Guy Sebastian

At the 2011 ARIA Awards, Guy Sebastian wins an ARIA for Highest Selling single with “Who’s that Girl”

2011-11-28T12:11:00.000-08:00

“Who’s that Girl” is the 5^th #1 single for Guy Sebastian in his 8 year recording career and he is the only Australian Male artist to do this in Australian music history. The single has sold in excess of 4 x platinum and is available on iTunes.

Guy Sebastian is one of the most awarded artists in the music industry today

(see List of awards and nominations received by Guy Sebastian)

Guy attended his first ARIA awards in November 2003, as a young 22 year old singer, songwriter and musician who was an unsigned artist who went on to win the first inaugural Australian Idol. After winning, he was signed by the Sony BMG recording label and Sebastian has not looked back since, going from strength to strength.

At the 2004 ARIA Awards, Guy Sebastian's first single "Angels Brought Me Here" won Highest Selling single of the year and was the fastest selling single in Australian Music History. In 2010, "Angels Brought Me Here" was named by ARIA as the highest selling single of the Decade.

Here we see a young Guy Sebastian making his acceptance speech after winning his first ARIA award in 2004.

UPDATE:

2011 End of ARIA Charts: 9 Australian songs are in the top 100 singles and Guy had 2 of them

Guy Sebastian makes Australian Music History being the only Australian male solo artist EVER to achieve 5 #1 singles!

2011-01-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

After 7 years in the music biz, Guy Sebastian has officially made Aussie music history. He is the first Australian male in Australian music history (that means since the 1940's when charting first began) to have five #1 singles,
His new single Who’s that Girl reached it’s #1 ARIA ranking on Christmas Day 2010, knocking off Bruno Mars from the top position with Grenade.

You can download this catchy as tune from this iTunes button >>>

View on Youtube>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTpWk3jKvVw
as at 2 Jan 2011, the single is currently sitting at #1 on iTunes.

in popular international company such as

Bruno Mars - Grenade
Fireworks – Katy Perry
Yeah 3X – Chris Brown
The Time (dirty bit) – The Black Eyed Peas
We r who we r – Ke$ha

Guy Sebastian's HOT new video clip "All to Myself" on YouTube!

2010-02-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

All To Myself is a seductive pop and groove-laden soul tune delivering a stunning vocal performance channeling the great Sam Cooke. This original song further consolidates Guy Sebastian's reputation as one of the best contemporary soul / R&B singer/songwriters in the world today.

The new video for All To Myself with its sizzling latin flavour, was shot in strikingly beautiful Buenos Aires, Argentina. Director Ivan Barge chose unique, textured locations which reflected the various faces of this incredible city.

Get the 'All To Myself' single in stores and online NOW!

Album Review of "Like it Like That" Artist: Guy Sebastian

2009-11-06T14:16:00.000-08:00

There's a lot to like! Says reviewer Bryan Patterson:

I may sue Guy Sebastian. His insanely catchy little track, with its stupidly seductive flute, guitars and choruses, has been playing over and over in my head for days.

In fact, several of the songs from the inaugural Australian Idol winner’s fifth album are addictive enough to qualify as “song worms” (yes, it’s a scientific term for ditties that refuse to leave the head).

Sebastian seems to excel at writing radio friendly pop tunes, but they aren’t all like that.

His big love is for groove-laden classic soul, which he did so well on his commercial and credible offering from 2007, The Memphis Album.

This one is much in the same vein, but based on his original material rather than classic covers.

Is it old-fashioned? A little, but that’s not a bad thing when the music is in the hands of a writer and singer of Sebastian’s calibre.

Happily, Sebastian’s big soul songs have more of an upbeat New York sound than the slick and imposed LA production that seems to be the fate of most Idol winners.

It is now time to forgive and forget that Sebastian had his start in a sometimes exploitative and often tacky TV talent show.

When you’re good – really good – inauspicious starts don’t really matter (after all, Deborah Harry started her career as a Playboy bunny).

