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

. Sebastian sang for Winfrey a second time when she requested he perform at her private crew wrap-up party. G'Day USA, January 2011 and 2012: 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. Sebastian and the Qantas Choir were the entertainers at the 2011 Black Tie Gala in Los Angeles. Sebastian performed his own songs and also a medley of

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio were especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

songs prior to

Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popula ...

being honoured for excellence in Music at the event. During G'Day USA 2012 he performed at the American Australian Association Black Tie Gala in New York and the Australian American Chamber of Commerce Gala in Houston Texas. Grammy week – Los Angeles, February 2011: During Grammy week each year there are many events leading up to the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

s night. Sebastian was invited to perform at two of these events in 2011. He performed at

The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo (rapper), Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie (singer ...

Peapod Benefit Concert which was attended by musicians, DJ's, philanthropists, Hollywood celebrities and industry executives. He also performed at the

Roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

Pre Grammy Jam Session. The Roots are a

winning hip hop and

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and con ...

American band. During Grammy week they hold a

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without ...

and invite other musicians to perform with them. Their 2011 jam session was hosted by

Jimmy Fallon James Thomas Fallon (born September 19, 1974) is an American comedian, television host, actor, and writer. He is known for his work in television as a cast member on '' Saturday Night Live'' and as the host of the late-night talk show ''The To ...

and other performers included

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...

Lalah Hathaway Eulaulah Donyll "Lalah" Hathaway (born December 16, 1968) is an American singer. In 1990 Hathaway released her first album titled ''Lalah Hathaway''. After releasing another album, titled '' A Moment'' (1994), it debuted at number 34 on the To ...

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known art ...

and

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan (), is an American singer. Her career has spanned more than five decades, beginning in the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the funk band Rufus. Known as the " Q ...

. CHOGM 2011 Opening Ceremony –

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to t ...

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 attendance at the ceremony were

, Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the Secretary-General of the

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

and heads of government from all 53 Commonwealth nations. The GRAMMY Foundation's 15th Annual Music Preservation Project – Los Angeles, February 2013: Held each year during Grammy Week, in 2013 the event was "Play It Forward: A Celebration Of Music's Evolution And Influencers". It explored the history of legendary influencers in music, the music they inspired and their impact on the American cultural landscape.

and Sebastian were chosen to perform "

Battle Scars "Battle Scars" is a song performed by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian and American rapper Lupe Fiasco. It was released digitally in Australia and New Zealand on 10 August 2012 by Sony Music Entertainment.Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles ch ...

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue". She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Chri ...

and

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...

Court

In May 2022, Sebastian started a court case against his former manager, Titus Day, accused of embezzling $900,000. Several days into the trial,

District Court of New South Wales The District Court of New South Wales is the intermediate court in the judicial hierarchy of the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a trial court and has an appellate jurisdiction. In addition, the Judges of the Court preside over a rang ...

Judge Peter Zahra died after suffering a

stroke A stroke is a disease, medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemorr ...

before the court session on Friday 6 May. On Monday 9 May, Judge James Bennett addressed the court and announced his colleague's death and that the case would resume before another judge a week later.Judge Peter Zahra dies after suffering a stroke, days into fraud trial of Guy Sebastian's ex-manager
''

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast '' ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include morning news-talk show '' Good Morning America'', '' ...

'' 9 May 2022 In June Day was found guilty of having embezzled Sebastian of $620,000.

Personal life

In late 2007, after eight years of courtship, Sebastian and girlfriend Jules Egan became engaged. They were married in Manly,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, on 17 May 2008. They have two sons born on 3 March 2012 and 17 April 2014. He has a net worth of $11 million.

Charitable work

Guy Sebastian on Cover of World Vision Magazine 2005

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

and Golden Stave, which is the Australian music and entertainment industry's charity fund raising organisation. He is also an ambassador for

, and in 2005 he travelled to Uganda to film a World Vision documentary "An Idol in Africa" for a

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of fiv ...

television special. Sebastian has continued his work with World Vision, supporting the Child Rescue program and the

40 Hour Famine Famine events are localized events of voluntary fasting for 30 or 40 hours depending on the region to raise money and awareness for world hunger. These events are usually coordinated by one of various World Vision organizations and are done by yout ...

. He has also been involved in the

Make Poverty History Make Poverty History are organizations in a number of countries, which focus on issues relating to 8th Millennium Development Goal such as aid, trade and justice. They generally form a coalition of aid and development agencies which work togethe ...

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 Denis Anthony Handlin AO (born 1951) is an Australian former entrepreneur and business executive who served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sony Music Entertainment Australia and New Zealand and President of Sony Music Entertainmen ...

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 The ''Indian Pacific'' is a weekly experiential tourism passenger train service that runs in Australia's east–west rail corridor between Sydney, on the shore of the Pacific Ocean, and Perth, on the shore of the Indian Ocean – thus, like ...

Outback Christmas Journey which raises money for the Royal Flying Doctor's Service. In 2008 he performed a series of 11 concerts with the Australian Army Band to raise funds for

Legacy In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...

