Luke Kennedy | |
---|---|
![]() Luke Kennedy performing at the Kingston Arts Centre on his A Time For Us tour | |
Background information | |
Born | 1982 Ipswich, Queensland, Australia |
Genres | Musical theatre, swing |
Occupation(s) | Singer, host |
Years active | 2010–present |
Website | www |
Luke Kennedy is an Australian performer best known for placing second on the second season of The Voice (Australia) . He has also toured internationally with the Ten Tenors and performed the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar in six different productions around Australia.
Luke Kennedy began his performance career in Townsville, Queensland where he performed in numerous local productions from the age of 16 onwards, including Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar, Marius in Les Misérables and Mary Sunshine in Chicago . He moved to Brisbane in 2002 to again play the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar and continued in productions of The Wiz as the Lion, Alice , Beauty and the Beast as the Beast and Cain/Japheth in Children of Eden . In 2007, Luke played the role of Jamie in Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years co-starring his now-partner Brisbane-based actress Naomi Price for [1] (Oscar Theatre Company/Judith Wright Arts Centre). In August and again in June 2011, he played the title role in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar [2] at the QPAC Playhouse. He released his debut album, Overexposed, in July 2010 and reprised the title role in Jesus Christ Superstar, this time for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of South Australia in Adelaide, South Australia. [3] Kennedy returned to the role of Jesus in June 2015 for a sixth time at AIS Arena Canberra opposite Michael Falzon as Judas. [4] Kennedy, along with Rachael Beck, Alexandra Flood and Michael Falzon joined Queensland Symphony Orchestra for Queensland Ballet's season of Strictly Gershwin in late May to early June 2016. [5]
Luke joined international touring group the Ten Tenors in early 2008 [6] [7] and in nearly two years on the road, he performed shows on nearly every continent in the world. Highlights of his time with TTT include the 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon which was broadcast to 32 million people across North America, the 2008 Emirates Melbourne Cup and the DVD recording of Amigos Para Siempre: Live in Madrid in August 2009 with the RTVE Orchestra.
In April 2013, Kennedy auditioned for Season 2 of The Voice Australia . He appeared on the fourth Blind Audition episode on 10 April 2013 singing "Un giorno per noi (A Time for Us)". All four coaches turned their chairs with standing ovations. Kennedy chose Ricky Martin as his coach . [8] He was paired against "Belinda Adams" in the Battle Rounds singing Rose Laurens "I Dreamed a Dream". This resulted in Martin choosing Kennedy to go through to the Showdowns. In the Showdowns he sang "Con te partirò" by Andrea Bocelli and was voted through to the live finals by the public. [9]
In the first Live Final he sang "Please Don't Ask Me" by John Farnham. This was the first time he has moved away from his Opera genre into a more pop genre. After impressing coach Ricky Martin the most on his team, Martin put him straight through to the top 12. [10] In the second Live Final he sang "Freedom 90" by George Michael and this resulted in the public voting him through to the top 8. In the third Live Final Kennedy sang "Overjoyed" by Stevie Wonder. At the start of the semi-final it was revealed Kennedy was through to the last four because of this performance. [11] In the semi-finals he had to sing two songs in one night for the first time. First up was "Caruso" by Lucio Dalla. After all of the final eight had performed their first song it was revealed that Kennedy was through to the final four after a close race between him and fellow Team Ricky member "Miss Murphy". He was through the Grand Final. He then performed his own original song "Love Is Gone". [12]
In the Grand Final he again sang two songs. First was a group performance by the top 4 of "You're the Voice" by John Farnham and then a duet with coach Ricky Martin of "El Tango De Roxanne" by the Police. Kennedy eventually reached the top 2 but placed second to Harrison Craig.
Kennedy performed the following songs on The Voice:
Performed | Song | Original artist | Result |
---|---|---|---|
Blind Audition | "Un giorno per noi (A Time for Us)" | Joined Team Ricky | |
Battle Rounds | "I Dreamed a Dream" (against Belinda Adams) | Rose Laurens | Winner |
The Showdowns, Part 3 | "Con te partirò" | Andrea Bocelli | Public vote |
Live Finals 1 | "Please Don't Ask Me" | John Farnham | Ricky's choice |
Live Finals 2 | "Freedom 90" | George Michael | Public vote |
Live Finals 3 | "Overjoyed" | Stevie Wonder | Public vote |
Semi-Finals | "Caruso" | Lucio Dalla | Public vote |
"Love Is Gone" | Luke Kennedy | ||
Grand Final | "You're the Voice" (with Celia Pavey, Danny Ross and Harrison Craig) | John Farnham | 2nd |
"El Tango De Roxanne" (with Ricky Martin) | The Police |
Just weeks after The Voice Australia finished, Kennedy along with other finalists Celia Pavey and Danny Ross signed a record contract with Universal Music Australia and it was announced his debut album, A Time For Us would be released on 12 July 2013.
