Luke Kennedy is an Australian performer best known for placing second on the second season of ''

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 Dutch singing competition '' The Voice of Holland'', a ...

''. He has also toured internationally with

the Ten Tenors The TEN Tenors (also known as TTT) are an Australian music ensemble, first formed in 1995. Current members *Cameron Barclay *Sam Ward *Michael Edwards *Adrian Li Donni *Ammon Bennett *Jared Newall *Boyd Owen *Joe Naim *Daniel Belle *JD Smith Ba ...

and performed the title role in ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...

'' in six different productions around Australia.

Career

Luke Kennedy began his performance career in

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

where he performed in numerous local productions from the age of 16 onwards, including Jesus in

, Marius in ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' and Mary Sunshine in ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

''. He moved to Brisbane in 2002 to again play the title role in ''

'' and continued in productions of ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's children's novel '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' ...

'' as the Lion, ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

'', ''

Beauty and the Beast "Beauty and the Beast" is a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in (''The Young American and Marine Tales''). Villeneuve's lengthy version was abridged, rewritten, and publish ...

'' as the Beast and Cain/Japheth in ''

Children of Eden ''Children of Eden'' is a 1991 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John Caird. The musical is based on the Book of Genesis, with Act I telling the story of Adam and Eve, and Cain and Abel, while Act II deals with N ...

''. In 2007, Luke played the role of Jamie in Jason Robert Brown's ''

The Last Five Years ''The Last Five Years'' is a musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States an ...

'' co-starring his now-partner Brisbane-based actress Naomi Price for ( Oscar Theatre Company/Judith Wright Arts Centre). In August and again in June 2011, he played the title role in a production of ''

'' at the QPAC Playhouse. He released his debut album, ''Overexposed'', in July 2010 and reprised the title role in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', this time for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of South Australia in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. Kennedy returned to the role of Jesus in June 2015 for a sixth time at AIS Arena

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

opposite Michael Falzon as Judas. Kennedy, along with

Rachael Beck Rachael Elizabeth Beck (born 2 September 1971) is an Australian stage and television singer-actress. From 1991 to 1994 Beck had a major role on the popular sitcom, '' Hey Dad..!'', as Samantha Kelly. From 2006 to 2008, Beck appeared on all thre ...

Alexandra Flood Alexandra Flood (born 26 February 1990) is an Australian operatic soprano. __TOC__ Career Born in Cowes, Victoria, Flood attended the Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne and studied from 2007 until 2010 at the University of Melbourne (B.A., Dip ...

and Michael Falzon joined

Queensland Symphony Orchestra Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra in the state of Queensland. The orchestra is based in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's building in South Bank. The Orchestra is funded by private corporations, the ...

for

Queensland Ballet Queensland Ballet, founded in 1960 by Charles Lisner, is the premier ballet company of Queensland, Australia, and is based in Brisbane. It is one of only three full-time, professional classical ballet companies in Australia. The company has ha ...

's season of Strictly Gershwin in late May to early June 2016.

The Ten Tenors

Luke joined international touring group

in early 2008 and in nearly two years on the road, he performed shows on nearly every continent in the world. Highlights of his time with TTT include the 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon which was broadcast to 32 million people across North America, the 2008 Emirates Melbourne Cup and the DVD recording of Amigos Para Siempre: Live in Madrid in August 2009 with the RTVE Orchestra.

The Voice Australia, Record Deal, and A Time For Us

In April 2013, Kennedy auditioned for

Season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008 * "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu ''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...

of ''

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 Dutch singing competition '' The Voice of Holland'', a ...

''. He appeared on the fourth Blind Audition episode on 10 April 2013 singing " Un giorno per noi (A Time for Us)". All four coaches turned their chairs with standing ovations. Kennedy chose

Ricky Martin Enrique Martin Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography incorporati ...

as his coach . He was paired against "Belinda Adams" in the Battle Rounds singing

Rose Laurens Rose Laurens, previously billed as Rose Merryl (born Rose Podwojny; 4 March 1951 – 29 April 2018), was a French singer-songwriter, known for her 1982 single "Africa", a top-three hit in several European countries."Africa", in various singles ...

I Dreamed a Dream "I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the 1980 musical ''Les Misérables''. It is a solo that is sung by Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyrics are by Herbe ...

". This resulted in Martin choosing Kennedy to go through to the Showdowns. In the Showdowns he sang "

Con te partirò Con or CON may refer to: Places * Commonwealth of Nations, or CON, an association of primarily former British colonies * Concord Municipal Airport (IATA airport code CON), a public-use airport in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States * ...

" by

Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor. He rose to fame in 1994 after winning the newcomers' section of the 44th Sanremo Music Festival performing " Il mare calmo della sera". Since 1994, Bocelli has recorded 15 solo st ...

and was voted through to the live finals by the public. In the first Live Final he sang " Please Don't Ask Me" by

John Farnham John Peter Farnham (born 1 July 1949) is a British-born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until the mid-1970s, billed as Johnny Farnham. He has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer.McFarlane (1999). Enc ...

