50 facts about Guy Sebastian: the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003

Guy Sebastian's 50 things.

1. Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian singer-songwriter.

2. Guy Sebastian was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003.

3. Guy Sebastian represented Australia at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 5th place overall.

4. Guy Sebastian has released eight top ten albums including two number ones. The first seven all gained either platinum or multi-platinum certification.

5. Guy Sebastian has also achieved 12 top ten singles, including six number ones

6. 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.

7. Eight of his singles have been certified multi-platinum, including the 9× platinum "Battle Scars".

8. His debut single "Angels Brought Me Here" was the highest selling song in Australia last decade.

9. With 51 platinum and six gold certifications and combined album and single sales of over 3.7 million in Australia, he has the highest certifications and sales of any Australian Idol contestant.

10. 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.

11. Guy Sebastian has worked with a number of notable American musicians including Brian McKnight, Robin Thicke, Steve Cropper, John Mayer, Jordin Sparks and Eve.

12. "Battle Scars", a collaboration with American rapper Lupe Fiasco, spent 20 weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 71 and achieved platinum certification. "Battle Scars" also reached number two in Norway.

13. In 2015 Sebastian's Eurovision song charted in the top 50 of several European countries.

14. During his career Sebastian has received 24 ARIA Award nominations,winning four including Best Pop Release and Best Live Act.

15. Other awards include the APRA Urban Work of the Year, the [V] Oz Artist of the Year, Urban Music Awards for Best Male Artist and Best R&B Album, and an International Songwriting Competition award for "Battle Scars".

16. Guy Sebastian has sung at many notable events, including performing for Pope Benedict XVI, Oprah Winfrey and Queen Elizabeth II.

17. Guy Sebastian has a strong commitment to charity, and is currently an ambassador for World Vision Australia and the Australian Red Cross.

18. Guy Sebastian was born in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia on 26 October 1981.

19. His father Ivan was also born in Malaysia and is of Sri Lankan Tamil descent with distant colonial Portuguese roots.

20. His mother Nellie is of English and Portuguese descent and was raised in India.

21. Guy Sebastian's parents met while Ivan was studying geology in India and they married a year later.

22. Guy Sebastian is the second of four sons.

23. His older brother Ollie was born in India, and his younger brothers Chris and Jeremy were born in Australia after the family migrated there in 1988.

24. Guy Sebastian's family lived in Melbourne, Victoria for several years before eventually moving to Adelaide, South Australia due to Ivan's work as a geologist.

25. As a child Sebastian took violin lessons; he would later learn to play guitar, drums and piano, although he has had no formal training in these other musical instruments.

26. 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.

27. Guy Sebastian also sang with the Paradise Community Church Youth Conference Planetshakers, performing both lead and backup vocals for their 2002 and 2003 conferences and albums.

28. He then began studies in Medical Radiation at the University of South Australia, but left to pursue a career in music.

29. He taught vocals at Temple Christian College and other high schools while also working as a recording engineer and studying Music Technology at the University of Adelaide's Elder School of Music.

30. In May 2003 Sebastian successfully auditioned for Australian Idol, singing Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky".

31. He 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.

32. Guy Sebastian was declared the winner on 19 November 2003, and gained a recording contract with BMG, which later merged with Sony.

33. Following his Idol win Sebastian was required to record his debut album in six days, but despite this time restriction the album included three songs co-written by him.

34. Beautiful Life, Sebastian's second album, had a more R&B edge to it and included songs he co-wrote with Robin Thicke and Brian McKnight and "Forever with You", a duet with American R&B singer Mýa. The lead single "Out with My Baby" debuted at number one in October 2004, and gained platinum certification.

35. 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.

36. In early 2007 it had been announced 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. The album was recorded at Ardent Studios, Memphis in August 2007, with Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, and Steve Potts (a.k.a. The MGs), with Lester Snell on keyboards. Cropper also co-produced the album with Sebastian, which was recorded on analogue tape live in the studio.

37. In 2008 Sebastian was signed to release an album in the US, and in November he returned to America to work on it. He recorded songs with John Mayer's band, and John Mayer himself played guitar and sang backing vocals on three of the tracks.

38. 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.

39. Guy Sebastian performed showcases at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin Texas, and a residency at the Drom in New York.

40. In 2010 Sebastian was selected as a judge on the Australian series of The X Factor.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.

41. Guy Sebastian released a retrospective album titled Twenty Ten in November 2010. The album reached number four on the ARIA Album Chart. It spent twelve weeks in the top ten and was the fifth highest selling Australian artist album of 2010.

42. Guy Sebastian supported Boyzone on their 2011 UK tour, and Lionel Richie on his Australian and New Zealand tour. They re-recorded Richie's 1983 single "All Night Long" to raise money for Australian and New Zealand flood and earthquake relief.

43. In November 2011 "Don't Worry Be Happy", a pop song Sebastian wrote after encountering an angry motorist in Los Angeles, was released as the lead single of his seventh album Armageddon.

44. 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.

45. His music has crossed many genres, including pop, R&B, funk, smokey soul, gospel, jazz, pop rock, Memphis soul covers, '60s soul/pop and electro R&B.

46. In late 2007 after eight years of courtship Sebastian and girlfriend Jules Egan became engaged.

47. They were married in Manly, Sydney on 17 May 2008.

48. They have two sons, Hudson James born 3 March 2012, and Archer Jones born 17 April 2014.

49. Throughout his career Sebastian has had a strong commitment to charity.

50. Guy Sebastian is also 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.

Source: Wikipedia.org