Guy Theodore Sebastian was born on 26 October 1981 and is an Australian singer who was the winner of the first Australian Idol in 2003, judge on Australia's The X Factor from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach on The Voice Australia since 2019.
104 Facts About Guy Sebastian
2.
Guy Sebastian represented Australia at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in fifth place.
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Guy Sebastian has achieved twenty three top twenty singles, with fourteen reaching the top ten, including six number ones.
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Guy Sebastian is the only Australian male artist in Australian chart history to achieve six number one singles, and places third overall for all Australian acts.
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Guy 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.
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Guy Sebastian has sung at many notable events, including performing for Pope Benedict XVI, Oprah Winfrey and Queen Elizabeth II.
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Guy Sebastian has a strong commitment to charity, and was previously an ambassador for World Vision Australia and the Australian Red Cross.
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Guy Sebastian has created his own foundation, The Sebastian Foundation, with his wife Jules.
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Guy Sebastian was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours in recognition of his significant service to music and charity.
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Guy Theodore Sebastian was born in Klang, Selangor, on 26 October 1981.
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Guy Sebastian's father, Ivan, was born in Malaysia and is an ethnic Malaysian Indian of Tamil origin and Ceylonese descent with distant colonial Portuguese roots, while his mother Nellie is an ethnic Eurasian of English and Portuguese descent and was raised in Kanpur, India.
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Guy Sebastian's older brother Ollie was born in India, and his younger brothers Chris and Jeremy were born in Australia after the family migrated there.
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Guy Sebastian then began studies in medical radiation at the University of South Australia, but left to pursue a career in music.
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Guy Sebastian taught vocals at Temple Christian College and other high schools while working as a recording engineer and studying music technology at the University of Adelaide's Elder Conservatorium.
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Guy Sebastian, former member of the Planetshakers band from 2002 to 2005 was a worship leader and background vocals recording albums for Planetshakers Church at Paradise Community Church conferences, won went on to win the first Australian Idol and become a massive star in the country.
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Guy Sebastian attended Paradise Community Church, an 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.
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In May 2003, Guy Sebastian successfully auditioned for Australian Idol, singing Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky".
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Guy Sebastian 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.
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Guy Sebastian was declared the winner on 19 November 2003, and gained a recording contract with BMG, which later merged with Sony.
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Guy Sebastian then travelled to the UK to compete in World Idol.
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In early 2004 Guy Sebastian appeared at the Asian MTV Awards, was a guest judge on New Zealand Idol and performed on Indonesian Idol.
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Guy 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 Oz Artist of the Year Award.
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Guy Sebastian was nominated for Highest Selling Album for Just as I Am.
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Guy Sebastian embarked on a national tour in November, with a second stage from March to June 2005.
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Guy Sebastian performed at the 20th Anniversary SAFM Sky Show in Adelaide in front of approximately 150,000 people along with Slinkee Minx, one of the largest open-air concerts held in Australia in 2005.
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In 2005 Guy Sebastian received awards for Favourite Video, Favourite Music Artist, and Favourite Aussie at the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards, and a MTV Video Music Award for "Out with my Baby".
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Guy Sebastian 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.
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Between May and August 2006, Guy 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.
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Guy Sebastian's partner was three-time Australian Olympic swimmer Sarah Ryan and they finished second.
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Guy Sebastian received an award for most played Urban work for "Oh Oh" at the 2006 APRA Music Awards.
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In early 2007 it had been announced Guy Sebastian would be recording a tribute album of soul classics in Memphis, Tennessee with Stax musicians who played on and wrote some of the original songs.
32.
Cropper co-produced the album with Guy Sebastian, which was recorded on analogue tape live in the studio.
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The Memphis Flyer, a weekly alternative newspaper serving the Memphis area wrote a series of articles about Guy Sebastian recording with The MGs.
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The MGs came to Australia in February 2008 to be Guy Sebastian's backing band for his national tour.
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Guy Sebastian was nominated for a Helpmann Award 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.
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Guy Sebastian 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.
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In 2008 Guy Sebastian was signed to release an album in the US, and in November he returned to America to work on it.
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Guy Sebastian 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.
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Guy Sebastian performed showcases at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin Texas, and a residency at the Drom in New York.
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Guy Sebastian toured in Australia during February 2010 and again in June and July.
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Guy Sebastian was chosen as a judge on the 2010 series of Australia's The X-Factor, and to fulfil commitments to X-Factor and the release of his album in America Sebastian divided his time between Australia and the US during the show.
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Guy Sebastian was nominated for six ARIA Music Awards for Like It Like That.
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Guy Sebastian 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.
44.
In 2010 Guy Sebastian was selected as a judge on the Australian series of The X Factor.
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Guy Sebastian was given Groups in 2010, and was assisted in choosing his final three acts by Rai Thistlethwayte, lead singer of Thirsty Merc, Snoop Dogg and Usher.
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Guy Sebastian released a retrospective album titled Twenty Ten in November 2010.
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Guy Sebastian supported Boyzone on their 2011 UK tour, and Lionel Richie on his Australian and New Zealand tour.
48.
Richie and Guy Sebastian performed the song together at most of the concerts on the Australian leg of the tour.
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Guy Sebastian received the 2011 Australian Club Entertainment Award for best Original Music Performer, and a Mo Award for Rock Performer of the Year.
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Guy Sebastian 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.
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Guy Sebastian continued as a judge on the 2011 The X Factor.
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Guy Sebastian mentored the Boys and was assisted in choosing his final three by Wynter Gordon and Beyonce.
53.
In November 2011 "Don't Worry Be Happy", a pop song Guy Sebastian wrote after encountering an angry motorist in Los Angeles, was released as the lead single of his seventh album Armageddon.
