Guy Sebastian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Guy Sebastian
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Sebastian in November 2014
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Guy Theodore Sebastian
26 October 1981 Klang, Selangor, Malaysia
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| Nationality | Australian |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Jules Egan
(m. 2008) |
| Children | 2 |
| Musical career | |
| Origin | Adelaide, South Australia |
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Guy Theodore Sebastian AM (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He became famous after winning the first season of Australian Idol in 2003. Guy was born in Malaysia and grew up in Adelaide, Australia.
Since his win, Guy Sebastian has released ten albums that reached the top ten, with three of them hitting number one. His first seven albums earned platinum or multi-platinum awards. He has also had twenty-three singles in the top twenty, and fourteen of those made it into the top ten, including six number ones. He is the only Australian male artist to have six number one singles in Australia. Ten of his songs have been certified multi-platinum, like "Battle Scars", which went 13 times platinum. His first song, "Angels Brought Me Here", was the best-selling song in Australia between 2000 and 2009. With many platinum and gold awards, and over five million albums and singles sold in Australia, he has the most awards and sales of any Australian Idol contestant.
Guy Sebastian has worked with famous American musicians such as Brian McKnight, Robin Thicke, Steve Cropper, John Mayer, Jordin Sparks, Eve, and Lupe Fiasco. His song "Battle Scars" with Lupe Fiasco was on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for 20 weeks, reaching number 71. It also went platinum in the US. "Battle Scars" reached number two in Norway and New Zealand. Guy Sebastian has had an album and six singles in the top ten in New Zealand, including two number ones. He also earned six platinum and three gold awards there. In 2015, he was the first artist to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest with his song "Tonight Again", finishing in fifth place.
Throughout his career, Guy Sebastian has been nominated for 34 ARIA Awards and won seven. These include Best Pop Release and Best Live Act. He has also won other awards like the APRA Urban Work of the Year and the [V] Oz Artist of the Year. He won Urban Music Awards for Best Male Artist and Best R&B Album. His song "Battle Scars" won an International Songwriting Competition award. Guy Sebastian has performed at many important events, singing for Pope Benedict XVI, Oprah Winfrey, and Queen Elizabeth II. He was a judge on Australia's The X Factor from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016. He was also a coach on The Voice Australia from 2019 to 2024. In 2021, he became The Voice's main coach after Delta Goodrem left. Guy Sebastian was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2019 for his great work in music and charity.
Contents
Early Life and Musical Journey
Guy Theodore Sebastian was born in Klang, Selangor, on 26 October 1981. His father, Ivan Sebastian, was born in Malaysia and has Sri Lankan Tamil and Portuguese roots. His mother, Nellie, is Eurasian with English and Portuguese ancestry and grew up in Kanpur, India. They met when Ivan was studying geology in India and married a year later.
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Guy is the second of four sons. His older brother, Ollie, was born in India, and his younger brothers, Chris and Jeremy, were born in Australia. His family first moved to Melbourne when Guy was six. Four years later, at age ten, his family moved to Adelaide. This is where Guy spent his teenage years and started to grow his musical career.
As a child, Guy took violin lessons. He later learned to play guitar, drums, and piano, even though he didn't have formal training for these instruments. After attending St Paul's College in 1991, Guy went to King's Baptist Grammar School when his family moved to Golden Grove. He then started studying medical radiation at the University of South Australia but left to follow his dream of a music career. He taught singing at Temple Christian College and other high schools. He also worked as a recording engineer and studied music technology at the University of Adelaide's Elder Conservatorium.
Guy Sebastian was a member of the Planetshakers band from 2002 to 2005. He was a worship leader, sang background vocals, and recorded albums for Planetshakers Church. He attended Paradise Community Church, a large church in Australia, and became one of their main worship singers. After winning Australian Idol, he recorded two gospel albums, Adore in 2004 and Set Me Free in 2008.
Music Career Highlights
Winning Australian Idol and First Album
In May 2003, Guy Sebastian successfully tried out for Australian Idol, singing Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky". He did very well in the competition, gaining many fans and praise from the judges. His afro hairstyle became a well-known part of his look. He was announced the winner on 19 November 2003, and signed a music contract with BMG, which later joined with Sony. After winning Idol, Guy had to record his first album in just six days. Even with this short time, the album included three songs he helped write. He then went to the UK to compete in World Idol. He impressed the judges but finished seventh.
