Royston Sagigi-Baira
Royston Sagigi-Baira | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1999 Australia |
| Origin | Mapoon, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2018-present |
| Labels | Sony Music Australia (2023+) |
Royston Sagigi-Baira, also known as Royston Noell,[1] is an Australian singer best known for winning the eighth season of Australian Idol in 2023. He officially won the title in March 2023, $100,000 prize money and a recording contract with Sony Music Australia.[2]
Early life
[edit]Royston Sagigi-Baira is a Thanakwith (Aboriginal) and Wagadagam (Torres Strait Islander) man from Mapoon, Queensland.[3]
Sagigi-Baira reflected saying "Most kids wanted to play rugby or go fishing, but I just wanted to sing It's all I ever wanted to do.".[4] In year 2, his teacher gave him High School Musical DVD as a prize, saying "I took it home and watched it over and over again and completely fell in love with music, especially singing."[4]
Sagigi-Baira sang in church and in school. Sagigi-Baira attended the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) in Brisbane and as of 2023, is in his second year of a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music) degree at the Queensland University of Technology.[4]
Career
[edit]2018-2022: All Together Now
[edit]In 2018, Sagigi-Baira competed on the Australian version of All Together Now, becoming the first contestant to snag a perfect score of 100 performiong Sam Smith's "Lay Me Down"[5] eventually been the last contestant eliminated behind Lai Utovou and Tarryn Stokes.[6]
During NAIDOC Week in July 2022, Aboriginal Christian leader, poet and writer Brooke Prentis spoke with Sagigi-Baira on national radio about the theme "Get Up! Stand up! Show up!"[7]
In November 2022, Sagigi-Baira released his debut single "When I Fall Apart" under the name Royston Noell.[8][9]
2023: Australian Idol
[edit]In 2023, Sagigi-Baira audition for the Seven Network reboot of Australian Idol with the song "I'm Not the Only One" by Sam Smith, receiving a golden ticket to the top 50.[10][11] He went on to advance through from the top 50 to the top 24, and then made it to the top 12 live shows.[12][13]
Sagigi-Baira continued to impress Australia weekly, advancing through to the top ten, then top eight and then top 6 before finding himself in the grand finale, and final three.[14][15]
Upon being announced as a grand finalist Noell said "I can't believe this. This is crazy. This is a testament [to the fact] that no matter where you come from, as long as you work hard, you can follow your dreams, and they can come true."[16]
| Australian Idol performances and results (2023) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Song | Original Artist | Result |
| Auditions | "I'm Not the Only One" | Sam Smith | Through to Top 50 |
| Top 50 Part 1-Round 1 | "Wrecking Ball" | Miley Cyrus | Through to Round 2 |
| Top 50 Part 1-Round 2 | "I'll Be There" | Jess Glynne | Through to Part 2 |
| Top 50 Part 2 | "Everything I Wanted" | Billie Eilish | Through to Top 24 |
| Top 24 | "Versace on the Floor" | Bruno Mars | Through to Top 12 |
| Top 12 | "Man In The Mirror" | Michael Jackson | Through to Top 10 |
| Top 10 | "I Won't Let You Go" | James Morrison | Through to Top 8 |
| Top 8 | "The Climb" | Miley Cyrus | Through to Top 6 |
| Top 6 | "True Colors" | Cyndi Lauper | Perform Head to Head |
| Top 6-Head to Head | "I Want to Know What Love Is" | Foreigner | Through to Grand Finale |
| Grand Finale-Top 3 | "I Can't Make You Love Me" | Bonnie Raitt | Through to Top 2 |
| Grand Finale-Top 2 | "When You Believe" | Whitney Houston | Winner |
| "Invincible" | winners single | ||
After a performance on Whitney Houston's "When You Believe", Sagigi-Baira was announced as the winner.[17][18][19]
Immediately after the announcement, his winners single "Invincible", written by Tones and I, was released.[20][16] The song was compared to Rihanna's "Diamonds" on Radio 6PR.[21]
In November 2023, he released "Dreaming".[22]
Personal life
[edit]Sagigi-Baira is currently residing in Cape York, in far north Queensland.[23]
Discography
[edit]Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| "When I Fall Apart"[8] | 2022 | — | TBA |
| "Invincible"[16] | 2023 | — | |
| "Dreaming"[22] | — | ||
| "Say It Loud"[24] | 2024 | — |
Awards and nominations
[edit]National Indigenous Music Awards
[edit]The National Indigenous Music Awards recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia. They commenced in 2004.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Himself | New Talent of the Year | Nominated | [25][26] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Royston Noell - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ Green, Stephen. "Royston Sagigi-Baira Wins Australian Idol 2023". The Music. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Rising Indigenous star Royston Sagigi-Baira wins Australian Idol". National Indigenous times. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ a b c "Royston Sagigi-Baira's journey from Cape York to the Australian Idol grand final". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "All Together Now: 'What a voice, what a moment'". Courier Mail. 14 October 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "Brisbane draftsman Lai Utovou wins All Together Now". Courier Mail. 25 November 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "Royston Sagigi-Baira: Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 July 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ a b "This is a very long time coming, but I'm excited to announce the upcoming release of my debut single, 'When I Fall Apart'". Facebook. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "Check out Royston Noell's debut single". Gittaway Ganyi. November 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ Australian Idol 2023 | Royston Sagigi Baira - I'm Not the Only One | Auditions, retrieved 2023-03-27
- ^ "Royston Sagigi-Baira came and delivered that performance!". Twitter. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Australian Idol: Top 12 Face Public Vote". B&T. 2023-02-27. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ Barion, Angeline (2023-02-23). ""Australian Idol" 2023 Top 12: Who Made the Cut?". POPSUGAR Australia. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Australian Idol 2023 Top 3 finalists revealed". 2023-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ Staff Writer. "Australian Idol Reveals Top Three Finalists For 2023 Season". The Music. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ a b c "Royston Sagigi-Baira Wins Australian Idol 2023". The Music. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Royston Sagigi-Baira is the winner of Australian Idol 2023!". MSN. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Royston Crowned Winner Of Seven's Australian Idol As Phoebe Suffers Fall". B&T. 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ Molk, Steve (2023-03-26). "ROYSTON wins AUSTRALIAN IDOL". TV Blackbox. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "royston noell invincible". Bing. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Is Royston's Invincible like Diamonds in the Sky?". TV Tonight. 26 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Royston Noell's New Single Dreaming Is a Powerful Anthem". National Indigenous Times. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Royston could become an Australian Idol, but in his tiny Indigenous community he's already a star". ABC News. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-03-27.
- ^ "Royston Noell - Say It Loud". YouTube. 27 September 2024. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
- ^ Varvaris, Mary (12 July 2023). "Budjerah & Wildfire Manwurrk Lead NIMA Finalist Nominations". The Music. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ "Here Are All the Winners from the 2023 National Indigenous Music Awards". Music Feeds. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.