Kennedy's debut single "Stay For a Minute" was released on 5 July 2013. [13]
A Time For Us includes eleven tracks, eight of which were performed on The Voice. The other three tracks are the single, Stay For a Minute, and two other covers, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and in My Life. [14] A Time For Us debuted at number 6 on the Aria Charts on 13 July 2013 with 3,806 sales nationally. [15] In its second week on the chart it stayed in the top ten at number 10. The album will be released in New Zealand later in the year when Season 2 of The Voice Australia finishes airing there. Kennedy has expressed interest in touring later in 2013 after appearing in a number of instores promoting "A Time For Us". He may also feature in Ricky Martin's upcoming Australian tour. [16]
Kennedy performed in the new cabaret act Swing on This at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival on 7 June 2014. Festival Artistic Director, and singer in her own right, Kate Ceberano appeared as a special guest to perform with a cast that included Ben Mingay, Michael Falzon , and Matt Lee. [17] Following Adelaide Cabaret Festival, they performed as the headline act at both the official black tie launch of the refurbished Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on 25 July and at the community concert [18] the next evening, again playing to a full house, and this was followed in 2015 with a season at The Arts Centre Gold Coast.
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
---|---|---|
AUS | ||
A Time For Us |
| 6 |
Year | Title | Album |
---|---|---|
2013 | "Stay For a Minute" | A Time for Us |
Jesus Christ Superstar is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with much of the plot centered on Judas, who is dissatisfied with the direction in which Jesus is steering his disciples. Contemporary attitudes, sensibilities and slang pervade the rock opera's lyrics, and ironic allusions to modern life are scattered throughout the depiction of political events. Stage and film productions accordingly contain many intentional anachronisms.
John Peter Farnham AO is a British-born Australian singer. Farnham was a teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed until then as Johnny Farnham. He has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist, although he replaced Glenn Shorrock as lead singer of Little River Band from 1982 to 1985.
Robert Mills is an Australian actor, television host and singer-songwriter. He was one of the finalists from the first season of Australian Idol in 2003. He co-hosted the late-night quiz show The Mint with his childhood idol, J-Dawg, the two would go on to star in the hit show Young Talent Time, and was a regular singer on the game show The Singing Bee both on the Nine Network. Mills took part in the ninth season of Dancing with the Stars, and appeared on Celebrity Apprentice. In 2008, Mills won the lead male role of Fiyero in a production of Wicked, and continued the role when it moved around Australia. He has since starred in a number of popular large scale musical theatre productions. In 2012, Mills was announced as the host of Network Ten's revamped Young Talent Time. He played teacher Finn Kelly on Neighbours from 2017 until 2022.
"Everything's Alright" is a song from the 1970 album and 1971 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is about the anointing of Jesus.
Jonathan James English was an English-born Australian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He emigrated from England to Australia with his parents in 1961. He was an early vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Sebastian Hardie but left to take on the role of Judas Iscariot in the Australian version of the stage musical Jesus Christ Superstar from May 1972, which was broadcast on television. English was also a solo singer; his Australian top twenty hit singles include "Turn the Page", "Hollywood Seven", "Words are Not Enough", "Six Ribbons" and "Hot Town".
Rachael Elizabeth Beck is an Australian stage and television singer-actress. From 1991 to 1994 Beck had a major role on the popular sitcom, Hey Dad..!, as Samantha Kelly. From 2006 to 2008, Beck appeared on all three seasons of Seven Network's celebrity singing competition It Takes Two, as a singing coach successively for Mark Furze, Ernie Dingo and Mark Wilson. She has appeared in the Australian musical theatre productions of Cats (1985), Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1995–96), Les Misérables (1995–96), The Sound of Music, Cabaret, Singing in the Rain and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Beck released her first solo album This Girl on 7 March 2014.
"I Don't Know How to Love Him" is a song from the 1970 album and 1971 rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar written by Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Tim Rice (lyrics), a torch ballad sung by the character of Mary Magdalene. In the opera she is presented as bearing an unrequited love for the title character. The song has been much recorded, with "I Don't Know How to Love Him" being one of the rare songs to have had two concurrent recordings reach the top 40 of the Hot 100 chart in Billboard magazine, specifically those by Helen Reddy and Yvonne Elliman, since the 1950s when multi-version chartings were common.
Douglas John Parkinson was an Australian pop and rock singer. He led the bands Strings and Things/A Sound (1965), the Questions (1966–1968), Doug Parkinson in Focus, Fanny Adams (1970–1971), the Life Organisation (1973), Southern Star Band (1978–1980) and Doug Parkinson Band (1981–1983). Doug Parkinson in Focus's cover version of the Beatles' track "Dear Prudence" peaked at No. 5 on the Go-Set National Top 40. The follow-up single, "Without You" / "Hair" (October), also reached No. 5. Parkinson released solo material and performed in musical theatre productions.
James Millar is an Australian actor, singer and writer. He wrote the musical drama The Hatpin, the song cycle LOVEBiTES and co-wrote the semi-autobiographical musical A Little Touch of Chaos.
