Chris Sebastian
{{Short description|Australian musician (born 1988)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Chris Sebastian
| image = Chris-and-Tash-Sebastian-1200.jpg
| birth_name = Christopher Troy Sebastian
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1988|08|02}}
| spouse = Natashia Sebastian
| genre = Pop, R&B
| instruments = Vocals, piano
| label = (2014–2015), EMI Music (2020)
| website = {{URL|chrissebastian.com.au}}
}}
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.
Career
=2008–2011: Career beginnings and "Flow"=
Sebastian 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".{{cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/news/chris-the-other-sebastian-guy/news-story/a9e7fec4c5bd94e59de805b1772d6e14?sv=89ff7a42dfb8dbd9256d4871eec2214d|title=Chris: The OTHER Sebastian guy|website=news.com.au|date=6 July 2011|accessdate=3 August 2020}} 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."{{cite web|url=https://www.auspop.com.au/2011/07/chris-sebastian-flow/|title=CHRIS SEBASTIAN : Flow |website=auspOp|date=19 July 2011|accessdate=3 August 2020}}
=2012: ''The Voice'' season one=
In 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.{{cite web|url=https://9now.nine.com.au/chris-sebastian|title=Chris Sebastian|website=9now|date= 2020|accessdate=3 August 2020}}
| class="wikitable collapsible" style="width:100%; margin:1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" |
| colspan="4"| The Voice performances and results (2012) |
|---|
| scope="col"| Episode
! scope="col"| Song ! scope="col"| Original Artist ! scope="col"| Result |
| Audition
| "Halo" | Beyoncé | Through to Battle Rounds |
| Battle Rounds
| "Firework" {{small|(vs Yshrael Pascual)}} | Through to Live Shows |
| Live Shows
| "Without You" | David Guetta ft. Usher | Saved by Coach. Through to quarter finals |
| Quarter-finals
| 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."{{Cite web|url=https://themusic.com.au/features/chris-sebastian-brynn-davies/bydgY2JlZGc/25-11-16/|title=Chris Sebastian On His 'Crappy' Experience On 'The Voice'|work=The Music|date=25 November 2016 |accessdate=3 August 2020}}
=2013–2019: Independent career=
In 2016, Sebastian toured with American vocal group Pentatonix and began work on his debut EP in Los Angeles.{{cite web|url=https://scenestr.com.au/music/chris-sebastian-is-ready-to-runaway-with-new-music|title=Chris Sebastian Is Ready To Runaway With New Music|website= scenestr|date=December 2016|accessdate=3 August 2020}}
On 20 October 2016, Sebastian released his debut EP Runaway. 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." The EP was supported with a national tour in late 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.auspop.com.au/2016/10/chris-sebastian-confirms-new-ep-tour/|title=Chris Sebastian Confirms New EP and Tour|website=auspOp|date=October 2016|accessdate=3 August 2020}}
His second EP was This Christmas in 2018.{{Fact|date=September 2024}}
=2020: ''The Voice'' season 9=
In 2020, Sebastian returned and auditioned for season 9 of The Voice Australia as an All Star. All four judges turned for his blind audition and he chose Team Kelly Rowland.{{Cite news|title=A soul-filled performance inspires the Coaches and leads to a four chair turn on The Voice 2020|work=9Now|url=https://9now.nine.com.au/the-voice/videos/chris-sebastian-sings-blind-audition/ckadvtefn00320g|access-date=15 July 2020}} 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.{{Cite web|date=18 July 2020|title=Chris Sebastian wins season 9 of The Voice Australia|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/the-voice-2020-winner-chris-sebastian-wins-in-finale/news-story/a107b02a371cf5afbd41b0c29fb9133d|access-date=20 July 2020|website=NewsComAu|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Winner of The Voice Australia 2020: Chris Sebastian|url=https://9now.nine.com.au/the-voice/winner-of-the-voice-australia-2020-chris-sebastian/e04fd207-1d19-472a-84d9-0e99c2ba532d|accessdate=19 July 2020|website=9now.nine.com.au|language=en-AU}}
{{Color box|lightgreen|border=darkgray}} denotes winner.
| class="wikitable collapsible" style="width:100%; margin:1em auto 1em auto; text-align:center;" |
| colspan="4"| The Voice performances and results (2020) |
|---|
| scope="col"| Episode
! scope="col"| Song ! scope="col"| Original Artist ! scope="col"| Result |
| Audition
| "Jealous" | Labrinth | Through to Battle Rounds |
| Battle Rounds
| "Titanium" {{small|(vs Sapphire Tamalemai)}} | David Guetta and Sia | Through to The play-offs |
| The play-offs
| "24K Magic" | Through to Show Downs |
| Show Downs
| "Attention" | Saved by Coach. Through to semi-final |
| Semi-final
| "Before You Go" | Saved by Coach. Through to final |
| style="background:lightgreen;"
! rowspan="2"| Grand Final | "Numb" | rowspan="2" style="background:lightgreen;"| Winner |
| style="background:lightgreen;"
| "The Horses" (with Daryl Braithwaite) |
| style="background:lightgreen;" |
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."{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/chris-sebastian-s-the-voice-win-triggers-rigged-backlash-20200720-p55dom.html|title=Chris Sebastian's The Voice win triggers 'rigged' backlash |website=Sydney Morning Herald|date=20 July 2020|accessdate=3 August 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/reality-tv/the-voice-2020-winner-chris-sebastian-wins-in-finale/news-story/a107b02a371cf5afbd41b0c29fb9133d|title=The Voice 2020 winner: Chris Sebastian wins in finale |website=news.com.au|date=20 July 2020 |accessdate=3 August 2020}} 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."
Sebastian's 2019 single "I Found You" debuted at number 8 on the Australian Independent chart for the week commencing 27 July 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.air.org.au/feature/story/this-week-in-the-charts-july-27|title=This Week in the Chart 27 July |website=Australian Independent Record Labels Association|date=27 July 2020|accessdate=3 August 2020}}
=2021: "Hard to Get to Love" and "Wasted On Me"=
In March 2021, Sebastian released "Hard to Get to Love", followed by "Wasted On Me" in July 2021.
Personal life
Chris Sebastian attended King's Baptist Grammar School while growing up in Adelaide.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}} He has three brothers, Olly, Guy and Jeremy.{{Cite web|title=Get to know the Sebastian brothers|url=https://9now.nine.com.au/the-voice/get-to-know-the-sebastian-brothers-australia-2020/026bf1bf-d63b-4918-bac7-48c5086dd93d|access-date=15 July 2020|website=9now.nine.com.au|language=en-AU}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.who.com.au/chris-sebastian-wife-miscarriage|title=EXCLUSIVE: Chris Sebastian's miscarriage heartbreak |website=who|date=November 2018 |accessdate=3 August 2020}} They have one child, Ava (born March 2020). The couple currently reside in Sydney.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}
Discography
=Extended plays=
=Singles=
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
External links
{{Commons}}
- {{Official website|https://chrissebastian.com.au}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=Diana Rouvas}}
{{s-ttl|title=The Voice winner|years=2020}}
{{s-aft|after=Bella Taylor Smith}}
{{end}}
{{The Voice (Australia)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sebastian, Chris}}
Category:Australian people of English descent
Category:Australian people of Indian descent
Category:Australian people of Malaysian descent
Category:Australian people of Portuguese descent
Category:Australian people of Sri Lankan Tamil descent
Category:Singers from South Australia
Category:Australian electronic musicians