Sebastian has paid his dues and finally found his sound. And it’s good music, all written or co-written by the young man.

All to Myself and Attention, with their catchy beats and storming organ and brass sounds, could have come out of the Motown 1960s hit studios. Magic, a duet with the relatively unknown Tarryn Stokes, could have blasted from an English hit-making factory during the same era.

Then there are the modern touches --- a saucy duet called Art of Love with American Idol singer Jordin Sparks, a quirky mix of current styles on Undo and some very nice guitar flourishes from Sebastian’s mate John Mayer.

Naturally, there are some gorgeous ballads. Bring Yourself is the big soul number delivered by a classy singer who knows how to drag emotion from a tune. Otis Redding could not have done better.

Fail to Mention also hits the mark and most fans will like the rather personal closer Perfection, which he wrote for his wife, Julie, and first sang it publicly on their wedding day.

Like it Like That is not perfection, but it’s the best and most cohesive original album that Sebastian has yet delivered. It’s definitely worth hearing, but watch out for those insidious song worms.

Source: Bryan Patterson Sunday Herald Sun

Rated: 4 Star Excellent

Purchase On-Line and In Store

read more excellent music journalist's Reviews here

Guy Sebastian Links:
Official Website
Official Forum
Comprehensive Wikipedia
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter

Guy Sebastian's Wednesday 2nd September Sunrise performance and single signing of his new hit single

2009-08-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

Come on down to Sunrise at Martin Place, Sydney at 7:40am on to see Guy Sebastian perform his Hit Single "Like It Like That". After the performance, Guy will be signing CDs at the Channel 7 Shop so buy your copy of the brand new single there and Guy will personally sign it on the spot!

LIKE IT LIKE THAT is also available digitally on

The video clip of "Like it Like That" available from

Other purchase outlets:

Bandit.fm

Big W Entertainment

Chaos (good for overseas people)

play4me

Waterfront

jbhifi-online

Big W Entertainment

Guy Sebastian's new single "Like it Like That" available NOW in stores and on-line

2009-08-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

'Like It Like That' was the #1 most added song to Australian radio last week and was added instantly to playlists across the country! The single hits stores and online this Friday August 7!

'Like It Like That' is a sample of what we can expect from Guy Sebastian's fifth studio album (titled, 'Like It Like That'), due for release on the 9th October 2009. The new album is a collection of original songs influenced by the experience of The Memphis album, and Guy's love of classic soul and R&B music. Guy has collaborated with David Ryan Harris and John Mayer who lends his prowess playing guitar and singing backing vocals on a number of tracks.

'Like It Like That' is available digitally and is in stores NOW!

Source: www.guysebastian.com

The video clip of "Like it Like That" is also available from

Other purchase outlets:

Bandit.fm

Big W Entertainment

Chaos (good for overseas people)

play4me

Latest Guy Sebastian - NEW Official Video LIKE IT LIKE THAT

2009-07-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Like it Like That is the first single release from Guy Sebastian's fifth studio album "Like It Like That". Recorded over the first six months of 2009 in Los Angeles and New York, the album was produced by David Ryan Harris (John Mayer, Mariah Carey, Neville Brothers), and Fredrick Rodesjo - with John Mayer himself featuring on guitar on a few tracks - "All To Myself", "Fail To Mention" and "Never Be You". The result is an album of true musical depth, an album which perfectly showcases the rare and charismatic talent of one Guy Sebastian. It's all about big sounds, bigger beats, blasting horns and those oh-so-soulful Sebastian vocals. Source: Bandit.fm

Nova Radio Australia have Guy Sebastian's "Like it Like That" as their featured release Nova969 FM Sydney Nova100 FM Melbourne Nova1069 FM Brisbane Nova919 FM Adelaide Nova 937 FM Perth

behind the Scenes Images of the Video Shoot sourced from Guy's Facebook

Featuring Lyndsey Rodrigues and filmed at Sydney's Q Bar

Guy Sebastian Links:
Official US Website
Official Website
Official Forum
Comprehensive Wikipedia
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter

Guy Sebastian - Like It Like That - Behind The Scenes - Teaser!

