Nathaniel Willemse (born 14 July 1985), often known simply as Nathaniel, is a South African-born Australian singer and songwriter most notable for being the eighth contestant eliminated on the fourth season of ''

The X Factor Australia ''The X Factor'' is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent. The first season of the show premiered on Network Ten on 6 February 2005. Ten dropped ''The X Factor'' after ...

''. In 2013, he signed a recording contract with

DNA Songs DNA Songs is a songwriting and production company founded by Anthony Egizii and David Musumeci in Australia in 2004. They have worked with a variety of international and local artists including Ricky Martin, Geri Halliwell, The Veronicas, Guy S ...

' label through

Sony Music Australia Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. Prior to 1995, SMEA published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of So ...

, and released the single "

You In Modern English, the word "''you''" is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers. History ''You'' comes from ...

", which peaked at number four on the

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

Early life

Nathaniel Willemse was born in South Africa and moved to Frankston,

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia when he was six years old. He attended Karingal Park Secondary College, now known as McClelland College. In 2006, he auditioned for ''

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 Id ...

'' series four and made it to the top 24 round before being eliminated. On 22 January 2008, Willemse released his debut single "Vertigo" exclusively on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

, through Mummy's Boy Records. The single's release also included two B-side tracks, "Shall Be Told" and "Home", each co-written by Willemse. On 29 October 2011, Willemse independently released his first

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

, ''EP'', and second single, "You Are the One". Before applying for ''

'' in 2012, Willemse was a vocal coach and a wedding singer.

Career

2012: ''The X Factor Australia''

Willemse successfully auditioned for the fourth season of ''The X Factor'' in 2012 singing

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but he left for Atlanta in 1997 with fellow guitarist Clay Cook, with whom he formed the short-liv ...

's "

Gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...

". During the super bootcamp stage of the competition, Willemse sang "

I Gotta Feeling "I Gotta Feeling" is a song by American group the Black Eyed Peas from their fifth studio album '' The E.N.D.'' (2009). It was written by the group members with the song's producers David Guetta and Frédéric Riesterer. The song was released a ...

" by

The Black Eyed Peas The Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group formed in Los Angeles in 1995, composed of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo (rapper), Taboo. Fergie (singer), Fergie was a member during the height of their popularity in the 2000s, and ...

and " You Give Me Something" by James Morrison. Willemse made it to the home visits as part of the Over 25s category. For the first live performance show on 17 September 2012, Willemse sang

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's " Love on Top" and received praise from all four judges.

Mel B Melanie Janine Brown, Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Mel B or Melanie B, is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid 1990s as a member of the Pop mus ...

called the performance "incredible" and said that his voice is "bloody marvellous", while

Ronan Keating Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer, songwriter, actor and presenter. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop g ...

added that he has a lot of soul. Willemse then made his way through to the top six. His performance of " The Scientist" debuted at number 75 on the

after his performance in the fourth week. In week seven, Willemse was placed in the bottom two with

Samantha Jade Samantha Jade Gibbs (born 18 April 1987) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. 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 wo ...

after his performance of "

Red Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...

" by

Daniel Merriweather Daniel Paul Merriweather (born 17 February 1982) is an Australian R&B singer-songwriter and record producer. Merriweather's debut solo album, '' Love & War'', was released in June 2009. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number two. It was ...

. The performance reached number 91 on the ARIA Singles Chart. In the final showdown he sang "

Sexual Healing "Sexual Healing" is a song recorded by American singer Marvin Gaye from his seventeenth and final studio album, ''Midnight Love'' (1982). It was his first single since his exit from his long-term record label Motown earlier in the year, followin ...

" by

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer who rose to fame after winning the Australian Idol (season 1), first season of ''Australian Idol'', in 2003. Born in Malaysia and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Sebastian h ...

labelled the decision as "stupid" while Keating said he was "embarrassed" by the viewer voting. After the judges split the decision at two votes all, Willemse was eliminated in deadlock after having the lowest number of votes.

Performances on ''The X Factor''

denotes having reached the ARIA Singles Chart.
denotes having been in the bottom two.
denotes having been eliminated.