54.
Guy Sebastian spent time in the US in early 2012 working on the album, and "Gold", an uptempo soul track, was released as the second single in May It peaked at number ten, gaining platinum certification.
55.
In 2012, Guy Sebastian appeared as a judge on The X Factor for a third and final year.
56.
Guy Sebastian was given the Over 25s, and was assisted in selecting his final three by Alicia Keys.
57.
Guy Sebastian has the most number one singles for an Australian male artist in Australian music history, and is third overall for all Australian acts.
58.
Guy Sebastian 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.
59.
In early 2013 Fiasco and Guy Sebastian continued the US promotion of "Battle Scars", performing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Conan.
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Guy Sebastian won two 2013 ARIA Awards, Best Pop Release for Armageddon, and Best Live Act for the Get Along Tour.
61.
Guy Sebastian was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Male Act for Armageddon and Song of the Year for "Get Along".
62.
In October 2013 Guy Sebastian released "Like a Drum", the lead single from his eighth studio album.
63.
Guy Sebastian opened for Taylor Swift on the Australian leg of her Red Tour.
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Guy Sebastian received two 2014 ARIA nominations, Best Male Artist for "Come Home With Me" and Song of the Year for "Like a Drum".
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Guy Sebastian held an arena tour in Australia in February 2015 to support the album release.
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Guy Sebastian was chosen as the Australian entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, making him the first artist to represent Australia in the competition.
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Guy Sebastian performed the song "Tonight Again", and placed fifth in the competition overall.
68.
Guy Sebastian was nominated for 2015 ARIA Award for Best Male Artist for "Tonight Again".
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Guy Sebastian returned to the judging panel of the Australian version of The X Factor after a two-year absence.
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In late 2016 Guy Sebastian released two singles, "Candle" which peaked at 59, and "Set in Stone" which reached number 11, and has been certified double platinum.
71.
In March and April 2017 Guy Sebastian toured the Australian eastern states to preview songs from his next album.
72.
In September 2017, Guy Sebastian released the single "High On Me" and announced his album Conscious would be released on 3 November 2017.
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Guy Sebastian has been a coach on The Voice Australia since the 2019 season.
74.
Guy Sebastian was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours in recognition of his "significant service to the music industry and charitable initiatives".
75.
Guy Sebastian 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".
76.
Guy Sebastian won ARIA Award for Best Video for "Standing With You" at the 2020 ARIA Music Awards.
77.
Guy Sebastian cites a number of musicians as his musical influences, including Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Chicago, and Boyz II Men.
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Guy Sebastian has found his niche with Like It Like That, which expertly balances the line between radio friendly pop and classic soul.
79.
Guy Sebastian wrote gospel songs for his church during his teenage years.
80.
Guy 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 Armageddon.
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Guy Sebastian has a worldwide, long term publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing.
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Guy Sebastian has written songs for other artists, including co-writing "Dot Com", a song performed by Usher on Rhythm City Volume One: Caught Up.
83.
Guy Sebastian has an interest in production and co-produced The Memphis Album with Steve Cropper.
84.
Guy Sebastian has his own recording studio, Cooper Lane Studio, where he produces and engineers some of his music, and which is used by other musicians.
85.
Guy Sebastian produced a song called "Think of Me" for 2009 Australian Idol Stan Walker's debut album, as well as playing most of the musical instruments on the track.
86.
Oprah Winfrey's official welcome to Sydney and wrap up party, December 2010: Guy 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.
87.
Guy Sebastian sang for Winfrey a second time when she requested he perform at her private crew wrap-up party.
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Guy Sebastian performed his own songs and a medley of Bee Gees songs prior to Barry Gibb being honoured for excellence in Music at the event.
89.
Guy Sebastian was invited to perform at two of these events in 2011.
90.
Guy Sebastian performed at The Black Eyed Peas Peapod Benefit Concert which was attended by musicians, DJ's, philanthropists, Hollywood celebrities and industry executives.
91.
Guy Sebastian performed at the Roots Pre Grammy Jam Session.
92.
Lupe Fiasco and Guy Sebastian were chosen to perform "Battle Scars" as the finale of the concert.
93.
In May 2022, Guy Sebastian started a court case against his former manager, Titus Day, accused of embezzling $900,000.
94.
Guy Sebastian has been an ambassador for the Ronald McDonald House charities, and is currently an ambassador for the Australian Red Cross and Golden Stave, which is the Australian music and entertainment industry's charity fund raising organisation.
95.
Guy Sebastian is an ambassador for World Vision Australia, and in 2005 he travelled to Uganda to film a World Vision documentary "An Idol in Africa" for a Network Ten television special.
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Guy Sebastian has continued his work with World Vision, supporting the Child Rescue program and the 40 Hour Famine.
97.
Guy Sebastian has been involved in the Make Poverty History coalition of which World Vision is a part.
98.
Guy Sebastian is strongly committed to the Sony Foundation, which raises funds to help young Australians facing homelessness, severe illness, disability and isolation.
99.
Guy Sebastian'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.
100.
Guy Sebastian donates his time to annual Christmas carol events such as Carols in the Domain, Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight, and Brisbane's Carols in the City.
101.
Guy Sebastian's songs are frequently featured on charity CDs including the Salvation Army Christmas fundraising CDs, The Spirit of Christmas albums.
102.
Guy Sebastian makes unofficial appearances at hospitals several times a year.
103.
Guy Sebastian was an ambassador for the 2020 MEN-tality project for Beyond Blue shot by Peter Brew-Bevan, alongside Osher Gunsberg, Rodger Corser and Andrew Tierney.
104.
Guy Sebastian has been nominated for numerous awards during his career, winning many of them.