Christine Anu (born 15 March 1970) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She gained popularity with the

cover song In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song releas ...

release of the

Warumpi Band Warumpi Band () were an Australian country and Aboriginal rock group which formed in the outback settlement of Papunya, Northern Territory, in 1980. The original line-up was George Burarrwanga on vocals and didgeridoo, Gordon Butcher Tjapanang ...

's song " My Island Home". Anu has been nominated for 17

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 ...

Early life

Anu was born on 15 March 1970 in Cairns,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, to a

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grou ...

mother from Saibai. Anu attended Emmaus College in

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of ...

where she graduated from in 1987 before studying at the

National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association The NAISDA Dance College (usually referred to as simply NAISDA) is a performing arts training college based in Kariong, New South Wales for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. It was established as the Aboriginal Islander ...

in Sydney.

Music career

201000 - Opening Ceremony Christine Anu performs - 3b - 2000 Sydney opening ceremony photo

Anu began performing as a dancer and later went on to sing back-up vocals for the Rainmakers, which included Neil Murray of the

. Her first recording was in 1993 with " Last Train", a dance remake of a Paul Kelly song. The follow-up, "Monkey and the Turtle", was based on a traditional story. After " My Island Home", she released her first album, ''

Stylin' Up ''Stylin' Up'' is the debut album by Australian singer Christine Anu, released on 1 May 1995 by Mushroom Records. A deluxe edition was later released with six live tracks. The album was certified platinum in 2000. The album fuses a blend of pur ...

'', which went

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

. In 1995, Neil Murray won an

Australasian Performing Right Association APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

songwriting award for writing "My Island Home". Anu won an

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 Austr ...

for best female recording artist as well as a Deadly Sounds National Aboriginal & Islander Music Awards award in 1996 for best female artist.

Baz Luhrmann Mark Anthony Luhrmann (born 17 September 1962), known professionally as Baz Luhrmann, is an Australian film director, producer, writer and actor. With projects spanning film, television, opera, theatre, music and recording industries, he is re ...

asked her to sing on the song " Now Until the Break of Day" on his '' Something for Everybody'' album. It was released as a single and the video then won another ARIA award and led to her being cast in ''

Moulin Rouge! ''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and cou ...

''. In January 1998, Anu teamed up with

Archie Roach Archibald William Roach (8 January 1956 – 30 July 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter and Aboriginal activist. Often referred to as "Uncle Archie", Roach was a Gunditjmara and Bundjalung elder who campaigned for the rights of Abori ...

, Paul Kelly,

Judith Durham Judith Durham (born Judith Mavis Cock; 3 July 1943 – 5 August 2022) was an Australian singer, songwriter and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian folk music group the Seekers in 1963. The group became the first Australian ...

, Renee Geyer, Kutcha Edwards and Tiddas and formed Singers for the Red Black and Gold. Together they released a cover of "

Yil Lull "Yil Lull" is a song written and performed by Joe Geia. It originally appeared on his 1988 album of the same name. Yill Lull means sing in Guugu Yimithirr.Green Left Weekly issue #58 - 3 June 199Hidden Things worth looking for/ref> The colours us ...

". In 2000, Anu released '' Come My Way'' which peaked at number 18 on the ARIA albums chart and went gold. In 2000 she sang the song "My Island Home" at the Sydney 2000 Olympics Closing Ceremony. In November 2003, Anu released her third studio album, ''

45 Degrees ''45 Degrees'' is the third studio album by Torres Strait Islander singer Christine Anu. Anu cites Melbourne-based producer Jarrad Rogers as the key catalyst to this musical re-awakening. Long runs with the stage show Kissing Frogs, and the birt ...

''. In 2007, Anu toured a children's show and released an associate album titled ''

Chrissy's Island Family ''Chrissy's Island Family'' is the fifth studio and first children album by ARIA Award winning, Torres Strait Islander singer Christine Anu. The album features a collection of songs resonating from Anu's Indigenous cultural upbringing in the T ...