2009-07-13T02:37:00.001-07:00

Exclusive footage of the making of the first single off LIKE IT LIKE THAT upcoming album - new original Guy Sebastian music OUT SOON!

GUY SEBASTIAN Digital EP Available Everywhere Today!

2009-05-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

Features John Mayer and David Ryan Harris on Guitar & Vocals, as well as legendary Soul guitarist and songwriter Steve Cropper who says that "Guy Sebastian is one of the best singers I've ever worked with'. This EP is a selection of tunes from the upcoming US Album Debut "Like it Like That".

Available NOW on myplay and US iTunes

Source: GUY SEBASTIAN Digital EP Available Everywhere Today!

Guy Sebastian Links:
Official US Website
Official Website
Official Forum
Comprehensive Wikipedia
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter

Videos of Guy Sebastian's new album featuring John Mayer and Steve Cropper

2009-05-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

Source of Videos: myplay

Source of Videos: myplay

Preview of Guy Sebastian's new album LIKE IT LIKE THAT

2009-03-21T21:57:00.000-07:00

Preview of Guy Sebastian's new album LIKE IT LIKE THAT

3 of the album originals:
Like it Like That
All to Myself
Failed to Mention

John Mayer puts his stamp on Like It Like That playing guitar and singing backup vocals on a number of tracks including “Failed To Mention,” on which his slinky guitar solo punctuates the seductive chorus and Sebastian’s heavenly falsetto stylings.

Helping Sebastian realize his creative vision is producer David Ryan Harris, who's worked with the likes of John Mayer, Mariah Carey and the Neville Brothers. Harris' meticulous production and impeccable arrangements perfectly capture the impassioned heart and elegant soul of Sebastian's music. “I love classic rock and soul records and those kinds of production were perfectly suited for Guy's music where the lyric and vocal were the most important element,” Harris divulges. “So I wanted to be able to frame Guy's voice and songs in a way where there wasn't a lot of extra fluff." full story

Guy Sebastian Links:
Official Website
Official Forum
Comprehensive Wikipedia
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter

Guy Sebastian performs @ Oscars event!

2009-02-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

Guy Sebastian performs at a Jamie Kennedy hosted Oscar party!

Click for more photos of the event

Guy Sebastian Links:
Official Website
Official Forum
Comprehensive Wikipedia
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter

Guy Sebastian now on Facebook!

2009-01-30T21:50:00.000-08:00

Guy will be releasing through Victor/Sony his US Label an album which features the sublime talents of John Mayer who plays guitar and sings on 4 tracks of Guy's self-penned tunes as well as the legendary SOUL guitarist Steve Cropper who plays on all the classic Memphis Soul tracks that make up this unique album. This is Guy's first US release and you can send him words of encouragement and greetings on his new facebook!

here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Guy-Sebastian/119217905499#

Guy Sebastian LIVE & BY REQUEST - I vote for Beautiful Life - this song was set to Michael Phelps Olympic 8 Gold Medal wins!

2008-11-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

I also love Unbreakable and Back in the Day... What song would you like to hear at these 'one off' special 2009 concerts on March 27 & 28 Melbourne and April 3 Sydney

Unbreakable - Guy Sebastian

Back In The Day - Guy Sebastian

Media Article:
Source: UnderCover

Guy Sebastian To Play By Request

by Paul Cashmere - November 17 2008
photo by Ros O'Gorman

Songs performed at Guy Sebastian`s forthcoming shows will be by request.

A selection of potential songs will soon be published at www.guysebastian.com.au and fans will get to vote for what they want to hear.

The shows will be on next year on March 27 & 28 at Palms @ Crown and April 3 at the Theatre Royal in Sydney.

Guy will play the songs live with a 10-piece band.

The shows will also premiere new music from his forthcoming 5th studio album, featuring John Mayer on guitar.

Sebastian has been recording the album in Los Angeles.

also here is a great site that I just discovered: BREATHE excellent source!!