.Cashmere, Paul (18 September 2008)
Guy Sebastian Joins The Army Tomorrow
Undercover.com.au. Archived fro
the original
on 22 January 2012. 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

B105 B105 or B-105 may refer to: * B105 FM (call sign: 4BBB), a Mainstream CHR radio station broadcasting out of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia * B105, one of the B roads in Zone 1 of the Great Britain numbering scheme * WUBE, a country music radio sta ...

's Christmas appeal for the Royal Children's Hospital, and

's annual

Telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other purportedly worthy cause. Most telethons f ...

. He also donates his time to annual Christmas carol events such as

Carols in the Domain Carols in the Domain is an annual Australian Christmas concert event held in the Domain Gardens in Sydney. It began in 1983, and features many national and international performers and guest appearances. It a free event, broadcast around Austra ...

, Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight, and

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

Carols in the City Carols in the City (also known as IGA Lord Mayor's Carols in the City), is an annual free Christmas concert event held at Riverstage in Brisbane, Australia. It is currently held on the second Saturday in December. The event is broadcast on the N ...

. His songs are frequently featured on charity CDs including the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

Christmas fundraising CDs, ''The Spirit of Christmas'' albums. Sebastian also makes unofficial appearances at hospitals several times a year. Sebastian was an ambassador for the 2020 MEN-tality project for

Beyond Blue Beyond Blue is an Australian mental health and wellbeing support organisation. They provide support programs to address issues related to depression, suicide, anxiety disorders and other related mental illnesses. The organisation works in par ...

shot by

Peter Brew-Bevan Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

, alongside Osher Gunsberg,

Rodger Corser Rodger Corser (born 28 February 1973) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his portrayals of Detective Senior Sergeant Steve Owen in the Nine Network crime mini-series '' Underbelly'', based on the Melbourne gangland killings, Senior Ser ...

and

Andrew Tierney Andrew James Tierney (born 20 June 1974) is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician, who is a member of the music group Human Nature. He is the brother of fellow band member Michael Tierney, and he and his wife live in Las Vegas L ...

. In 2013, Sebastian and his wife Jules formed The Sebastian Foundation.

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Just as I Am'' (2003) * '' Beautiful Life'' (2004) * '' Closer to the Sun'' (2006) * '' The Memphis Album'' (2007) * '' Like it Like That'' (2009) * ''

'' (2012) * ''

'' (2014) * ''

'' (2017) * ''

T.R.U.T.H. ''T.R.U.T.H.'' is the ninth studio album from Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. The album was confirmed on 14 July 2020 and was released on 16 October 2020. Upon announcement, Sebastian said "I wanted to create something that was about ...

'' (2020)

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 No. 1 Chart Awards, APRA Awards, Australian Club Entertainment Awards, Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, Urban Music Awards, and a Channel V Artist of the Year Award.

Tours

* 2004–05: Beautiful Life Tour * 2007: Closer to the Sun Tour * 2007: Acoustic Tour * 2008:

* 2009: Live & By Request Tour * 2010: Like It Like That Tour * 2010: Bring Yourself Tour * 2010: Like It Like That Tour (USA) * 2012: Armageddon tour * 2013:

Get Along Tour Get Along Tour was the tenth concert tour by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian. The tour supported his sixth studio album ''Armageddon'' (2013). The tour visited metro and regional areas in Australia. Sebastian won the 2013 ARIA Award f ...

* 2015:

Madness Tour Madness Tour is the eleventh concert tour by Australian recording artist Guy Sebastian. The tour supported his seventh studio album ''Madness (Guy Sebastian album), Madness''. This is Sebastian's first national full-scale production arena tour ...

* 2015: Madness European Tour *2016: You...Me...Us Tour *2017: Sub-Conscious Tour *2017: Conscious Tour *2018: Then and Now Tour *2019: Ridin' With You Tour. *2022: T.R.U.T.H. Tour *2022: T.R.U.T.H. on the East Side Tour Joint tours * 2004: Australian Idol in Concert * 2007: Guy & the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra * 2008: Army in Concert with Guy Sebastian Support tours * 2011:

Tour (United Kingdom) * 2011:

Tour (Australia and New Zealand) * 2013: Red Tour (Australia) * 2017: Love Always Tour (United Kingdom)

References

External links

*
The Sebastian Foundation website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sebastian, Guy 1981 births 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian male singers Planetshakers members Planetshakers Church Musicians from Adelaide Australian performers of Christian music Australian Christian Churches people Australian evangelicals Australian gospel singers Malaysian Christians Australian Idol winners APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Australian contemporary R&B singers Australian male singer-songwriters Australian people of English descent Australian people of Indian descent Australian people of Portuguese descent Australian people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent Australian people of Tamil descent Australian pop singers Australian record producers 19 Recordings artists Australian soul singers Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 2015 Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Australia Indian people of Portuguese descent Living people Malaysian emigrants to Australia Malaysian people of English descent Malaysian people of Indian descent Malaysian people of Portuguese descent Malaysian people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent Members of the Order of Australia Naturalised citizens of Australia Neo soul singers People from Selangor People who lost Malaysian citizenship RCA Records artists Sony Music Australia artists