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Nathaniel Nathan Willemse
Born (1985-07-14) 14 July 1985 (age 39)
South Africa
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
Years active2006–present
Labels
  • Mummy's Boy Records (2008)
  • DNA/Sony (2013–2016)
  • 123 Agency (2016-present)
Websiteitisnathaniel.com

Nathaniel Willemse, (born 14 July 1985), often known simply as Nathaniel, is a South African-born Australian singer and songwriter most notable for finishing sixth on the fourth season of The X Factor Australia. In 2013, he signed a recording contract with DNA Songs' label through Sony Music Australia, and released the single "You", which peaked at number four on the ARIA Singles Chart.

Early life

Nathaniel Willemse was born in South Africa and moved to Frankston, Melbourne, Australia when he was six years old.[1] He attended Karingal Park Secondary College, now known as McClelland College. In 2006, he auditioned for Australian Idol series four and made it to the top 24 round before being eliminated.[2] On 22 January 2008, Willemse released his debut single "Vertigo" exclusively on iTunes, through Mummy's Boy Records.[3][4][5] The single's release also included two B-side tracks, "Shall Be Told" and "Home", each co-written by Willemse.[3][4] On 29 October 2011, Willemse independently released his first extended play, EP,[6] and second single, "You Are the One".[7] Before applying for The X Factor Australia in 2012, Willemse was a vocal coach and a wedding singer.[8]

Career

2012: The X Factor Australia

Willemse successfully auditioned for the fourth season of The X Factor in 2012 singing John Mayer's "Gravity".[9] During the super bootcamp stage of the competition, Willemse sang "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas and "You Give Me Something" by James Morrison. Willemse made it to the home visits as part of the Over 25s category.[9] For the first live performance show on 17 September 2012, Willemse sang Beyoncé's "Love on Top" and received praise from all four judges. Mel B called the performance "incredible" and said that his voice is "bloody marvellous", while Ronan Keating added that he has a lot of soul.[10] Willemse then made his way through to the top six. His performance of "The Scientist" debuted at number 75 on the ARIA Singles Chart after his performance in the fourth week.[11] In week seven, Willemse was placed in the bottom two with Samantha Jade after his performance of "Red" by Daniel Merriweather. The performance reached number 91 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[11] In the final showdown he sang "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye. Guy Sebastian labelled the decision as "stupid" while Keating said he was "embarrassed" by the viewer voting. After the judges split the decision at two votes all, Willemse was eliminated in deadlock after having the lowest number of votes.[12][13]

Performances on The X Factor

  denotes having reached the ARIA Singles Chart.
  denotes having been in the bottom two.
  denotes having been eliminated.

2013–2016: Yours

Main article: Yours (Nathaniel album)

In January 2013, Willemse embarked on the X Factor Live Tour with Samantha Jade, The Collective, Bella Ferraro, Shiane Hawke and Jason Owen.[14] They performed shows in the Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.[14] On 6 May 2013, Willemse announced on his Facebook page that he had signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia.[15] He is the first artist signed to DNA Songs' label through Sony.[16][17] He released "You" on 27 September 2013, as his first single with the label.[18] In Australia, it peaked at number four on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified two times Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association for sales over 140,000 copies.[19][20] On the New Zealand Singles Chart, "You" peaked at number 16.[21] In November 2013, Willemse was the supporting act for Jessica Mauboy's To the End of the Earth Tour.[22] On 24 January 2014, Willemse released a cover of "I Am Australian" with Dami Im, Jessica Mauboy, Justice Crew, Samantha Jade and Taylor Henderson, to coincide with the Australia Day celebrations.[23][24] The song peaked at number 51 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[19]

Willemse's next single "You're Beautiful" was released on 28 February 2014,[25] and debuted at number 14 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[19] A sixth single "Live Louder" was released on 5 September 2014[26] and peaked at number 4.[19] It was certified Platinum by ARIA for sales exceeding 70,000 copies.[20] Willemse returned to The X Factor on 15 September 2014 to perform the song live.[27] In October 2014, Willemse performed at Australia's first ever neo-soul, jazz and hip-hop festival, Soulfest.[28] In November 2014, he was the supporting act for Mariah Carey's Australian leg of her tour, The Elusive Chanteuse Show.[29] In December 2014, Willemse and other Australian singers recorded a cover version of Kate Bush's "This Woman's Work" under the name "Hope for Isla and Jude", and released it as a charity single to help raise funds for two siblings who suffer from the rare disease Sanfilippo syndrome.[30] Their version debuted at number 79 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[31] Willemse's debut studio album Yours was released on 23 October 2015.[32] On 8 December 2015, Nathaniel released a new single "Jungle Boogie", a Kool & the Gang cover. It was used as the promotional song in the season two launch campaign for the Australian version of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. In March 2016, it was speculated that Willemse had been dropped by record company Sony Music, along with other X Factor finalists Reigan Derry, Marlisa Punzalan and Dean Ray.[33] In June 2016, it was confirmed when Willemse announced he had signed a deal with 123 Agency.[34]

2017-present: "Vapours"

In January, Nathaniel confirmed the release of a new single "Vapours" on 27 January. “This single is about being intoxicated by someone, or by an experience. My head space at the time was I just wanted something different, honest and a little rebellious. I wanted to experiment with different sounds and sonic landscapes.”[35]

From October 2017 to January 2018, Willemse starred in "Let's Get it On" a musical production celebrating the life and music of Marvin Gaye.[36]

