Guy Sebastian Page 1
Guy Sebastian is undeniably one of this country’s most successful and enduring artists of all time. He is the only Australian male to boast six #1 singles in ARIA chart history. Across Guy’s 17 years in the music business, he has scored ten out of ten Top 10 studio album releases (including 2010’s aptly titled ‘Twenty Ten’ greatest hits collection). As the first-ever Australian contestant at the 2015 Eurovision Song Contest, which attracted over 200 million viewers, Sebastian finished in fifth place. Guy has shifted well over 7 million combined units worldwide, has over 1 billion streams world-wide while attaining 82 Platinum certifications since he first exploded through our TV sets and into our hearts as winner of the inaugural season of ‘Australian Idol’ back in 2003.
Sebastian is the first to admit that a song choice can change the course of an artist’s life, acknowledging that his rendition of ‘Climb Every Mountain’ (which Guy includes in his setlists to this day) was the ‘touchdown moment’ that sealed his fate. Guy’s chart-topping ‘Australian Idol’ “winners’ single” ‘Angels Brought Me Here’, the highest-selling single in 2003, still holds the record for fastest-selling single in ARIA chart history. In 2010, it was named the highest-selling song of the previous decade.
As a coach and mentor on ‘The Voice’, Sebastian’s artistic journey has come full circle. After a long stint on ‘The X Factor’ judging panel, Guy joined ‘The Voice’ Season 8 coaching team and sat on one of the famous red chairs alongside fellow global superstars Kelly Rowland, Boy George and Delta Goodrem. This same awesome-foursome judging panel returned for Seasons 9, 10 and 11 Guy returned again, joining forces with Keith Urban, Rita Ora & Jessica Mauboy on a fresh new panel of Superstar coaches. In 2023, The Voice Season 12 returned with a brand new Super Star Coach, Jason Derulo joining Guy, Rita and Jessica on the famous panel, and in 2024, Guy is back along-side a brand new iconic panel including Adam Lambert, LeAnn Rimes and Kate Miller-Heidke.
Sebastian joined an elite group of Australian artists who have achieved Platinum sales in the U.S. courtesy of ‘Battle Scars’ (2012), his global hit with Lupe Fiasco. This single topped the U.S. R&B/Hip Hop digital chart, peaked at #11 on the U.S. iTunes chart and saw the pair performing on ‘The Late Show With David Letterman’, ‘Late Night With Jimmy Fallon’, ‘Conan’ and the ‘Play It Forward’ Grammy Foundation event in Los Angeles. Guy’s most successful international single release thus far, ‘Battle Scars’ has been streamed over 368 million times worldwide with the song’s accompanying film clip clocking over 39 million YouTube views. In Australia, ‘Battle Scars’ – which debuted at the top of the ARIA Albums Chart (where it remained for six consecutive weeks) – is certified 11x Platinum. ‘Battle Scars’ also topped the TMN Hot 100 airplay chart.
Guy’s 3x Platinum-certified hit ‘Choir’ (2019) – which also topped the TMN Hot 100 airplay chart, knocking ‘I Don’t Care’ by Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber from pole position (after a seven-week reign) and going on to hold the #1 spot for six weeks – is his most successful song at Australian radio to date (overtaking 2009’s 4x Platinum, chart-topping smash hit ‘Like It Like That’, which held the peak spot for five weeks). Sebastian penned this career-defining single as a tribute to his former bandmate and friend who tragically lost his battle with mental health in 2018. “I wanted to write something that resonates with people who have experienced loss, but in a way that celebrates life and brings joy,” he explains. This intensely personal song connected with listeners worldwide, attracting over 84 million streams and counting. ‘Choir’ peaked at #1 on the Australian iTunes charts and #7 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and Guy himself singles out ‘Choir’ as the most impactful song he’s ever released: “I’ve never received so many messages about a song that I’ve written!”
