Natalie Gauci
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Natalie Gauci | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 26 November 1981 |
| Origin | Melbourne, Australia |
| Genre(s) | Jazz, pop, soul, funk |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, teacher |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, vocals |
| Years active | (2007–present) |
| Label(s) | Sony BMG Australia |
| Website | http://www.nataliegaucimusic.com/ |
Natalie Gauci (b. 26 November 1981, Australia) is an Australian singer of Italian and Maltese descent. Gauci undertook music tuition at the Victorian College of the Arts, forming her own band in which she played gigs around Melbourne, while also working as a music teacher. After an appearance on Triple J Unearthed, she successfully auditioned for the 2007 series of Australian Idol Gauci would go on to win the series, defeating Matt Corby in the Grand Final.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Pre-Idol
Gauci studied music at the Victorian College of the Arts, and from the age of 17 began writing songs.[1] She performed as a session musician, and began writing and producing her debut EP. Take It or Leave It was released in 2006,[2] appeared on the Billboard World Songwriting Contest top 500 in 2007.[3] Gauci then performed in Los Angeles as part of the "Oz City Song Circle".[3]
Gauci went on to form the Natalie Gauci Band with fellow Melbourne musicians. The band played soul, pop, and jazz at local pubs, clubs, weddings, and corporate functions.[1] Gauci uploaded work from Take It or Leave It to the Triple J website, and was subsequently chosen for Unearthed, earning her some radio airplay and coverage.[1][4] To help fund her work, Gauci worked as a vocals teacher at the Academy of Mary Immaculate, Fitzroy.[5]
[edit] Australian Idol 2007
Gauci auditioned in Melbourne, Victoria and performed an original song, "Free Falling", and a rendition of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive". Judges Ian Dickson and Mark Holden were impressed of Gauci's latter performance, with Dickson commenting "I think you can win this competition". However, Marcia Hines warned that such a comment had been "the kiss of death" for contestants in the past.[6] She advanced to the next round, and continued to impress the judges through the preliminary rounds; she was ultimately selected into the Top 24. Her performance of "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera did not gain enough votes to proceed to the Top 12, but was favoured by the judges, and therefore she was selected to perform again in the wildcard show. After performing "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone, she again was not voted by the public into the Top 12, but was selected by the judges to be included in the Top 12.
Throughout the competition, Gauci was best known for her rendition of several songs, including Rihanna's "Umbrella", Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill", Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" and Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy", which impressed the audience and the Idol judges.[7] During the Top 12 performances, she received three of Mark Holden's "touchdowns" for her renditions of Rihanna's "Umbrella", Divinyls' "Boys in Town" and Ella Fitzgerald's "How High the Moon".[6]
On November 12, 2007 Gauci was announced into the Final 2 along with Matt Corby. They recorded the winner's single, "Here I Am" at Kings Cross studio in Sydney. After hearing the demo, she altered the music and lyrics, and recorded her own version of the song.[8] On November 25, 2007, Gauci was declared the winner of Australian Idol 2007, becoming the first wildcard contestant to win Australian Idol.[9]
[edit] Australian Idol Performances
| Week | Theme | Song choice | Original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 24 | Contestant's Choice | "Hurt" | Christina Aguilera | Selected as Wildcard Finalist |
| Wildcard | Contestant's Choice | "Feeling Good" | Nina Simone | Selected as Top 12 Finalist by judges |
| Top 12 | Contestant's Choice | "(Baby I've Got You) On My Mind" | Powderfinger | Safe |
| Top 11 | Rock | "Sweet Child o' Mine" | Guns N' Roses | Safe |
| Top 10 | Disco | "I Will Survive" | Gloria Gaynor | Safe |
| Top 9 | Acoustic | "Man in the Mirror" | Michael Jackson | Safe |