Guy's winning song, "Angels Brought Me Here", went straight to number one. It was the best-selling song in Australia in 2003 and earned 5 times platinum. In 2010, it was named the best-selling song of the decade (2000 to 2009). "Angels Brought Me Here" was the highest-selling song ever by an Australian artist until 2011. Guy Sebastian's first album, Just as I Am, came out in December 2003 and also reached number one. Its first week sales were very high, the second highest ever in Australian chart history. It eventually sold almost 7 times platinum and is the best-selling album by an Australian Idol contestant. "Angels Brought Me Here" also reached number one in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, and New Zealand. Just as I Am reached number three and double platinum in New Zealand. The second song, "All I Need Is You", reached number one and platinum in Australia, and number five in New Zealand. In early 2004, Guy appeared at the Asian MTV Awards and performed on Indonesian Idol. After a trip to Malaysia, he traveled to Europe and the US to write for his next album. He also performed on American Idol while in the US.
New Sounds and Success
Beautiful Life, Guy's second album, had more of an R&B feel. It included songs he wrote with Robin Thicke and Brian McKnight. The song "Forever with You" was a duet with American R&B singer Mýa. The first song from the album, "Out with My Baby", debuted at number one in October 2004 and went platinum. Guy performed at the 2004 ARIA Music Awards, where he won Highest Selling Single for "Angels Brought Me Here". He also won the Channel V Oz Artist of the Year Award. Beautiful Life reached number two and also went platinum. Guy went on a national tour in November 2004 and again from March to June 2005. He performed at the SAFM Sky Show in Adelaide for about 150,000 people. Two more songs from the album were released: "Kryptonite" (number fifteen) and "Oh Oh" (number eleven). In 2005, Guy won awards for Favourite Video, Favourite Music Artist, and Favourite Aussie at the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards. He also won an MTV Video Music Award for "Out with my Baby".
From May to August 2006, Guy Sebastian was a mentor on It Takes Two. He helped Olympic swimmer Sarah Ryan and they finished second. During this time, Guy also recorded his third album, Closer to the Sun. This album mixed different music styles like pop, R&B, soul, pop rock, and jazz. The first song, "Taller, Stronger, Better", debuted at number three in August 2006 and went gold. The album reached number four and was certified platinum. The second song, "Elevator Love", reached number 11 and went gold. The music video for "Elevator Love" featured Jennifer Hawkins. Guy received an award for "Oh Oh" at the 2006 APRA Music Awards. "Oh Oh" also won Best Video and Guy was named Best Male Artist at the Urban Music Awards. For the second year in a row, he won the Fav Aussie award at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards. Closer to the Sun's third song, "Cover on My Heart", was released in August 2007. Closer to the Sun was named Best Album at the 2007 Urban Music Awards.
The Memphis Album and Tours
In early 2007, it was announced that Guy Sebastian would record an album of classic soul songs in Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded with famous Stax musicians who played on the original songs. The album was made at Ardent Studios in August 2007, with Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, and Steve Potts (also known as The MGs). Cropper also helped produce the album with Guy. The album was recorded live in the studio. Guy wrote about his time in Memphis in blogs for Australian newspapers. Cropper later said that Guy "just blew everybody's socks off." Soon after Guy returned to Australia, it was announced that The MGs would tour Australia with him in early 2008.
The Memphis Album debuted at number three in November 2007. It was the seventh best-selling Australian artist album of the year. The album was highly praised and reached double platinum in 2008. The MGs came to Australia in February 2008 to be Guy's backing band for his national tour. Guy said it was "unbelievable" to sing with the MGs, knowing the history behind them. One of the Melbourne concerts was filmed for a live DVD/CD called The Memphis Tour. Guy was nominated for a Helpmann Award for his performance. The Memphis Album was nominated for Highest Selling Album at the 2008 ARIA Awards.
Like It Like That and The X Factor
In 2008, Guy Sebastian signed a deal to release an album in the US. He recorded songs with John Mayer's band, and John Mayer himself played guitar and sang on three tracks. He moved to New York in early 2009 to get ready for the US album release. His song "Like It Like That" was chosen as the theme song for the NBC network's summer promotions. "Like It Like That", the title song of Guy's fifth album, was released in Australia in August 2009 and reached number one. It was the best-selling Australian artist song in 2009 and went 4 times platinum. Like It Like That, an original soul album with all songs written or co-written by Guy, was released in October 2009. It reached number six and went platinum.
"Art of Love", a duet with Jordin Sparks, was the second song released. It reached number eight and went double platinum. It also charted at number seven in New Zealand. Guy toured Australia in February 2010 and again in June and July. The US album was released in June 2010. He was chosen as a judge on the 2010 series of Australia's The X-Factor. Guy was nominated for six ARIA Music Awards for Like It Like That.