2013–2016: ''Yours''

In January 2013, Willemse embarked on the X Factor Live Tour with Samantha Jade, The Collective,

Bella Ferraro Bella Ferraro (born 20 Aug 1994) is an Australian singer most notable for and was the tenth contestant eliminated on the fourth season of '' The X Factor Australia'' in 2012. Early life Ferraro was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. She beg ...

, Shiane Hawke and Jason Owen. They performed shows in the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. On 6 May 2013, Willemse announced on his Facebook page that he had signed a recording contract with

. He is the first artist signed to

' label through Sony. He released "

" on 27 September 2013, as his first single with the label. In Australia, it peaked at number four on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified two times Platinum by the

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 Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

for sales over 140,000 copies. On the New Zealand Singles Chart, "You" peaked at number 16. In November 2013, Willemse was the supporting act for

Jessica Mauboy Jessica Hilda Mauboy (; born 4 August 1989) is an Australian singer. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the Australian Idol (season 4), fourth season of ''Australian Idol'', where she was runner-up and s ...

To the End of the Earth Tour To the End of the Earth Tour is the second concert tour by Australian recording artist Jessica Mauboy, but her first solo headlining national tour. There are 27 shows in metropolitan and regional Australia, running from November 2013 to January ...

. On 24 January 2014, Willemse released a cover of "

I Am Australian "I Am Australian" (or "We Are Australian") is a popular Australian song written in 1987 by Bruce Woodley of the Seekers and Dobe Newton of the Bushwackers. Its lyrics are filled with many historic and cultural references, such as to the " dig ...

" with

Dami Im Dami Im ( ; ; ; born 17 October 1988) is an Australian singer and songwriter. She represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 held in Stockholm, Sweden with the song " Sound of Silence", placing second and achieving the highes ...

, Jessica Mauboy,

Justice Crew Justice Crew is an Australian dance and music group consisting of John and Len Pearce, Lukas Bellesini, Paul Merciadez, Samson Smith, and Solo Tohi. Although the group is Australian, members Samson and Solo are from New Zealand. The group origin ...

, Samantha Jade and

Taylor Henderson Taylor James Henderson (born 23 March 1993) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Originating from Ceres, Victoria, Henderson rose to fame after placing third on the Australia's Got Talent (series 4), fourth series of ''Australia's Got Tale ...

, to coincide with the

Australia Day Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. Observed annually on 26 January, it marks the 1788 landing of the First Fleet and raising of the Flag of Great Britain, Union Flag of Great Britain by Arthur Phillip at Sydney Cove, a ...

celebrations. The song peaked at number 51 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Willemse's next single "

You're Beautiful "You're Beautiful" is a song by English singer-songwriter James Blunt. It was written by Blunt, Sacha Skarbek and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album, '' Back to Bedlam'' (2004). It was released as the third single of the album in 2005. In ...

" was released on 28 February 2014, and debuted at number 14 on the ARIA Singles Chart. A sixth single " Live Louder" was released on 5 September 2014 and peaked at number 4. It was certified Platinum by ARIA for sales exceeding 70,000 copies. Willemse returned to ''The X Factor'' on 15 September 2014 to perform the song live. In October 2014, Willemse performed at Australia's first ever neo-soul, jazz and hip-hop festival,

Soulfest Dan Russell is an artist, singer songwriter, artist advocate, producer & concert and event promoter. A graduate of Walpole High School in Massachusetts and later Barrington College, Russell is known for managing both the American rock band The Ca ...

. In November 2014, he was the supporting act for

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

's Australian leg of her tour,

The Elusive Chanteuse Show The Elusive Chanteuse Show was the eighth headlining concert tour by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was launched in support of her fourteenth studio album, '' Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse'' (2014). The tour began in Tok ...

. In December 2014, Willemse and other Australian singers recorded a cover version of

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

's "

This Woman's Work "This Woman's Work" is a song written and performed by English singer-songwriter Kate Bush. It was initially featured on the soundtrack of the American film '' She's Having a Baby'' (1988). The song was released as the second single from her ...