Guy Sebastian joins the Army!

2008-10-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

Not the military type you think? Not so - this very versatile entertainer can sing and perform in any genre or style that he is invited to perform in. Guy Sebastian is currently on a national tour with the Australian Army Band in support of our servicemen and women.

After taking to the stage with Olivia Newton-John recently, to perform a duet with Olivia at her fundraiser for a Wellness Centre and Cancer research, the original Australian Idol winner is now lending his talents to a one-off tour to raise cash for Legacy - Caring for the Families of Deceased Veterans.

Legacy is proud to present the Australian Army Band in Concert featuring Australia’s premier performer of blues, roots and soul Guy Sebastian in a spectacular evening of entertainment. Capturing all the colour, pomp and ceremony, backed by an amazing ensemble of over 60 Army musicians and precision ceremonial teams which combine to promise an evening you won’t forget whilst supporting a worthy cause.

Legacy is a unique Australian charity supporting the families of deceased veterans including our recent and current operations around the globe.

Guy performed on Sunrise to promote the Army Band Tour. David Koch and Natalie Barr the Sunrise hosts doubled up as on stage dancers!

Here is the Sunrise Memphis Medley performance - amazing energy and talent!

Here is the Sunrise Climb Every Mountain performance - stunning vocals!

With the endorsement of Australia's Chief of Army:

Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie AO, DSC, CSM

the Australian Army Band lineup is very impressive with over 60 musicians on stage

Conductors:

Major Peter Thomas

Director of Music - Army
Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Pickett, CSM

Sean O'Boyle

The Army Divas
Coporal Simone Dew
Musician Deb Cotton
Musician Angie Currington

here are some of my photos - I went to the Brisbane Concert

You can book here for the remaining dates for the Army Band Concert Tour.

October 26, Newcastle, Civic Theatre

October 28, Canberra, Canberra Theatre

November 7, Melbourne, Hamer Hall

November 13, NSW. The Hills Centre

November 15, Hobart, Wrest Point Casino

November 22, Darwin Entertainment Centre

November 29, Townsville Civic Centre

Thank you to the many Guy Sebastian fans out there who share all their media with the world so that I have an endless supply of media and information about Soul Man Guy Sebastian for my blog!

♠

Aria Music Awards THE MEMPHIS ALBUM Nomination in 2008 Category: Highest Selling Album of the Year

2008-09-12T01:04:00.000-07:00

Aria 2008 Highest Selling Album of the Year Nominees are

DAVID CAMPBELL “The Swing Sessions 2″

DELTA GOODREM “Delta”

GUY SEBASTIAN “The Memphis Album”

THE VERONICAS “Hook Me Up”

TINA ARENA “Songs Of Love And Loss”

Listen here to sample The Memphis Album Track Listing

1. Soul Man
2. Hold on I'm Coming
3. In the Midnight Hour
4. I Can't Stand the Rain
5. Take Me to the River
6. Knock on Wood
7. Respect Yourself
8. (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
9. Hard to Handle
10. Let's Stay Together
11. I've Been Loving You Too Long
12. Hallelujah I Love Her So
13. I'd Like to Get to Know You
14. Under the Boardwalk

In honour of Otis Redding's Birthday September 9

2008-08-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

Guy Sebastian's tribute to Otis Redding's
I'VE BEEN LOVING YOU TOO LONG!

2008-08-08T19:58:00.000-07:00

Is there a Soul Music Revival happening World Wide? I think so!!

Steve Cropper has just launched his Official MySpace page this week to an overwhelming response from his fans and lovers of SOUL music!
Steve Cropper Official MySpace Page

Cropper is generally regarded as the most well known and influential Soul guitarist and because of his ability to adapt to many different styles, in 1996, he was named the greatest living guitar player (second all-time behind Jimi Hendrix) by Britain's Mojo Magazine. When asked what he thought of Cropper, the guitarist at number four, The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards, said "Perfect, man".