Twenty Ten and Armageddon
In 2010, Guy Sebastian became a judge on the Australian series of The X Factor. He mentored the Groups category. Guy released a collection album called Twenty Ten in November 2010. The album reached number four on the ARIA Album Chart. It was the fifth best-selling Australian artist album of 2010 and went double platinum. "Who's That Girl" featuring US rapper Eve, was the only song released from the album. This song was a new style for Guy, with a dance-driven electro R&B sound. "Who's That Girl" reached number one and 5 times platinum in Australia, and number one and platinum in New Zealand.
Guy re-signed with Sony after Twenty Ten. He supported Boyzone on their 2011 UK tour and Lionel Richie on his Australian and New Zealand tour. They re-recorded Richie's song "All Night Long" to raise money for Australian and New Zealand flood and earthquake relief. Guy continued as a judge on the 2011 The X Factor. He mentored the Boys, and his contestant Reece Mastin won.
In November 2011, "Don't Worry Be Happy" was released as the first song from his seventh album, Armageddon. It reached number five and went 5 times platinum. Guy spent time in the US in early 2012 working on the album. "Gold", an upbeat soul song, was released as the second single in May. It reached number ten and went platinum. Guy toured nationally in June and July to show new songs. In 2012, Guy appeared as a judge on The X Factor for a third year. He mentored the Over 25s, and his contestant Samantha Jade won.
Armageddon's third song, "Battle Scars", an R&B ballad with a hip hop rap by Lupe Fiasco, was released in August. It debuted at number one, becoming Guy's sixth number one single in Australia. He has the most number one singles for an Australian male artist. "Battle Scars" was the third best-selling song in Australia in 2012 and the best-selling song by an Australian artist. It reached 12 times platinum by 2020. "Battle Scars" also reached number two and double platinum in New Zealand.
Lupe Fiasco added "Battle Scars" to his album, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1, in other countries. He came to Australia in September to promote the song and his album. He and Guy performed "Battle Scars" live for the first time on The X Factor. They also performed the song in America on the Late Show with David Letterman. "Battle Scars" was used in the US to promote the movie Red Dawn. It spent 20 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number 71. It also reached number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Chart. It has been certified platinum in the US for selling one million copies. The song also spent 13 weeks in the top ten in Norway.
Armageddon was released on 12 October 2012. It reached number one in its seventh week and went double platinum. After only 12 weeks, the album was the ninth best-selling album in Australia in 2012. Guy was nominated for three 2012 ARIA Awards. He and Fiasco performed "Battle Scars" at the Awards. The fourth song, "Get Along", about religious and cultural tolerance, reached number five and triple platinum. It also reached number nine and gold in New Zealand. In early 2013, Fiasco and Guy continued promoting "Battle Scars" in the US. From March to June 2013, Guy toured Australia with the 47-date Get Along Tour. Guy won two 2013 ARIA Awards: Best Pop Release for Armageddon and Best Live Act for the Get Along Tour.
Madness and Eurovision
In October 2013, Guy Sebastian released "Like a Drum", the first song from his eighth album. It debuted at number four, becoming his 12th top ten song in Australia. It was certified 4 times platinum in Australia. Guy opened for Taylor Swift on the Australian part of her Red Tour. "Like a Drum" was released in the United States, Canada, and Europe in January 2014. The song reached number 20 on the Billboard Dance Club Chart. The second song, "Come Home With Me", reached number 13 on the Aria Singles Chart and went platinum. The third song, "Mama Ain't Proud" featuring 2 Chainz, reached number 17 and went gold. Guy's eighth album, Madness, was released on 21 November 2014 and debuted at number six and went gold.
The fourth song, "Linger", reached number 17 and went platinum. Guy had an arena tour in Australia in February 2015 to support the album. Guy was chosen as the Australian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015. He performed the song "Tonight Again" and finished fifth overall. "Tonight Again" debuted at number 12 in Australia. It also charted in Iceland, Austria, Sweden, Germany, and Switzerland. It went gold in Sweden. Guy toured in Europe in August and September. He returned to the judging panel of the Australian The X Factor in November 2015. He released "Black & Blue", which reached number 17 and went platinum. In January and February 2016, he had a 35-date Australian regional tour.
