Category — Guy Sebastian

Well there are some definite shuffling on chairs on The X Factor Australia this year, with Mel B heading back to the US with a judging role on America’s Got Talent. However there are also rumours that Guy Sebastian won’t be returning this year. There was a similare rumour last year as well but this time he has had some success in the US and may not want to be tied to being Australia because of a reality show.

It is expected that Natalie Bassingthwaite will return as will Ronan Keating. It might be difficult finding replacements as Channel NINE are looking for international stars for Australia’s Got Talent. Sharon Osbourne is strongly rumoured to be signed on. It is a tad ironic that she was a judge on America’s Got Talent where Mel B is heading. The other rumour doing the rounds is Chris Issak, and hopefully that rumour is true.

Source: Daily Telegraph

There is not doubt these days that being on a quality reality TV show can increase the profile and profits of any performer, and the enigmatic  Adam Levine, coach on the US version of The Voice, confirms this in an interview on The Daily Beast.

The article states the song “Moves Like Jagger,” which Levine debuted on the show in 2011, became the 12th most-sold downloaded song of all time. Overexposed, Maroon 5’s new album, has sold 500,000 copies since its summer debut, with two singles currently on the top 12 of the Billboard Hot 100.

He tells the Daily Beast:

I think it absolutely has helped our career. I think there’s no doubt about that. Things were fine with the band. It wasn’t like we didn’t have success and weren’t satisfied, but I felt like we were at a bit of a crossroads trying to figure out the next move. We were searching a little bit, and [The Voice] changed our career profoundly. It got my face in everyone’s household. It got our music all over the map. What was interesting, our music was already quite big. But people discovered and rediscovered who we were and what we did and got to know me. I always felt like I was slightly misrepresented.

Adam also talks about how the winners of The Voice have not gone on to have as successful post show careers as Idol stars have:

I think the show needs to do things better to help see it through. However, that being said, I also believe people need to understand that launching someone into the stratosphere and creating a huge success is one in a million. It’s not a factory. It’s not a machine. Having been in a band for however long, you release a single, and sometimes it does really well. Sometimes no one gives a shit. We’re two seasons in. You’ve got to give us a minute. I think American Idolgot very lucky in having Kelly Clarkson. Kelly Clarkson was the first winner, right?

Interestingly in the Sun-Herald today it stated how the first winner of Australian Idol Guy Sebastian had received a lot of flack from the music industry about achieving prominence from a reality show. He is having the last laugh now with hit singles in Australia but also he is currently in the US charts.

Thankfully the stigma of achieving recognition through reality TV shows is decreasing.

It could have been Pink on the turning red chairs if she had decided to sign on the dotted line to become a coach on The Voice Australia.

The Daily Telegraph said she turned down the show because she feared she would alienate people with her blunt opinions. She said Simon Cowell gets away with it because he is male and has an [UK] accent. The paper also states that if she had taken it Joel Madden’s was the position she would have had.

With The X Factor starting shortly it appears Guy Sebastian is not phased by the success of The Voice and does not think it will impact on The X Factor.

He told the Daily Telegraph:

And he is not concerned that Australian viewers might be suffering from singing show fatigue ahead of the latest season of X Factor, for which he is a judge and mentor.

“I would have thought that (might happen) before The Voice (aired),” said Sebastian, who is preparing to release his sixth studio album. “It’s not that different. It’s got the turnaround chairs thing, in essence it’s just another singing show. I think (its success) really shocked everyone but I think it’s a positive thing because it shows the public are still behind good talent.”

This also backs up what Natalie Bassingthwaite told me at the Astra Awards where she said they had found some good talent for the show.

The X Factor Australia will premiere on Monday 20 August at 7.30pm on Channel Seven.

While we wait for The Voice auditions to resume on Sunday night, let’s continue our contestant highlights with Carmen Smith from Sydney, NSW! The singer and songwriter has been working as a back-up vocalist for many Aussie acts over the last ten years, but has also found some success as a solo artist. Carmen has toured and performed with many Australian musicians, and has even released an album called ‘Ever Known’ in 2007.

While we probably won’t see Carmen until after all the auditions, do follow her on Twitter here, and check out her blog where she reflects on her blind audition!

In the blog post, she says: “I have never been caught up in the hype of shows like this but The Voice seems to have filled a gaping hole in TV and in music.”

I do think there’s more than enough reality TV and talent competitions on television at the moment, but people have really warmed to The Voice and it’s very much focused on the quality of the performers, which is is very different to how many shows drag on with sappy stories.

According to her blog and YouTube channel CarmenSmithMusic, she is embarking on a second album and could find the success through Nine’s singing contest.

Many of her live performances are uploaded through her channel, including an impressive cover of ‘Pleasure and Pain’ by The Divinyls:

Another live performance worth watching is a duet with Australian Idol winner Stan Walker on his New Zealand tour last year. Watch the pair sing ‘We Can Work It Out’ here (the audio is a bit rusty):

Her videos on YouTube range from acoustic performances, songs from her album, and collaborations (as a featured artist/back-up vocals) with some well-known Aussie artists, such as Guy Sebastian and Ricki-Lee Coulter.

Also check out her cover of Whitney Houston’s ‘You Give Good Love’. Even though the video isn’t labelled as her audition for The Voice, the way she introduces the song and the time period in which it was uploaded, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is her audition clip! Watch it here:

The 28 year-old is bound to render more amazing performances after her audition song ‘How Come You Don’t Call Me’ by Alicia Keys, now with the help from mentor Joel Madden.

Chris Sebastian is none other than the younger brother of ARIA award-winning singer, Guy Sebastian! But this is a fact, though made known on the show, is something Chris is trying to work past to show that he can be an artist on his own right, without his brother. Though comparisons with Guy will no doubt arise throughout the competition, I do find his voice to be very similar to his older brother’s, only with a rougher quality.

The 23 year-old from Melbourne had the vote of confidence from both Seal and Delta after performing Beyonce’s hit single ‘Halo’. In the end, he chose Seal as his mentor, which resulted in an emotional response from Delta.

Despite auditioning for The Voice, Chris received some limited exposure last year with his single ‘Flow’ released on iTunes in June 2011. Check out the music video here:

Chris boasts an online fan base through his Facebook page, Twitter account @chrisebastian and also his official website, which looks very sleek.

His cover of Justin’s Bieber’s ‘Pray’ (below) is among many videos on his YouTube channel, chrissebastiantv.

Chris has also written some original songs, including an impressive one called ‘Mad Scientist’. Have a listen here:

And finally, here’s the performance that got him onto to Seal’s team: