Christopher Troy Sebastian (born 2 August 1988) is an Australian singer and songwriter. In 2012, Sebastian took part in the 1st season of The Voice Australia and was a member of Team Seal, but was eliminated in the quarter-finals. He returned to The Voice Australia in the 9th season and joined Kelly Rowland's team winning the title in July 2020.
Chris Sebastian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Troy Sebastian |
| Born | 2 August 1988 |
| Genres | Pop, R&B, Soul |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Labels | (2014–2015), EMI Music (2020) |
| Spouse | Natashia Sebastian |
| Website | chrissebastian |
Career
edit2008–2011: Career beginnings and "Flow"
editSebastian moved from Adelaide, South Australia to Melbourne in 2008 to further his music career, where he worked as a singing teacher and producer. In July 2011, he released his debut single "Flow".[1] auspOp described the song as a "likeable R&B/pop track that is as fresh as a summer breeze, combining cool harmonies with lashings of old school soul."[2]
2012: The Voice season one
editIn 2012, Sebastian auditioned for the 1st season of The Voice Australia. He received chair turns from Delta Goodrem and Seal, opting to join Team Seal. Sebastian progressed to the top 16, before being eliminated from the competition.[3]
| The Voice performances and results (2012) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Song | Original Artist | Result |
| Audition | "Halo" | Beyoncé | Through to Battle Rounds |
| Battle Rounds | "Firework" (vs Yshrael Pascual) | Katy Perry | Through to Live Shows |
| Live Shows | "Without You" | David Guetta ft. Usher | Saved by Coach. Through to quarter finals |
| Quarter-finals | "I Can't Stand the Rain" | Ann Peebles | Eliminated |
In a later interview, Sebastian revealed "I really didn't want to [do the show]... They did a lot of things that they weren't meant to, like after my performance they played my brother's song. And the whole point was for me to have my own identity... So it was a bit of a crappy experience."[4]
2013–2019: Independent career
editIn 2016, Sebastian toured with American vocal group Pentatonix and began work on his debut EP in Los Angeles.[5]
On 20 October 2016, Sebastian released his debut EP Runaway.[6] Sebastian said "My old manager had me doing the whole dance/R&B/David Guetta stuff and look, it was fun, but I didn't enjoy it. I would never play those songs at gigs... Obviously as an artist you want to enjoy playing your songs live and I didn't... I changed the way that I wrote – it's a lot more acoustic, I guess if Ed Sheeran met Ne-Yo, that's kinda the sound I'm going for."[4] The EP was supported with a national tour in late 2016.[7]
His second EP was This Christmas in 2018.[citation needed]
2020: The Voice season 9
editIn 2020, Sebastian returned and auditioned for season 9 of The Voice Australia as an All Star.[3] All four judges turned for his blind audition and he chose Team Kelly Rowland.[8] He was announced the winner on 19 July 2020, beating Stellar Perry, Johnny Manuel and Siala Robson in a public vote, scoring $100,000 and a recording contract with EMI Music.[9][10]
denotes winner.
| The Voice performances and results (2020) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Song | Original Artist | Result |
| Audition | "Jealous" | Labrinth | Through to Battle Rounds |
| Battle Rounds | "Titanium" (vs Sapphire Tamalemai) | David Guetta and Sia | Through to The play-offs |
| The play-offs | "24K Magic" | Bruno Mars | Through to Show Downs |
| Show Downs | "Attention" | Charlie Puth | Saved by Coach. Through to semi-final |
| Semi-final | "Before You Go" | Lewis Capaldi | Saved by Coach. Through to final |
| Grand Final | "Numb" | Linkin Park | Winner |
| "The Horses" (with Daryl Braithwaite) | Rickie Lee Jones | ||
Immediately following the announcement of his win, Sebastian's debut single with EMI Music "Bed for Two" was released.
