'Idol' Worship
by Alexandria Faethorne

Australian Idol Winner, Guy Sebastian

Guy Theodore Sebastian was born on October 26th, 1981, in Malaysia. At the age of 6, his family moved to Melbourne because of his geologist father's work. Later on, at the age of 10, Guy's family moved to Adelaide. His mother wanted him to learn an instrument, so he took violin lessons.

Guy's first experience standing in front of a crowd was in high school. He sang a song, and all his school mates laughed at him being on stage. At the end of the song, Guy looked around to see all his friends and teachers crying. Guy attended university to study Medical Radiation, but dropped out soon after starting his studies. Guy took on a job at a high school as a singing teacher soon after leaving university.

He then went to the "Australian Idol" auditions and waited for his moment. He sang "Ribbon in the Sky" and was complimented on having a great voice. Guy was put into a group with Shannon Noll, the "Australian Idol" runner-up. The "Australian Idol" Finale was the most watched program on Australian television for 2003. The show became Australia's most watched non-sporting telecast--with 3.65 million people viewing--in Australian broadcasting history. Guy Sebastian was the winner of the very first "Australian Idol."

Soon after his victory on "Australian Idol," he put out his first single, "Angels Brought Me Here." The single sold 128,000 copies in its first week and debuted at number one on the ARIA charts. Guy's first single became the fastest selling single in ARIAnet history.

Guy's debut album, Just as I Am, was released on December 8, 2003. The album is a mix of pop, funk, and urban. It was greatly anticipated by the Australian audiences. The album contained renditions of Prince's "When the Doves Cry" and Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." "All I Need is You," "Something Don't Feel Right," and "I 4 U" were the only three songs that were originally written by Guy himself.

Guy set off to London to participate in "World Idol" a month after all the excitement of his first single and debut album. At "World Idol," Guy sang his rendition of Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." He finished 7th out of 11 participants, including Kelly Clarkson, who came in second, and Kurt Nilsen from Norway, who was the winner of "World Idol."

Guy released his second album, Beautiful Life, in October 2004. It was a long five months' wait for the album, but it was finally released. The album contains 14 songs that are said to simply ooze class. It's a mix of R&B, funk, disco, and pop with much inspiration on the natural world and life itself. Beautiful Life is said to have taken a jump in Guy's performance as a singer and also his vocal talents. Guy is most known for his great voice, but also for his grand victory on "Australian Idol."