''. The album gained an

nomination. On 26 September 2010, she released a new digital only single, "Come Home". On 7 November 2014, Anu released a

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

album, titled ''

Island Christmas ''Island Christmas'' is the seventh studio and first Christmas album by ARIA Award winning, Torres Strait Islander singer Christine Anu. The album features The Voice season 2 finalist, Steve Clisby, actor and children’s entertainer, Jay L ...

''. In March 2018, Anu released a duet version of "Without You" from the musical ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'' with Greg Gould. The lyric video featured photography from around the world, each photo with a splash of red for HIV/AIDS support and awareness.

Acting and TV career

Anu has also had an acting career in film, stage and television. She appeared in ''

Dating the Enemy ''Dating The Enemy'' is a 1996 Australian comedy about a recently broken up couple who mystically body swap, swap bodies and have to live as each other. Plot One Valentine's evening a group of single, dateless friends get together to play Trivi ...

'', a 1996 Australian film starring

Guy Pearce Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. Born in Ely, Cambridgeshire in England, and raised in Geelong, Victoria in Australia, he started his career portraying Mike Young in the Australian television series '' Neighbour ...

and

Claudia Karvan Claudia Karvan (born 19 May 1972) is an Australian actress, producer and scriptwriter. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film, '' Molly'' (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in '' High Tide'' (1987). She portrayed a teacher i ...

. She then appeared in an Australian production of the stage musical ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 film directed by Roger Corman ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film ** ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (film), a 1986 film adaptat ...

'' in the same year. Anu's stage career developed with a starring role in the original Australian production of ''Rent'' in 1998 and 1999. Anu was offered a role in a Broadway production of this musical but had to decline due to commitments in recording her second album. Her links with Baz Luhrmann led to him offering her a part in ''

''. In 2003, she appeared as Kali in ''

The Matrix Reloaded ''The Matrix Reloaded'' is a 2003 American science-fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is a sequel to ''The Matrix'' (1999) and the second installment in the ''Matrix'' film series. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Lau ...

'' and played the character on the video game ''

Enter the Matrix ''Enter the Matrix'' is a 2003 action-adventure video game developed by Shiny Entertainment and published by Infogrames under the Atari brand name. It was the first game based on ''The Matrix'' film series. Its story is concurrent with that ...

''. In 2004, she became a judge on '' Popstars Live'', a television quest broadcast on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australi ...

at 6.30 pm on Sunday night in Australia along the lines of ''

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 ...

''. The program failed to achieve a similar level of success, leading network executives to pressure the judges to offer harsher criticism of the contestants. Anu refused to offer harsher criticism, leading to her resignation as a judge in April 2004. In a statement issued on her departure, she said: "I chose to play a positive role model and wanted to encourage these young people in their endeavours, rather than criticise them. Although leaving ''Popstars Live'' was a difficult decision for me to make, I do feel somewhat relieved that I can now focus on my music." In 2009, Anu participated in '' Who Do You Think You Are''. She appeared again on television in 2012, in the Australian sci-fi television series '' Outland'', about a gay sci-fi fan club. Anu plays wheelchair using Rae, the sole female member of the group. In August 2020, Anu was revealed to be the 'Goldfish' in the second season of '' The Masked Singer Australia'' and was the third contestant unmasked, placing 10th overall.

Radio

In December 2015, ABC announced that Anu will host the ''Evenings'' radio program on

ABC Radio Sydney ABC Radio Sydney (official call sign: 2BL, formerly 2SB) is an ABC radio station in Sydney, Australia. It is the flagship station in the ABC Local Radio network and broadcasts on 702 kHz on the AM dial. The station transmits with a power ( ...

, ABC Radio Canberra and

ABC Local Radio ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its program ...

stations across New South Wales. Anu shared the role with Dominic Knight, then took over full reigns in April after Knight's resignation. In the first half of 2016 the program suffered a dip in the ratings after she began hosting. In November 2016, ABC announced will host a national ''Evenings'' program on Friday and Saturday across

. Chris Bath replaced Anu as host of ''Evenings'' from Monday to Thursday on

, ABC Radio Canberra and

stations across New South Wales.