" under the name "Hope for Isla and Jude", and released it as a charity single to help raise funds for two siblings who suffer from the rare disease

Sanfilippo syndrome Sanfilippo syndrome, also known as mucopolysaccharidosis type III (MPS III), is a rare lifelong genetic disease that mainly affects the brain and spinal cord. It is caused by a problem with how the body breaks down certain large sugar molecules ...

. Their version debuted at number 79 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Willemse's debut studio album '' Yours'' was released on 23 October 2015. On 8 December 2015, Nathaniel released a new single "

Jungle Boogie "Jungle Boogie" is a funk record by Kool & the Gang from their 1973 album '' Wild and Peaceful''. It reached number four as a single, and became very popular in nightclubs. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the number 12 single for 1974, despite as many ...

", a

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (musician), Ronald Bell (also known as " ...

cover. It was used as the promotional song in the season two launch campaign for the Australian version of '' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!''. In March 2016, it was speculated that Willemse had been dropped by record company Sony Music, along with other X Factor finalists

Reigan Derry Reigan Elisse Derry (born 19 September 1988), also known mononymously as Reigan, is an Australian singer and songwriter. Derry rose to fame after placing eleventh on the fourth season of ''Australian Idol'' in 2006. The following year, she becam ...

Marlisa Punzalan Marlisa Ann Punzalan (born 1 October 1999), also known simply as Marlisa, is an Australian singer. She won the sixth season of '' The X Factor Australia'' in 2014, aged 15, the youngest contestant to have won the show. Punzalan su ...

and

Dean Ray Dean Pritchard, better known by his stage name Dean Ray, is an Australian singer and songwriter. In 2014, he was the runner-up on the sixth season of ''The X Factor Australia''. Ray subsequently received a recording contract with Sony Music Au ...

. In June 2016, it was confirmed when Willemse announced he had signed a deal with 123 Agency.

2017–present: "Vapours"

In January, Nathaniel confirmed the release of a new single "Vapours" on 27 January. "This single is about being intoxicated by someone, or by an experience. My head space at the time was I just wanted something different, honest and a little rebellious. I wanted to experiment with different sounds and sonic landscapes". From October 2017 to January 2018, Willemse starred in "Let's Get it On" a musical production celebrating the life and music of

Personal life

On 11 January 2015, Willemse married his long-time girlfriend, model Fujan Erfanian on a tropical island in Langkawi, Malaysia. The couple had been dating since before Willemse made his debut in the public eye on ''The X Factor Australia''.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Other charted songs

Music videos

Tours

;Headlining *The X Factor Live Tour (2013) ;Supporting act *Jessica Mauboy's

(2013–14) *Soulfest (2014) *Mariah Carey's

: Australian leg (2014)

Awards and nominations

APRA Awards

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the

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 songwri ...

to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually. ! , - , rowspan="2",

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, rowspan="2", "You" , Pop Work of the Year , , , - , Most Played Australian Work , , , -

ARIA Music Awards

The

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 ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music 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 o ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

, "You" , Song of the Year , , , - ,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, "Live Louder" , Song of the Year , , , -

World Music Awards

The

World Music Awards The World Music Awards was an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of Albert II, Prince of Monaco and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event was based in Monte Carlo. Awards were presented to the worl ...

was an international award show founded in 1989 under the patronage of

Albert II, Prince of Monaco Albert II (Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre Grimaldi; born 14 March 1958) is Prince of Monaco, reigning since 2005. Born at the Prince's Palace of Monaco, Albert is the second child and only son of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace. He attend ...

and co-founder/executive producer John Martinotti. The event is based in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

. It ran from 1989 to 2008, 2010 and 2014. ! , - , rowspan="5", 2014 , rowspan="3", Nathaniel Willemse , World's Best Male Artist , , , - , World's Best Live Act , , , - , World's Best Entertainer of the Year , , , - , rowspan="2", "You" , World's Best Song , , , - , World's Best Video , ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willemse, Nathaniel South African pop singers Australian pop singers South African guitarists Australian guitarists Australian pianists South African pianists South African emigrants to Australia The X Factor (Australian TV series) contestants Living people 1985 births 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian male singers Coloureds Musicians from Soweto Singers from Johannesburg Singers from Melbourne People from Frankston, Victoria English-language singers from South Africa