I totally adore Steve Cropper for giving back to SOUL MUSIC and for embracing and promoting young SOUL artists like Guy Sebastian who is a freak Soul Man!!

Allmusic Review of THE MEMPHIS ALBUM

2008-08-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

Highly recommended: Review of the Memphis Album on Allmusic

'The Memphis Album' is an excellent introduction to Memphis soul for neophytes, and a good introduction to Guy Sebastian for those unfamiliar with his talent or intellectually averse towards any 'Idol' releases. For diehard soul collectors, the backing tracks alone by the MGs and Memphis horns should be enough incentive to pick up the CD; Guy Sebastian's sheer talent will be a nice revelation. Recommended.

You can read the full review on allmusic and listen to the Memphis Album tracks listed.

The Betheo Blue Light collection of the Memphis Tour 2008

these photos were taken by a Guy Sebastian fan and coz I love all things blue - the lighting is just beautiful and so is the subject!!

My Memphis Tour photos

2008-07-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

The Band:

Guy Sebastian - vocals
Steve Cropper - guitars
Donald "Duck" Dunn - bass guitars
Lester Snell - keyboards
Steve Potts - drums
Carl Dimataga - guitars
Gary Pinto - backing vocals
Matthew Ottignon - tenor sax
Ben Gurton - trombones
Dee Uleriuewa - backing vocals

The Idol Who Soul'd Out

2008-07-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

Found this article that was written by a member of The Memphis Tour team and gives a very insightful view of Guy Sebastian and the legendary Soul musicians that supported him on his Australian sellout Tour!

The Idol Who Soul'd Out
By Michelle Wilding

Source: Vibewire

He won our hearts on Idol with his trademark afro-hair. Five years on, Guy Sebastian is going global as he teams up with musical legends, The MGs who shaped soul music in the 1960’s.

Guy Sebastian deserves more credit than the fuzzy, afro-haired original Australian Idol winner that most of us remember him for. He's partly responsible for breathing soul music into the lungs of our younger generation who were never exposed to the genre, and the hunger to hear more is creating a soul revolution across Australia.

I had the privilege to work on Guy's recent national tour as Assistant Tour Manager/Soul Lounge Manager and what I had come to ask myself was why weren't younger people listening to this music sooner? The beauty about soul music is that in true form, it was recorded in raw, one-take sessions without the technological enhancements that are prominent today. It's all soul, bearing the spirits of the musicians being recorded as a group. That sound is exactly what Guy has brought back. The sound of purity that will pull your heart strings or just make you want to get up and groove.

At only 26, Guy scored the unique opportunity to record an album over in Memphis in this same old-school format that our grandparents grew up listening to. Together with honourable Stax Record musicians The MGs who wrote, sung and played on the original soul hits like 'Knock on Wood', '(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay' and 'In the Midnight Hour' among the many others, Guy was able to reinterpret Memphis classics from the soul era and craft his triple platinum The Memphis Album in a rare, mostly one-take style where musicians record their instruments all at once on analogue tape. This was a real blessing for Guy, considering it is only a musicians dream to be able to do something like this.

"It's crazy!" exclaims Guy with his eyes lighting up. "It's pretty incredible first of all that I got The MGs on the album, and secondly that they're touring with me as my band". You can sense a vibe of awe, as he marvels about working with his childhood heroes.

Steve Cropper and Donald 'Duck' Dunn of The MGs (from Booker T. and the MGs) are world-class musicians who defined soul music in the 1960’s, having recorded and played with them all. "These guys are legends," adds Guy. "I used to watch them on DVD, playing with Otis Redding. They used to hang out with Elvis, play with the Staple Singers, Sam and Dave, Eddie Floyd, Wilson Pickett. They use to write for Aretha Franklin". Now add Lester Snell to the band on keys who toured with Prince and Isaac Hayes, and you're bound to have nerves.

But despite his stunning vocal ability, Guy Sebastian who describes himself as "grounded in his roots" chooses to put his confidence in his music. He explains however that sometimes even the thought of recording and playing with musical legends like The MGs can get to you.