Amanda Harrison is an Australian actress and singer, known for her roles in Wicked (Elphaba), We Will Rock You, and for originating the role of Paula Pokrifki in the world premiere of An Officer and a Gentleman. She has performed in cabaret several times, including her current production Up Close and Reasonably Personal which she is expected to perform at Melbourne Cabaret Festival in June 2014 and recently David Harris, Michael Ball, Lea Salonga and Marie Zamora for Enda Markey Presents Do You Hear The People Sing at Shanghai Grand Theatre. She voiced characters for Get Ace an animation series released in January 2014. She appeared with Mig Ayesa, Michael Falzon and Carly Thomas-Smith for three performances of The Music of Queen - Rock and Symphonic Spectacular. The concert series began on 7 February 2014, at Sydney Opera House supported by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra before three performances in Perth, Western Australia between 13–15 February.
Naomi Price is an Australian stage actress and singer, best known for appearing in the fourth season of the Australian version of The Voice, finishing in fifth place, and her roles in original cabarets Rumour Has It: Sixty Minutes Inside Adele and Wrecking Ball
The Voice is an Australian singing competition television series. It premiered on the Nine Network on 14 April 2012, before moving to the Seven Network in 2021. Based on the original The Voice of Holland, and part of The Voice franchise, its first nine seasons aired on the Nine Network, with its tenth season commencing on the Seven Network on 8 August 2021.
Rachael Wendy Bartholomew, known by her stage name Rachael Leahcar, is an Australian singer and songwriter, born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia. She participated on the first season of The Voice Australia, coming in third place. Shortly after, she signed a record deal with Universal Music Australia. Her debut album Shooting Star, which contained songs she performed on The Voice, as well as newly recorded covers, was released on 13 July 2012. The album debuted at number five on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Matt Lee is an Australian dancer and actor. He has starred in Bootmen, We Will Rock You, Rent, Grease, and Mary Poppins for which he won a Helpmann Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He was a motion capture principal for the Oscar winning film Happy Feet where he brought to life the loveable tap dancing penguin Mumble. He has choreographed for, and worked alongside Paula Abdul, Ricky Martin, Human Nature, Samantha Jade, Hilary Duff and Christine Anu. He was also a judge and choreographer for So You Think You Can Dance.
Michael Falzon was an Australian musical theatre/rock tenor actor, and producer, who ran his own production company, Good Egg Creative.
Ben Kennedy is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club and Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A small forward, 1.75 metres tall and weighing 78 kilograms (172 lb), Kennedy is able to contribute as a crumbing forward and is also capable of moving into the midfield. He played top-level football from a young age by representing South Australia from fifteen years of age, including as a bottom aged player in the 2011 AFL Under 18 Championships, and playing in Glenelg's senior side in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) at seventeen. His junior achievements included two-time selection in the under 18 All-Australian side, a SANFL star search nomination, and selection in the South Australian under 18 team of the decade. He was recruited by the Collingwood Football Club with the nineteenth selection in the 2012 AFL draft and he made his debut in the 2013 season. He played three seasons with Collingwood for a total of twenty-five matches before he was traded to Melbourne during the 2015 trade period. In October 2017, Kennedy was delisted by Melbourne after managing only 15 games in two seasons.
Stephen Mahy is an Australian born tenor from Sydney, NSW, best known for originating the role of Bob Gaudio in the Australian production of Jersey Boys. After graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in 2006, Stephen toured the country in Miss Saigon, covering the lead role of Chris and playing the role to every audience in the country. Mahy toured nationally in Grease, playing the role of Kenickie alongside notable cast members Rob Mills, Gretel Scarlett, Anthony Callea, Lucy Maunder, Todd McKenney and Bert Newton as Vince Fontaine. In 2015, Stephen joined the cast of The Rocky Horror Show, playing the role of Brad Majors alongside Craig McLachlan, Amy Lehpamer, Jayde Westaby, Bert Newton and Richard O'Brien, just to name a few. He featured in "Stephen Schwartz in Conversation" at Sydney's Theatre Royal, where he performed on stage for the noted composer.
Ricky Martin Live was the ninth concert tour by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. It supported his compilation album, Greatest Hits: Souvenir Edition. The tour started in Newcastle on October 3, 2013 and continued across Australia for three weeks before coming to a close on October 20, 2013 in Melbourne. He continued throwing concerts in venues in the Americas in the later months, as well as participating in the Mawazine Festival in Rabat, Morocco.
Ben Mingay is an Australian actor and singer, perhaps best known for having played Buzz Graham in the series Packed to the Rafters and Rob Duffy in Wonderland. He played the role of Billy in the stage version of Dirty Dancing in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Mingay together with Michael Falzon, Luke Kennedy, and Matt Lee appeared in the Adelaide Cabaret Festival 2014. In 2015, Mingay joined the cast of soap opera Home and Away in the recurring role of Trystan Powell.
Swing on This is made up of musical theatre leading men, Michael Falzon, Luke Kennedy, Matt Lee, Rob Mills and Ben Mingay, singing a collection of classic swing songs reworked with a more contemporary style, as well as more recent popular music arranged for an 18 piece big band. Although songs range from Irving Berlin and Cole Porter through to more recent influences like Oasis, Swing On This embraces a more contemporary style of swing, with Falzon comparing it more to Michael Buble and Robbie Williams. Swing on This includes a medley of Australian classic rock and pop.