. This was the first time he has moved away from his Opera genre into a more pop genre. After impressing coach Ricky Martin the most on his team, Martin put him straight through to the top 12. In the second Live Final he sang " Freedom 90" by

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling rec ...

and this resulted in the public voting him through to the top 8. In the third Live Final Kennedy sang " Overjoyed" by

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

. At the start of the semi-final it was revealed Kennedy was through to the last four because of this performance. In the semi-finals he had to sing two songs in one night for the first time. First up was " Caruso" by

Lucio Dalla Lucio Dalla (; 4 March 1943 – 1 March 2012) was an Italian singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He also played clarinet and keyboards. Dalla was the composer of "Caruso (song), Caruso" (1986), a song dedicated to Italian opera tenor Enri ...

. After all of the final eight had performed their first song it was revealed that Kennedy was through to the final four after a close race between him and fellow Team Ricky member "Miss Murphy". He was through the Grand Final. He then performed his own original song "Love Is Gone". In the Grand Final he again sang two songs. First was a group performance by the top 4 of "

You're the Voice "You're the Voice" is a song recorded by Australian singer John Farnham released in 1986. It became an immediate hit in Australia as well as several European countries including the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was released as a single in Sept ...

" by

and then a duet with coach

of "

El Tango De Roxanne "Roxanne" is a song by British rock band the Police. The song was written by lead singer and bassist Sting and was released as a single on 7 April 1978, in advance of their debut album ''Outlandos d'Amour'', released on 3 November. It was wri ...

" by

the Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...

. Kennedy eventually reached the top 2 but placed second to

Harrison Craig Harrison Craig (born 7 September 1994) is an Australian singer who won the The Voice (Australia series 2), second series of ''The Voice (Australia), The Voice Australia''. Craig was coached in the program by British singer Seal (artist), Seal. ...

. Kennedy performed the following songs on The Voice: Just weeks after

finished, Kennedy along with other finalists ''Celia Pavey'' and ''Danny Ross'' signed a record contract with

Universal Music Australia Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd. (UMA) is the largest Australian music corporation. It is a division of the Universal Music Group. Universal Music Australia's corporate headquarters are located in Sydney, Australia. Labels Universal Music ...

and it was announced his debut album, ''A Time For Us'' would be released on 12 July 2013. Kennedy's debut single "Stay For a Minute" was released on 5 July 2013. ''A Time For Us'' includes eleven tracks, eight of which were performed on The Voice. The other three tracks are the single, Stay For a Minute, and two other covers, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and in My Life. ''A Time For Us'' debuted at number 6 on the

Aria Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian record chart, music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA beca ...

on 13 July 2013 with 3,806 sales nationally. In its second week on the chart it stayed in the top ten at number 10. The album will be released in New Zealand later in the year when

of ''

'' finishes airing there. Kennedy has expressed interest in touring later in 2013 after appearing in a number of instores promoting "A Time For Us". He may also feature in

's upcoming Australian tour.

Swing on This Swing on This is made up of musical theatre leading men, Michael Falzon, Luke Kennedy, Matt Lee and Ben Mingay, singing a collection of classic swing songs reworked with a more contemporary style, as well as more recent popular music arrange ...

Kennedy performed in the new cabaret act ''Swing on This'' at the

Adelaide Cabaret Festival The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is an annual arts festival featuring cabaret held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It has been held in June each year since 2001, with the exception of 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia ...

on 7 June 2014. Festival Artistic Director, and singer in her own right,

Kate Ceberano Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the rock, soul, jazz and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her single " Bedroom Eyes" re ...

appeared as a special guest to perform with a cast that included

Ben Mingay Ben Mingay (born 1979) is an Australian actor and singer, perhaps best known for having played Buzz Graham in the series '' Packed to the Rafters'' and Rob Duffy in '' Wonderland''. He played the role of Billy in the stage version of ''Dirty Dan ...

, Michael Falzon, and Matt Lee. Following Adelaide Cabaret Festival, they performed as the headline act at both the official black tie launch of the refurbished Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on 25 July and at the community concert the next evening, again playing to a full house, and this was followed in 2015 with a season at

The Arts Centre Gold Coast Home of the Arts (HOTA), opened as the Keith Hunt Community Entertainment and Arts Centre in 1986 and subsequently renamed The Arts Centre Gold Coast (TAC) and Gold Coast Arts Centre, is a cultural precinct situated in Surfers Paradise, City of ...

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Live performance

References

External links

*
Australian Stage Online feature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Luke Culture of Brisbane 1982 births Living people Australian pop singers Musicians from Queensland People from Ipswich, Queensland 21st-century Australian male singers Swing on This members