'Aussie Idol Set To Hit The Big Time'
The Star - Chua Chern Toong - 9th April, 2004

THE Pop Idol phenomenon has become a truly worldwide franchise, with
localised versions springing up everywhere from America to Britain.
Even Malaysia has gotten into the act, with Malaysian Idol slated to
debut in a few months’ time.

While the immediate, contrived pop-celebrity nature of the whole Pop
Idol edifice is glaringly obvious (some harsher quarters may even view
it as a glorified talent contest), there is no denying the commercial
value of the winners so far.

Proof of this lies in the fact that past champions like Will Young,
Gareth Gates, Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken have all secured lucrative
recording contracts with giant record conglomerates and released
successful solo debut albums.

Guy Sebastian, with his signature gravity-defying Afro hairdo, recently
emerged victorious from the inaugural Australian Idol, fighting his way
up from a pool of approximately 10,000 aspiring wannabes. What some
Malaysians may not know is that Sebastian was actually born in Klang,
Selangor, in 1981, and moved to Adelaide in 1988 with his family.

"The Guy with the Afro, that's me all right." - Guy Sebastian,
Australian Idol champion.

The 22-year-old Sebastian pipped Shannon Noll to secure the Australian
Idol champion’s mantle in November and, in the process, clinched a
recording deal with BMG Australia.

Sebastian is supposedly “different” from your usual assembly-line,
Svengali-supervised pop puppet: he is touted as a multiple
instrumentalist and a prolific songwriter who has written about 30
songs.

Sebastian’s debut album, Just As I Am, was a recent phenomenal seller
in Australia. Just As I Am contains the smash single Angels Brought Me
Here, which was certified triple platinum on release, selling an
incredible 128,000 copies in its first week alone.

The bulk of Just As I Am comprises deliberate, slick MOR numbers
designed to make maximum impact on the charts with as little fuss as
possible. While critics would dismiss all this as musical slush,
Sebastian’s loyal fan base would vehemently disagree.

So how does Sebastian feel about being the current Australian Idol?
“It’s been really great! My win is very indicative of the high level of
cultural diversity in Australia – it’s wonderful for an Asian to be
able to win in a tightly fought competition like this,” he told a press
conference in Kuala Lumpur held to promote Just As I Am.

“It’s also great to come back to Malaysia after all these years,”
Sebastian said of his brief visit here. “The reception has been amazing
so far, and I even had a nasi lemak breakfast this morning!”

In light of the upcoming Malaysian Idol, Sebastian was asked if he had
any sort of advice for prospective contestants. “I suppose the best
piece of advice that I can give is always remain humble and true to
yourself. Don’t let it all go to your head, and always stay grounded.”

“You also have to take certain risks in a competition like this,” he
continued. “You have to remember that at the end of the day, it’s the
music that really counts, and you have to reach out to the people who
are listening to your music.”

Sebastian also provided some insight into the progress of his sophomore
album: “I’m really looking forward to it! I’ve actually written most of
the songs, and I’m going to be working with some great songwriters like
Brian McKnight and Cathy Dennis. It should be a lot of fun!

“I’ll be heading to Los Angeles soon to work with Brian McKnight on a
few songs, which is like a dream come true for me!”

As a parting shot, Sebastian spilled the beans on his trademark funky
Afro hairdo: “It’s purely accidental! I was just too lazy to have it
cut, and so it grew longer as the Australian Idol competition went on.
But it’s become so synonymous with me now that I heard a lot of Afro
wigs in Australia are sold out!