Upset viewers accused the TV singing contest of being "rigged", because contestant Chris' brother Guy Sebastian had been one of the show's judges. Sebastian denied receiving any preferential treatment, and said, as Guy's brother, he'd anticipated "negativity" going into the show. Sebastian said "Controversy is just part of being on television. I knew it was going to be a thing on this show, but I don't care. It's a voted show, it's audited, it couldn't be more above board. More people voted for me than are slamming me, so I'm going to focus on those people."[11][12] A Nine Network spokesperson said: "The public vote for The Voice winner is highly regulated, operated by an independent third party, and overseen by lawyers. This year's result is the tightest ever, with less than half a percent of the votes separating the winner and runner-up."[11]
Sebastian's 2019 single "I Found You" debuted at number 8 on the Australian Independent chart for the week commencing 27 July 2020.[13]
2021: "Hard to Get to Love" and "Wasted On Me"
editIn March 2021, Sebastian released "Hard to Get to Love", followed by "Wasted On Me" in July 2021.
Personal life
editChris Sebastian attended King's Baptist Grammar School while growing up in Adelaide.[citation needed] He has three brothers, Olly, Guy and Jeremy.[14] His brother Guy Sebastian is also a musical artist.
Chris is married to Natashia Sebastian. The pair suffered a miscarriage at the start of her second trimester in 2018.[15] They have one child, Ava (born March 2020).[15] The couple currently reside in Sydney.[citation needed]
Discography
editExtended plays
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [16] | ||
| Runaway | — | |
| This Christmas |
|
— |
| The Complete Collection |
|
52 |
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS Indie [19] | |||
| "Flow"[20] | 2011 | — | Non-album singles |
| "Everything"[21] | 2013 | — | |
| "Runaway"[22] | 2016 | — | Runaway |
| "Hey (Na Na)" (with DL)[23] |
2017 | — | Non-album single |
| "This Christmas"[24] | 2018 | — | This Christmas |
| "I Found You"[25] | 2019 | 8 | Non-album singles |
| "Take Me Back"[26] | 2020 | — | |
| "Soon"[27] | — | ||
| "Bed for 2"[28] | — | The Complete Collection | |
| "Hard to Get to Love"[29] | 2021 | — | TBA |
| "Wasted On Me"[30] | — |
References
edit- ^ "Chris: The OTHER Sebastian guy". news.com.au. 6 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "CHRIS SEBASTIAN : Flow". auspOp. 19 July 2011. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Chris Sebastian". 9now. 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Chris Sebastian On His 'Crappy' Experience On 'The Voice'". The Music. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Chris Sebastian Is Ready To Runaway With New Music". scenestr. December 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Runaway – EP by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Chris Sebastian Confirms New EP and Tour". auspOp. October 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "A soul-filled performance inspires the Coaches and leads to a four chair turn on The Voice 2020". 9Now. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ "Chris Sebastian wins season 9 of The Voice Australia". NewsComAu. 18 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
- ^ "Winner of The Voice Australia 2020: Chris Sebastian". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Chris Sebastian's The Voice win triggers 'rigged' backlash". Sydney Morning Herald. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "The Voice 2020 winner: Chris Sebastian wins in finale". news.com.au. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "This Week in the Chart 27 July". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Get to know the Sebastian brothers". 9now.nine.com.au. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ a b "EXCLUSIVE: Chris Sebastian's miscarriage heartbreak". who. November 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 17 August 2020". No. 1589. Australian Recording Industry Association. 17 August 2020.
{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires|magazine=(help) - ^ "This Christmas – EP by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "The Complete Collection – EP by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Singles Chart (Independent Labels)". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Flow – Single by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Everything – Single by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Chris Sebastian performs his new single live at Hope Studios". Hope1032. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Hey (Na Na) – Single by DL & Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "This Christmas – Single by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "I Found You – Single by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Take Me Back – Single by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Soon – Single by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Bed for 2 – Single by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
- ^ "Hard to Get to Love – Single by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Wasted On Me – Single by Chris Sebastian on Apple Music". Apple Music. 2 July 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.