Recent Music: Part 1 EP and Conscious
In late 2016, Guy Sebastian released two songs: "Candle" and "Set in Stone". "Set in Stone" reached number 11 and went double platinum. Guy released Part 1 EP in December 2016. It was released digitally on 2 December and reached number 31 on the ARIA Album Chart. A third song, "Mind On You", did not chart. In March and April 2017, Guy toured the Australian eastern states to preview songs from his next album. In September 2017, Guy released the song "High On Me" and announced his album Conscious would be released on 3 November 2017. "Keep Me Coming Back" and "Vesuvius" were released as promotional songs from Conscious. "Set in Stone" was nominated for an ARIA Award for Song of the Year. "Bloodstone", the second official song, reached number 59 and went platinum. Conscious debuted at number four.
T.R.U.T.H. and Latest News
On 4 October 2018, Guy Sebastian released "Before I Go", the first song from his ninth album, T.R.U.T.H. It reached number 43 and went platinum. He became a coach on The Voice Australia from the 2019 season to the 2024 season. Guy was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2019 for his important work in music and charity. In June 2019, he released the song "Choir", which reached number seven and went 4 times platinum. Guy toured Australia in September and October with his Ridin' With You Tour. On 1 October 2019, it was announced that Guy Sebastian would host the ARIA Music Awards of 2019. He won Best Video and Song of the Year for "Choir" at the ARIA Awards. The song "Standing with You" was released in June 2020 and reached number ten, becoming Guy's 14th top ten song in Australia. It has reached gold certification.
In October 2020, Guy Sebastian released his ninth album, T.R.U.T.H., which debuted at number 1 on the ARIA charts. This was Guy's third number 1 album. The album has been certified gold. Guy won ARIA Award for Best Video for "Standing With You" at the 2020 ARIA Music Awards.
In August 2023, Guy Sebastian announced "I Choose Good", his first new music in three years. In 2025, Guy made his acting debut in the film Hindi Vindi. In June 2025, Guy announced his tenth album 100 Times Around the Sun will be released in August 2025.
Musical Style and Influences
Guy Sebastian says many musicians have influenced his music. These include Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Chicago, and Boyz II Men. His music has explored many styles, such as pop, R&B, funk, smokey soul, gospel, jazz, pop rock, Memphis soul covers, and electro R&B.
While Guy's first three albums had some soul elements, The Memphis Album really showed his talent as a soul musician. Critics agreed he captured the true feeling of Memphis soul classics. The success of The Memphis Album gave Guy the confidence to continue with the soul style for his fifth album, Like It Like That. He said that recording The Memphis Album was the most comfortable he had ever felt in the studio.
Kathy McCabe, a music editor, said that Guy "has matured into a genuine hitmaker." Jamie Horne wrote that Guy's long career is because he is a skilled musician and songwriter. AllMusic reviewer Jon O'Brien said that Guy's vocal abilities and songwriting skills have helped him stay popular.
Songwriting and Production
Guy Sebastian started writing songs before he was on Australian Idol. "All I Need Is You", a song from his first album, was written when he was a teenager. He also wrote gospel songs for his church. Guy wrote or co-wrote most of the songs on his albums Beautiful Life and Closer to the Sun. He wrote all the songs on Like It Like That and Armageddon.
"Receive the Power", a gospel song written by Guy and Gary Pinto, was chosen as the official song for the Roman Catholic Church's XXIII World Youth Day in 2008. "Art of Love" was considered for the APRA Song of the Year in 2010. "Who's That Girl" won the APRA Award for Urban Work of the Year. "Battle Scars" won the R&B/Hip category in the 2013 International Songwriting Competition. "Get Along" was also a finalist.
Guy has a worldwide publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing. He has written songs for other artists, including "Dot Com" for Usher. He also enjoys producing music and co-produced The Memphis Album with Steve Cropper. He has his own recording studio, Cooper Lane Studio, where he produces some of his music.
Notable Performances
- World Youth Day, July 2008: "Receive the Power", a song written by Guy and Gary Pinto, was the official song for World Youth Day (WYD08) in Sydney. The song also features Paulini Curuenavuli, who was on the first season of Australian Idol with Guy. They performed the song at the final Mass, which had 400,000 people, and at the Pope's Farewell.
- Olivia Newton-John & Friends Concert, September 2008: This concert raised money for Olivia Newton-John's Cancer and Wellness Centre. Guy was chosen to sing a duet with Olivia Newton-John. They sang her famous song "Summer Nights" from Grease.
- Australian Launch of Michael Jackson's This Is It DVD, March 2010: Guy and Delta Goodrem were chosen by the Jackson family to perform at this event. They sang "Earth Song".
