Angles Brought Me Here

Background:

“It's beyond anything I have ever even dreamt of to enter the charts at number 1. My entry into the music industry is a strange one. With this whole strange process, there's no building into it. It really is straight to the top, regardless of the quality of the release. I guess the only way to go is down. That is said with a realistic frame of mind as opposed to a pessimistic one.” Guy Sebastian

Rising to prominence as the first winner of “Australian Idol” in 2003, singer and songwriter Guy Sebastian has released four studio albums, one cover album, one live album and twelve singles. He also released two Eps, “Your Song” (2007) and “Guy Sebastian EP” (2009). His debut album, “Just As I Am” (2003), went to No. 1 in Australia and achieved 6x platinum certification. He scored Top 10 hits with his subsequent records “Beautiful Life” (2004, #2), “Closer to the Sun” (2006, #4), “The Memphis Album” (2007, #3) and “Like It Like That” (2009, # 6). The latter album was released in the U.S. on June 29, 2010. Sebastian is the only Australian male vocalist in the history of the ARIA Chart to have four No.1 singles thanks to the songs “Angels Brought Me Here” (2003), “All I Need is You” (2004), “Out With My Baby” (2004) and “Like It Like That” (2009). He also co-wrote songs with noted American musicians Brian McKnight and Robin Thicke and recorded with members of The MGs, John Mayer and Jordin Sparks.

Sebastian has been involved in many charities. As an ambassador for World Vision Australia, he traveled to Uganda to make the documentary film “An Idol in Africa” for a Network Ten television special. He also supported the Child Rescue program, the 40 Hour Famine and the Make Poverty History coalition. For his continuing work with World Vision, Sebastian was awarded the Extreme Inspiration Award at the Dolly Teen Choice Awards in 2008. The former vocal coach has also worked with the Australian music and entertainment industry's charity fund raising organization, Golden Stave, the Sony Foundation, and the Legacy, to name a few.

Multicultural

Childhood and Family:

Guy Theodore Sebastian was born on October 26, 1981, in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. His father, Ivan, was also born in Malaysia and is of Sri Lankan extraction, while his mother, Nellie, is of English and Portuguese descent and grew up in India. When Guy was six his family moved to Melbourne, Australia, because of his father's job (geologist). About four years later, the family moved to Adelaide, South Australia. Guy took violin lessons as a child. He went on to add guitar, piano and drums to his endeavors. He attended Paradise Community Church and sang in the youth choir, for which he toured Australia and the United States. After graduating high school, Guy studied medicine (radiology) at college, but gave up after a few years to begin a career in music. He took on various jobs to set up a home studio and then worked as a high school vocal couch and a recording engineer. He later returned to school at the Elder School of Music, where he studied music technology.

On May 17, 2008, Guy married Jules Egan. The ceremony was attended by Ian Dickson, Jennifer Hawkins, Shannon Noll, The Veronicas, Dean Geyer and former NRL player Jason Stevens, among other guests. The couple had met over a decade before at the Assemblies of God Paradise Community Church.

Australian Idol

Career:

Starting out as the lead singer of a Christian youth band called Planetshakers when he was a teenager, Guy Sebastian scored it big when he became the winner of the first “Australian Idol” on November 19, 2003. Soon after, he represented Australia at the “World Idol” competition in the U.K., where he finished 7th out of 11 contestants.

Sebastian launched his debut album, “Just as I Am,” on December 7, 2003, on Sony BMG. The album was a No.1 hit in Australia and was certified platinum six times. It also made the Top 10 in New Zealand (#3) and went double platinum in the country. The album was nominated for Highest Selling Album at the 2004 ARIA Music Awards and won the 2004 ARIA No. 1 Chart Award in the Album category. “Just as I Am” also spawned the popular singles “Angles Brought Me Here” (2003) and “All I Need Is You” (2004). “Angles Brought Me Here” entered the Australian ARIA Singles Chart at No. 1 with sales over 128,000 units in its first week of its release. It created a record for highest first week single sales from both a debut artist and an Australian artist. The song eventually received 4x platinum certification from ARIA and was accredited platinum in New Zealand, where it also rose to No. 1. “Angels Brought Me Here” won the ARIA Award for Highest Selling Single in 2004 and was named The Highest Selling Song of the Decade 2000/2009 at the 2010 ARIA No. 1 Awards. The second single, “All I Need You,” which he co-wrote with Adam Reily and Alun Firth, went to No. 1 in Australia and No. 5 in New Zealand. It was certified platinum by ARIA and earned an Australian Nickelodeon Kids' Choice for Fave Music Video and an APRA nomination for Most Performed Australian Work.

In early 2004, Sebastian and the other Idol finalists toured Australia. He later appeared at the Asian MTV Awards, became a judge on “New Zealand Idol” and performed on “Indonesian Idol.” He also performed at the Australian Gospel Music Festival in Toowoomba, Queensland, and “American Idol.”

The sophomore effort, “Beautiful Life,” followed on October 18, 2004. It peaked at No. 2 on the Australian ARIA Albums Chart and achieved platinum status in Australia. He supported the album with the 2004/2005 “The Beautiful Life” Australian concert tour. During the production of the album, Sebastian traveled to Europe and the United States to work with international songwriters like Brian McKnight, with whom he wrote the song “Wait,” and R&B artist Robin Thiche, who collaborated with him on the writing of “Friend for You” and “Out With My Baby,” a pop/R&B song that became his third No. 1 single in Australia. “Out With My Baby,” the first single released from “Beautiful Life,” went platinum in Australia and won a 2005 MTV Australia for Best Pop Video. The second single, “Kryptonite,” which Sebastian wrote with Beau Dozier, rose to No. 15 on the ARIA Singles chart, while the third and final single, “Oh Oh,” peaked at No. 11. “Beautiful Life” was nominated for an ARIA for Highest Selling Album and the song “Oh Oh” received a 2006 APRA for Most Performed Urban Work, to name a few honors.

Sebastian's third studio album, “Closer to the Sun,” hit the music stores on October 28, 2006. It debuted at No. 5 in Australia and achieved gold status in its second week. It has since been credited platinum. The album won a 2006 Dolly Teen Choice for Most Popular Album and a 2007 Urban Music for Best R&B Album. The lead single, “Taller, Stronger, Better,” went to No. 3 on the Australian Singles Chart. The next single, “Elevator Love,” which he co-wrote with Jarrad Rogers, peaked at No. 15 on the ARIA Singles chart. It won a 2007 MTV Australia for Best Pop Video. The third single, “Cover on My Heart,” (2007) charted at No. 32 on the ARIA Singles chart. In 2007, Sebastian embarked on the “Closer to the Sun Tour” in support of the album. The same year, he also performed in the “Acoustic Tour” and “Guy & the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra.”

On November 10, 2007, Sebastian released “The Memphis Album,” a cover album of songs he recorded with Steve Cropper, Donald 'Dunn, Steve Potts and Lester Snell. The album, which he produced with Cropper, debuted at No. 3 on the ARIA Albums chart and spent eight weeks in the Top 10. It was accredited double platinum by ARIA and earned a nomination for Highest Selling Album at the 2008 ARIA Music Awards. He supported the album by touring Australia in 2008 (The Memphis Tour). A live DVD/CD titled “The Memphis Tour” was released on May 3, 2008. The album peaked at No. 12 on the Australian ARIA Music DVD Chart.

Sebastian's album “Like It Like That” was released on October 23, 2009, in Australia and June 29, 2010, in the United States. It debuted on No. 6 on the ARIA Albums chart and has achieved platinum status in Australia. The album also made the Top 30 in New Zealand. Released August 7, 2009, the first single “Like It Like That,” which he wrote with David Ryan Harris and Sean Hurley, entered the ARIA Singles Chart at No. 6 before reaching No. 1 in its fourth week. It has since been accredited triple platinum status by ARIA. The second single, “Art of Love,” featuring 2007's “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks, rose to No. 8 on the ARIA singles chart and has achieved platinum certification. The song was also released in New Zealand, where it peaked at No. 7 and achieved platinum status. He wrote the song with Adam Reily. The third single, “All to My Self” (February 2010), featuring John Mayer on guitar, went to No. 51 on the ARIA Singles Chart. Mayer's guitar and backup vocals could also be heard on the tracks “Fail to Mention” and “Never Be You.” The fourth single, “Never Hold You Down,” was released digitally on June 4, 2010. Sebastian also hit the road in 2009 with “Live & By Request Tour.” He went on to tour Australia in support of his new album, “Like It Like That,” in 2010. He also toured the United States and participated in the “Bring Yourself Tour.”

Awards:

• ARIA No. 1 Chart: Highest Selling Song of the Decade 2000/2009, “Angels Brought Me Here,” 2010

• ARIA No.1 Chart: No. 1 Chart Award (Single), “Like It Like That,” 2010

• Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice: So Hot Right Now, 2009

• Dolly Teen Choice: Extreme Inspiration Award, For support of World Vision Australia, 2008

• Australian Club Entertainment: Original Music Performer, 2008

• Australian Club Entertainment: Outstanding Club Performer Of The Year, 2008

• Urban Music: Best R&B Album, “Closer To The Sun,” 2007

• MTV Australian: Best Pop Video, “Elevator Love,” 2007

• Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA): Most Performed Urban Work, “Oh Oh,” 2006

• Urban Music: Best Video Clip, “Oh Oh,” 2006

• Urban Music: Best Male Artist, 2006

• Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice: Fave Aussie, 2006

• Dolly Teen Choice: Most Popular Album, “Closer To The Sun,” 2006

• ARIA No.1 Chart: No. 1 Chart Award (Single), “Out With My Baby,” 2005

• Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice: Fave Music Artist, 2005

• Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice: Fave Music Video, “Oh Oh,” 2005

• Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice: Fave Aussie, 2005

• MTV Australian: Best Pop Video, “Out With My Baby,” 2005

• ARIA Music: Highest Selling Single, “Angels Brought Me Here,” 2004

• ARIA No.1 Chart: No. 1 Chart Award (Album), “Just As I Am,” 2004

• ARIA No.1 Chart: No. 1 Chart Award (Single), “Angels Brought Me Here,” 2004

• ARIA No.1 Chart: No. 1 Chart Award (Single), “All I Need Is You,” 2004

• Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice: Fave Music Video, “All I Need Is You,” 2004