Personal life

Anu is a mother of two, son Kuiam (born 1996) and daughter Zipporah (born 2002). Zipporah's father is actor Rodger Corser. Anu married her childhood sweetheart, Simon Deutrom, in 2010. In June 2016, Anu announced that she and Deutrom were separating after six years of marriage. On 24 February 2020, Anu pleaded guilty in the Rockhampton Magistrates Court to mid-range

drink driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is in ...

after recording a blood alcohol reading of 0.109 after she was pulled over by police in

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the December 31, last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly ...

.Nufer, Darryn (24 February 2020
Pop star fronts court on drink driving charge
, ''

The Morning Bulletin ''The Morning Bulletin'' is an online newspaper servicing the city of Rockhampton and the surrounding areas of Central Queensland, Australia. From 1861 to 2020, ''The Morning Bulletin'' was published as a print edition, before then becoming a ...

''. Retrieved 7 March 2020.(24 February 2020
ARIA Award winner Christine Anu loses license for NYE drink driving
, ''

Nine News ''Nine News'' (stylised ''9News'') is the national news service of the Nine Network in Australia. Its flagship program is the hour-long 6:00 pm state bulletin, produced by Nine's owned-and-operated stations in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane ...

''. Retrieved 7 March 2020. Magistrate Philippa Beckinsale fined Anu $650 and suspended her driver's license for three months.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (1995) * '' Come My Way'' (2000) * ''

'' (2003) * ''

Acoustically ''Acoustically'' is the fourth studio album by ARIA Award winning, Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. ...

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2007) * '' Rewind: The Aretha Franklin Songbook'' (2012) * ''

'' (2014)

Live albums

* ''Intimate and Deadly'' (2010) * ''

ReStylin' Up 20 Years ''ReStylin' Up 20 Years'' is a live album recorded by Australian singer Christine Anu. it is a live recording of her 1995 debut album ''Stylin' Up'' in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The album was recorded in one day and released on 19 June ...

'' (2015)

Filmography

Films and television

Theatre and stage performances

Awards and nominations

ARIA Awards

The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replac ...

(ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the

music of Australia The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987.

Australian Women in Music Awards

The Australian Women in Music Awards is an annual event that celebrates outstanding women in the

Australian Music Industry Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal ...

who have made significant and lasting contributions in their chosen field. They commenced in 2018. , - , rowspan="2" ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, Christine Anu , Diversity in Music Award , , - , Christine Anu , Artistic Excellence Award ,

Deadly Awards

The Deadly Awards, (commonly known simply as The Deadlys), was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. They ran from 1996 to 2013. , - ,

Deadly Awards 1996 The 1996 Deadly Awards were hosted by Rhoda Roberts at the Metro Theatre in Sydney on 1 October 1996. Presenters included Nicky Winmar, Toni Janke, Warren Fahey and Triple J's Chris Thompson. The awards were an annual celebration of Australian ...

, "herself" , Female Artist of the Year , , - , Deadly Awards 1998 , "herself" , Female Artist of the Year , , - , Deadly Awards 2000 , "

Sunshine on a Rainy Day "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" is a song by British pop singer and songwriter Zoë, released as the first single from her debut album, ''Scarlet Red and Blue'' (1991). The song received positive reviews from music critics, reaching number four on ...

" , Single of the Year , , - , Deadly Awards 2003 , "herself" , Female Artist of the Year , , - ,

Deadly Awards 2004 Deadly Awards 2004 the awards were an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. Music *Most Promising New Talent in Music: Casey Donovan *Single Release of ...

, " Talk About Love" , Single of the Year , , -

Green Room Awards

References

External links

Christine Anu official web site
*
Allmusic Christine Anu entryBlack is Blue tour
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anu, Christine Living people 1970 births 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners Australian children's television presenters Australian women pop singers Australian women television presenters Indigenous Australian actresses Indigenous Australian musicians MGM Records artists Mushroom Records artists Musicians from Queensland People from Cairns Torres Strait Islands culture Torres Strait Islanders Blinky Bill