Christine Anu
| Christine Anu | |
|---|---|
 Christine Anu in 2007. |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | 15 March 1970 |
| Origin | Cairns, Queensland, Australia |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | Singer Songwriter Actress |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Independent |
Christine Anu (born 15 March 1970) is an Australian pop singer.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Anu was born in Cairns, Queensland to a Torres Strait Islander mother from Saibai and Mabuiag Islands.[1][2]
[edit] Career
Anu began performing as a dancer and later went on to sing back-up vocals for The Rainmakers, which included Neil Murray of the Warumpi Band. Her first recording was in 1993 with "Last Train", dance remake of a Paul Kelly song. The follow-up, "Monkey and the Turtle", was based on a traditional story. After "My Island Home", she released her first album, Stylin' Up which went platinum,[3] and also gained her a position as a spokeswoman for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.
In 1995, Neil Murray won an Australasian Performing Right Association songwriting award for writing "My Island Home". Christine Anu won an ARIA Award for best female recording artist as well as a Deadly Sounds National Aboriginal & Islander Music Awards Award in 1996 for best female artist.
Baz Luhrmann asked her to sing on the song "Now Until The Break Of Day" on his Something for Everybody album. It was released as a single and the video then won another ARIA award and led to her being cast in Moulin Rouge!.[3]
It took five years for a follow-up to Stylin' Up to be released; 2000's Come My Way made her a mainstream star. The single "Sunshine On A Rainy Day" was a Top 40 hit for 13 weeks in Australia. Come My Way went gold.[3] In 2000 she sang the song "My Island Home" at the Sydney 2000 Olympics Closing Ceremony.[4]
Anu has been nominated for 16 ARIA Awards.[5]
On 26 September 2010, she released a new digital only single, "Come Home". This is her first solo single since 2003.
[edit] Acting and TV career
Anu has also had a notable acting and TV career. She appeared in Dating the Enemy, a 1996 Australian film starring Guy Pearce and Claudia Karvan. She then appeared in an Australian stage version of the Little Shop of Horrors in the same year.
Anu's stage career developed with a starring role in Rent in 1998 and 1999. Anu was offered a role in a Broadway production of this musical but had to decline due to commitments in recording her second album. Her links with Baz Luhrmann led to him offering her a part in Moulin Rouge!. In 2003, she appeared as Kali in The Matrix Reloaded and played the character on the video game Enter The Matrix.
In 2004, she became a judge on Popstars Live, a television quest broadcast on the Seven Network at 6.30pm on Sunday night in Australia along the lines of Australian Idol. The program failed to achieve a similar level of success, leading network executives to pressure the judges to offer harsher criticism of the contestants. Christine Anu refused to offer harsher criticism, leading to her resignation as a judge in April 2004. In a statement issued on her departure, she said: "I chose to play a positive role model and wanted to encourage these young people in their endeavours, rather than criticise them. Although leaving Popstars Live was a difficult decision for me to make, I do feel somewhat relieved that I can now focus on my music."[6]
Anu is mother of two children; Kuiam (born 1996) and Zipporah Mary (born 2002).[3]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Album details | Chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [7] |
|||
| 1995 | Stylin Up
|
21 | |
| 2000 | Come My Way
|
18 |
|
| 2003 | 45 Degrees
|
— | |
| 2005 | Acoustically
|
— | |
| 2007 | Chrissy's Island Family
|
— |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [7] |
|||
| 1993 | "Last Train" (with Paul Kelly) |
93 | Single-only |
| 1995 | "Monkey & the Turtle" | — | Stylin Up |
| "Island Home" | 67 | ||
| "Party" | 20 | ||
| "Come On" | 95 | ||
| 1997 | "Now Until the Break of Day" (with David Hobson and Royce Doherty) |
50 | Something for Everybody |
| 2000 | "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" | 26 | Come My Way |
| "Jump to Love"/"Island Home" | 58 | ||
| 2001 | "'Coz I'm Free" | 86 | |
| 2003 | "Talk About Love" | 85 | 45 Degrees |
| 2008 | "Takin' It to the Streets" (with Deni Hines) |
— | Single-only |
| 2010 | "Come Home" | — |
[edit] Acting/TV Career
- Dating the enemy (1996)
- Little Shop of Horrors (1997)
- Rent (1998–99)
- Moulin Rouge! (2001)
- The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
- It's a Wiggly Wiggly World - Children's DVD by the Wiggles
- Enter The Matrix (2003)
- Popstars Live (2004)
- Play School (2004)
- Toasted TV (2007)
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] ARIA Awards
| Year | Award[5] | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Best Video | "Last Train" | Nominated |
| Breakthrough Artist - Single | Nominated | ||
| 1995 | Best Indigenous Release | Stylin' Up | Won |
| Breakthrough Artist - Album | Nominated | ||
| Best Female Artist | Nominated | ||
| Album of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year | "Island Home" | Nominated | |
| 1996 | Best Indigenous Release | "Come On" | Won |
| Best Pop Release | Nominated | ||
| Best Female Artist | Won | ||
| 1998 | Best Video | "Now Until the Break of Day" | Won |
| 2000 | Engineer of the Year | "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" | Won |
| Best Female Artist | Nominated | ||
| 2001 | Best Pop Release | Come My Way | Nominated |
| Best Female Artist | Nominated | ||
| 2007 | Best Children's Album | Chrissy's Island Family | Nominated |
[edit] References
- ^ "Christine Anu - Biography". BiggestStars.com. http://www.biggeststars.com/c/christine-anu-biography.html. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
- ^ "Christine Anu". Who Do You Think You Are?. Special Broadcasting Service. SBS One. 2009-10-18. No. 4, season 2. 3:55 minutes in.
- ^ a b c d Frog princess, Sydney Morning Herald 18 January 2003. Accessed 27 June 2007.
- ^ Christine Anu's 45 Degrees
- ^ a b "History: Winners by Artist: Christine Anu". ARIA Awards. Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). http://www.ariaawards.com.au/history-by-artist.php?letter=C&artist=Christine%20Anu. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald article on her departure from Popstars Live
- ^ a b "Christine Anu - Australian chart history". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
- ^ a b "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2000 Albums". ARIA. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