| Top 8 | Brit pop | "Rehab" | Amy Winehouse | Safe |
| Top 7 | Year you were born | "Endless Love" | Lionel Richie/Diana Ross | Safe |
| Top 6 | Judge's Choice - Hines Contestant's Choice |
"Nothing Compares 2 U" "Umbrella" |
Sinéad O'Connor Rihanna |
Safe |
| Top 5 | Australian Made | "Boys in Town" | Divinyls | Bottom 2 |
| Top 4 | Big Band Big Band |
"Orange Colored Sky" "How High the Moon" |
Nat King Cole Ella Fitzgerald |
Safe |
| Top 3 | Audience Choice Contestant's Choice |
"Ray of Light" "Nobody Knows" |
Madonna Pink |
Safe |
| Finale | Contestant's Choice Contestant's Choice Winner's Single Grand Final performance |
"Apologize" "Running Up That Hill" "Here I Am" "Man in the Mirror" |
OneRepublic Kate Bush Natalie Gauci Michael Jackson |
Winner |
[edit] Post-Idol career
[edit] 2007-2008: The Winner's Journey
Immediately after declared the winner of Australian Idol 2007, Gauci released her debut single, "Here I Am" as a digital download, and later as a CD single on November 28, 2007,[10] which included her original B-side track, "All in My Mind".[11] It debuted on the ARIA Singles Chart at number two, behind "Apologize" by Timbaland featuring OneRepublic.[12] It was the first debut single from an Idol winner that did not reach number one in its first week. "Here I Am" sold only 7,463 copies in its first week, lower than all previous Australian Idol winners' singles.[13] The single was certified Gold for shipments of 35,000 in its second week on the chart. "Here I Am" received harsh criticism and therefore, was declared a commercial failure due to low sales.[14]
Gauci's debut album, The Winner's Journey, was released on December 8, 2007. The album is a collection of her performances from Australian Idol that were re-recorded at Sony BMG Studios a week prior to the ending of the show. The album also included a bonus DVD of an in-depth interview between Gauci and John Foreman, immediately after the show ended.[9] Unlike last year's Winner's Journey album, Idol footage of her performances were excluded from the album.[15] After five days of sales, it debuted at number 12 on the ARIA Charts on December 17, 2007, selling 11,489 copies. This was significantly lower than last year's Winner's Journey by Damien Leith, which sold 89,257 copies after its first full week on sale.[14] The album reached a peak of number 11 in the following week, after which time it fell down the charts.[16]
To promote the album and single, Natalie embarked on a national Winner's Journey tour from January to February, 2008. The tour featured many of her songs she performed on Idol, as well as some of her other favourite covers and her original compositions.[17] She appeared on Sunrise on December 7th, and performed and signed copies of her album at Westpoint Shopping Centre, Blacktown in Sydney the following day.[18] Natalie then went to Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne on December 9th[19] and visited Mirrabooka Square Shopping Centre in Perth on December 13th.[20] She also appeared at the Dolly Sims Fest in Sydney on December 15th.
Gauci performed at the annual televised event Carols by Candlelight in Melbourne on Christmas Eve 2007. She performed "The First Noel" and "All I Want For Christmas Is You". The show was broadcast by the Nine Network and Natalie joined other previous Idol contestants such as Guy Sebastian, Paulini, Anthony Callea and Jessica Mauboy.
She also was a key performer at the Sydney New Years Eve 2007 Spectacular that was broadcast by Network Ten.
On January 2nd of 2008, Gauci began her national Winner's Journey Tour with Idol Runner-Up Matt Corby that lasted just under a month. The tour featured almost every track from The Winner's Journey album, excluding On My Mind and Orange Coloured Sky. Additional original material and a cover of "No One" by Alicia Keys who Gauci had cited as a major inspiration. Gauci also performed a number of original compositions, including All In My Mind (the b-side to the Here I Am single), I'm Ready, Back to Life, Secrets and Free Falling. Gauci said in a blog on her MySpace that she has been having "loads of fun on the tour and the show is everything I dreamed it would be for a first tour. It's definitely preparing me for what's to come."
Mid-way through the Winner's Journey tour, Gauci also made an appearance at Star City, Sydney at the 'Hits and Stars' party.