"Initially I thought I'd get to Memphis and freak out. I thought I was going to feel so inadequate, but I got there and something grabbed hold of me and I just knew this was my arena," says Guy. "If I am going to shine in any arena, it is going to be blues and soul."

It didn't take long for Guy to lose the nerves and win over the ears of his heroes. The MGs guitarist Steve Cropper who Mojo Magazine named the greatest living guitar player (second all time behind Jimi Hendrix) says Guy was "a dream to work with". At Wollongong's Soul Lounge - a special pre-show Q&A for fans - Cropper tells the audience that the world needs to be re-educated on soul music and Guy Sebastian is the person to do it.

"We've got to educate these young kids about real music that comes from the heart and comes from the soul, not just manufactured by some computer somewhere. There's a lot of great records, but there's not a lot of great performances. On stage they sound awful. You take that computer away and these people can't sing Happy Birthday." He looks over to Guy and adds "but this man can sing anything, anywhere" while patting his back.

It certainly takes a lot of sensitivity and heart to be able to do what Guy does. The MGs drumming tsunami Steve Potts believes it is not only Guy's musical talent that's important, but his ability to sing from the heart with feeling that makes him so great at singing soul music. "Once you learn the basics of soul, you will play with a groove," he explains. “Guy recorded with this groove and he toured with it. He sings soul music like he was here (in Memphis) back then. A lot of the songs were one takes because of the way he sings". After a slight pause he looks me in the eye and emphasises "his spirit was there… in one take".

The incredible thing about Guy is that he doesn't just have a voice; he has the talent to do a first take. Guy's back up vocalist of five years, Gary Pinto (who also fronts soul group CDB), reaffirms that Guy has what it takes to record with a band all at once in the same room. "Not many artists have the vocal ability to record this way, and with a voice as good as his, Guy does," he says.

It is so easy to conjure that when someone has an enormous musical gift like this you would literally expect their head to explode, but Guy Sebastian contradicts that stereotype. Curry Weber of Ardent Studios who engineered The Memphis Album had this assumption when he first viewed Guy Sebastian's Myspace page, thinking another "cookie cutter pop singer" who had done so well would have an air of "I'm better than you" around him.

"I was expecting arrogance," says Curry. "This was certainly not the case with Guy. He was down to earth, patient, sincere and appreciative. As an artist, he is certainly focused. Sometimes he was driving for perfection, other times he knew the feeling and emotion of the track was more important than the actual 'perfect' notes or melodies".

Guy's goal was to capture moments when recording, as opposed to being perfect. "Nowadays people build up a track; they build up a song generally in stages and they're fancy about it," says Guy. "You take away the spontaneity of music".

In the end Guy said that he was really proud of the way the album came out. "We recorded it pretty much live. We all went into the same room and hit 'Record'. There wasn't much room for error. You had to nail the whole take. The MG's were incredible, in one word. It was just a lesson for me in music".

Going over to record in Memphis with The MGs as well as touring with them back home in Australia "helped me establish who I am and what I do best, which is soul music," says Guy.

"It's helped define the next album, which I've done most of the writing for already. I've written some of the best songs I reckon I've ever written; really funky and really fun".

The secret about Guy is that most people just don't know how good he is until they actually see him live. He has this 'effortlessly' appearing on stage presence that's on fire, and I had come to realise that in reality there is nothing music-wise that Guy Sebastian can't do. With the anticipation to go global, The Memphis Album will be released in the US within the first quarter of 2009. This is the start of a soul revolution in the making, as Guy struts his soul and shares his voice with the world.

Source: Vibewire

Guy Sebastian & the MGs Videos

2008-05-29T00:07:00.000-07:00

The Memphis Album is set to be released globally in 2009...

Guy Sebastian and the MGs being Steve Cropper, Donald Duck Dunn, Lester Snell and Steve Potts (Blues Brothers Band)

GIMME ME SOME LOVING (live in concert)

Steve Cropper talks about the making of the Memphis Album

Live performances/Medley off the Memphis album