- Oprah Winfrey's Welcome to Sydney, December 2010: Guy Sebastian was the special performer at an event to welcome Oprah Winfrey and her American audience to Australia. Oprah later asked him to perform at her private party.
- G'Day USA, January 2011 and 2012: G'Day USA is an annual event that shows off Australian businesses. Guy and the Qantas Choir performed at the 2011 Black Tie Gala in Los Angeles. Guy sang his own songs and a medley of Bee Gees songs. In 2012, he performed at galas in New York and Houston.
- Grammy Week – Los Angeles, February 2011: Guy was invited to perform at two events during Grammy week. He performed at The Black Eyed Peas Peapod Benefit Concert and at Roots Pre Grammy Jam Session.
- CHOGM 2011 Opening Ceremony – Perth, October 2011: Guy performed "Agents of Change", a song he wrote for the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). Queen Elizabeth II and other leaders were there.
- The GRAMMY Foundation's 15th Annual Music Preservation Project – Los Angeles, February 2013: Lupe Fiasco and Guy Sebastian were chosen to perform "Battle Scars" as the final act of this concert. Other performers included Dionne Warwick and Ed Sheeran.
Personal Life
In late 2007, after eight years of dating, Guy Sebastian and his girlfriend Jules Egan got engaged. They were married in Manly, New South Wales, on 17 May 2008. They have two sons, born on 3 March 2012 and 17 April 2014.
Charitable Work
Throughout his career, Guy Sebastian has been very dedicated to charity. He has been an ambassador for Ronald McDonald House charities, the Australian Red Cross, and Golden Stave. He is also an ambassador for World Vision Australia. In 2005, he traveled to Uganda to film a World Vision documentary called "An Idol in Africa." Guy has continued his work with World Vision, supporting the Child Rescue program and the 40 Hour Famine. He has also been involved in the Make Poverty History group. In 2008, he received the Extreme Inspiration Award for his support of World Vision. Guy is also very committed to the Sony Foundation, which helps young Australians facing homelessness, illness, and isolation.
Guy contributes to many other charity projects. In 2005, he performed on the annual Indian Pacific Outback Christmas Journey, which raises money for the Royal Flying Doctor's Service. In 2008, he performed 11 concerts with the Australian Army Band to raise money for Legacy, an organization that supports families of deceased veterans. Guy often performs at other fundraising events, like Brisbane radio station B105's Christmas appeal for the Royal Children's Hospital and Perth's annual Telethon. He also gives his time to annual Christmas carol events like Carols in the Domain and Carols by Candlelight. His songs are often on charity CDs, including the Salvation Army Christmas fundraising CDs. Guy also visits hospitals unofficially several times a year. In 2013, Guy and his wife Jules started The Sebastian Foundation.
Discography
- Studio albums
- Just as I Am (2003)
- Beautiful Life (2004)
- Closer to the Sun (2006)
- The Memphis Album (2007)
- Like it Like That (2009)
- Armageddon (2012)
- Madness (2014)
- Conscious (2017)
- T.R.U.T.H. (2020)
- 100 Times Around the Sun (2025)
Awards and Nominations
Guy Sebastian has been nominated for many awards during his career and has won a lot of them. These awards include ARIA Awards, ARIA No. 1 Chart Awards, APRA Awards, Australian Club Entertainment Awards, Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards, Urban Music Awards, and a Channel V Artist of the Year Award.
Tours
- 2004–05: Beautiful Life Tour
- 2007: Closer to the Sun Tour
- 2007: Acoustic Tour
- 2008: The Memphis Tour
- 2009: Live & By Request Tour
- 2010: Like It Like That Tour
- 2010: Bring Yourself Tour
- 2010: Like It Like That Tour (USA)
- 2012: Armageddon tour
- 2013: Get Along Tour
- 2015: Madness Tour
- 2015: Madness European Tour
- 2016: You...Me...Us Tour
- 2017: Sub-Conscious Tour
- 2017: Conscious Tour
- 2018: Then and Now Tour
- 2019: Ridin' With You Tour.
- 2022: T.R.U.T.H. Tour
- 2022: T.R.U.T.H. on the East Side Tour
Joint tours
- 2004: Australian Idol in Concert
- 2007: Guy & the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra
- 2008: Army in Concert with Guy Sebastian
Support tours
- 2011: Boyzone Tour (United Kingdom)
- 2011: Lionel Richie Tour (Australia and New Zealand)
- 2013: Red Tour (Australia)
- 2017: Love Always Tour (United Kingdom)
Images for kids
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Sebastian in November 2014