Gauci immediately flew out of Perth on January 24th after a performance at the Burswood theatre to perform at the final night of the Malta Song for Europe festival on January 26. After the deal was finalised Natalie told timesofmalta.com, 'this is such fantastic news. I can't wait to be there.' Gauci met briefly with the Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech who hailed Gauci's success and said she has made Malta and Maltese-Australian's proud.[21] Gauci sung Here I Am and the b-side to the single, All In My Mind. She also performed a duet with Chiara of the song 'Angel'. The two received a standing ovation afterwards and the host claimed "you had us all in tears".[22]
Natalie also hosted a fashion parade at Westfield Shopping town in Adelaide for Fashion Week and performed at Hawthorn Relay for Life.
In a blog featured on her website Gauci discussed her upcoming second album. "I went into the studio yesterday and started jamming my original songs in preparation for my new Single/Album... I have the opportunity to write and record with some amazing producers so I'm not going to hurry a process that could develop into some crazy music for you all to hear."[23]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Information | Australia | Sales and Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Winner's Journey
|
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Australian sales: 70,000 ARIA: Platinum |
[edit] EPs
| Statistics |
|---|
| Take It or Leave It |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Song | Australia | Certification | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | "Here I Am" | 2 | Gold (ARIA) | The Winner's Journey |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Cameron Adams (13 December 2007). Australian Idol Natalie Gauci tuned in for success. The Herald Sun. news.com.au. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
- ^ Chris True. Natalie Gauci > Overview. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
- ^ a b Natalie Gauci biography. JB Hi Fi. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
- ^ Natalie Gauci. Unearthed. Triple J. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
- ^ Performing Arts Staff and Students. Academy of Mary Immaculate. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
- ^ a b Mifsud, Jennifer. "Down-to-earth singer living life of the stars", Times of Malta, December 10, 2007. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.
- ^ "Best birthday gift for Idol winner", Australian Associated Press, November 26, 2007. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.
- ^ Ninemsn staff. "Idol finalists pan winner's single", Ninemsn, November 18, 2007. Retrieved on November 18, 2007.
- ^ a b Adams, Cameron. "Australian Idol Natalie Gauci tuned in for success", Herald Sun, December 13, 2007. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.
- ^ "Crowd gathering at Opera House for Idol final", AAP, November 25, 2007. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.
- ^ "Natalie Gauci's Idol search for lost love", The Courier-Mail, December 10, 2007. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.
- ^ Australian Charts: Singles - 09/12/2007. ARIA Charts. australian-charts.com. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.
- ^ Paul Cashmere (3 December 2007). Australia Has Spoken, Idol Sales A Disaster. Undercover. Retrieved on 2007-12-03.
- ^ a b Cashmere, Paul. "Idol Album Fizzes", Undercover, December 17, 2007. Retrieved on December 17, 2007.
- ^ "Australian Idol winner Natalie Gauci's poor sales", Herald Sun, December 16, 2007. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.
- ^ Natalie Gauci - The Winner's Journey. ARIA Charts. australian-charts.com. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.
- ^ Turner, Tonya. "Natalie Gauci is a realistic Australian Idol", The Courier-Mail, December 29, 2007. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.
- ^ Natalie Gauci Official Site :: 2007 Australian Idol - Winners Journey Out Dec 8 - newsEvents
- ^ Natalie Gauci Official Site :: 2007 Australian Idol - Winners Journey Out Dec 8 - newsEvents
- ^ Natalie Gauci Official Site :: 2007 Australian Idol - Winners Journey Out Dec 8 - newsEvents
- ^ timesofmalta.com - Minister hails Maltese-Australian singer's success
- ^ timesofmalta.com - Articles
- ^ Natalie Gauci Official Site :: 2007 Australian Idol - Winners Journey Out Dec 8 - newsEvents
- ^ Natalie Gauci - Biography Jbhifimusic.com. Retrieved on April 14, 2008.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Damien Leith |
Australian Idol Winner Season 5 (2007) |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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