For Music Man readers outside of Australia and New Zealand, Guy Sebastian is probably best known as a coach on The Voice Australia. In Australia and New Zealand, Sebastian found fame after winning the first Australian Idol TV competition in 2003. He has gone on to release ten top ten Australian albums (3 number ones) and 14 top ten singles (six number ones). In 2015, he was Australia’s first ever entrant in Eurovision, where he performed Tonight Again, achieving fifth place.
In 2010, Guy Sebastian became a host of X-factor Australia (2010-2012 & 2015-2016). He joined The Voice Australia team in 2019. In the same year, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia due to his service to music and charity. In our first video, Sebastian drops in on the St Joan of Arc Catholic Primary School Choir who have been practicing, appropriately enough, the title track of his album Choir (2019). Sebastian waits until one of the older girls sings lead, then strolls in singing:
At first the choir is too overwhelmed to keep singing, but the kids soon get it together. It is most charming. Then Sebastian has a treat for the children. He agrees to sing his latest single, Standing With You (2020), for the first time since the recording studio, where he wrote it. It’s an emotional ballad about supporting people who feel inadequate. The song reassures them that they are valued and needed. Sethpianotutorials writes, “It’s so cool that he doesn’t need autotune to sound amazing”
Brian Cotgrove comments on the video: “I was impressed by the visit to the school choir and how Guy interacted with the children. I was even more impressed by the reaction of the children when Guy sang his new song Standing with You. As the camera panned, I watched as some of the children were emotionally touched by the song. I must admit it brings me to tears as well”. Before we get too maudlin, how about a video from 2008, when Sebastian toured Australia with the MGs!
Yes, you read correctly. The backing band included Steve Cropper, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn, and Steve Potts from Booker T Jones’ famous band, The MGs. It’s Steve Cropper, guitarist and songwriter, who introduces Guy Sebastian at the beginning of the video. And if you think the cover of The Spencer Davis Group’s Gimme Some Lovin’ sounds a trifle like The Blues Brothers, it could be because members of The MGs backed Jake and Elwood in The Blues Brothers movie (1980).
Prior to touring with The MGs, Sebastian recorded The Memphis Album (2007) with them, in Memphis, Tennessee. If you would like to see more from Guy Sebastian, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel or follow them on Facebook or Instagram. You can also visit their official website for more information.