Personal life

On 11 January 2015, Willemse married his long-time girlfriend, model Fujan Erfanian on a tropical island in Langkawi, Malaysia.[37] The couple had been dating since before Willemse made his debut in the public eye on The X Factor Australia.[38]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
AUS
[39]
Yours 5

Extended plays

Title Details
EP
  • Released: 29 October 2011[6]
  • Formats: Digital download

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
AUS
[19] 		NZ
[21]
"Vertigo"[3] 2008 — — Non-album single
"You Are the One"[7] 2011 — — EP
"You" 2013 4 16 Yours
"I Am Australian"[23]
(with Dami Im, Jessica Mauboy, Justice Crew, Samantha Jade and Taylor Henderson) 		2014 51 — Non-album single
"You're Beautiful" 14 — Yours
"Live Louder" 4 —
"Flava"[40] 2015 — —
"Always Be Yours" 79 —
"Jungle Boogie"[41] — — Non-album single
"Vapours"[42] 2017 — —
"Moon"[43] 2018 — —
"Mysterious Girl"[44]
(with Rowen Reecks) 		— —
"Us"[45] 2019 — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

Other charted songs

Title Year Peak chart positions
AUS[11]
"The Scientist" 2012 75
"Red" 91

Music videos

Title Year Director(s)
"You" 2013 Toby Angwin[46]
"You're Beautiful" 2014
"Live Louder"
"Always Be Yours" 2015 Nik Kacevski [47]
"Vapours" 2017 Epik Films [48]

Tours

Headlining
  • The X Factor Live Tour (2013)[14]
Supporting act

Awards and nominations

Year Type Recipient Award Result
2014 World Music Awards Himself World's Best Male Artist[49] Nominated
World's Best Live Act[50] Nominated
World's Best Entertainer of the Year[51] Nominated
"You" World's Best Song[52] Nominated
World's Best Video[53] Nominated
APRA Music Awards Pop Work of the Year[54] Nominated
Most Played Australian Work[55] Nominated
ARIA Music Awards Song of the Year[56][57] Nominated
2015 "Live Louder" Nominated

References

  1. ^ "Boy factor on The X Factor". TV Tonight. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  2. ^ "Nathanie Willemse". Australian.idolblog.com. 22 August 2006. Archived from the original on 23 December 2013.
  3. ^ a b c "Vertigo – Single by Nathaniel". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Nathaniel Willemse Interview". Girl.com.au. Archived from the original on 23 December 2013.
  5. ^ "Nathaniel Biography". Facebook. Archived from the original on 23 December 2013.
  6. ^ a b "EP by Nathaniel Willemse". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  7. ^ a b "You Are the One – Single by Nathaniel Willemse". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  8. ^ "X Factor - the live shows begin". News.com.au. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  9. ^ a b "The X-Factor Australia Contestant – Nathaniel Willemse". The X Factor (Australia). Yahoo!7. 13 September 2012. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012.
  10. ^ Lewdon, Courtney (17 September 2012). "The X Factor Australia – Season Four – Top 12 Performance Show: It's Judges Choice!". Throng. Throng Ltd. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  11. ^ a b c Peak chart positions for other charted songs:
  12. ^ Vickery, Colin (31 October 2012). "X Factor down to the final five". The Advertiser. News Limited. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  13. ^ "Nathaniel Willemse Leaves The X Factor Australia In Shock Elimination". The Hot Hits. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  14. ^ a b c "The X Factor lie tour massive line up confirmed!". The X Factor Australia. Yahoo!7. Archived from the original on 23 December 2013.
  15. ^ "Timeline Photos". Facebook. 6 May 2013. Archived from the original on 23 December 2013.
  16. ^ "DNA sign Nathaniel". Dnasongs.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2013.
  17. ^ "Sony Music, DNA Extend Production Deal". Billboard. 2 October 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  18. ^ "iTunes – Music – You – Single by Nathaniel". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  19. ^ a b c d e Peak chart positions for singles on the ARIA Charts:
  20. ^ a b c d "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  21. ^ a b "Discography Nathaniel Willemse". New Zealand Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  22. ^ a b Gilbertson, Matt (7 November 2013). "Jessica Mauboy's Adelaide Entertainment Centre performance a world class act". The Advertiser. News Limited. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  23. ^ a b "I Am Australian (feat. John Foreman) – Single by Various Artists". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  24. ^ "Sony Music Artists To Release 'I Am Australian' In Time For Australia Day". Spotlight Report. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  25. ^ "You're Beautiful – Single by Nathaniel Willemse". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  26. ^ "Live Louder – Single by Nathaniel Willemse". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 16 February 2014.
  27. ^ "Meghan Trainor and Nathaniel: Top 8 Live Decider – Special Guests". The X Factor Australia. Yahoo!7. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  28. ^ a b "About the Soulfest Festival". Soulfest.com.au. Archived from the original on 9 April 2014.
  29. ^ a b Papain, Jessie (1 October 2014). "Nathaniel Willemse to support Mariah Carey". The West Australian. Seven West Media. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  30. ^ Adams, Cameron (5 December 2014). "Natalie Bassingthwaighte breaks her music silence to help sick siblings Isla and Jude". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  31. ^ Ryan, Gavin (13 December 2014). "ARIA Singles: Mark Ronson And Bruno Mars Are no. 1". Noise11. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  32. ^ a b "Yours by Nathaniel". iTunes (Australia). Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  33. ^ "X Factor stars Nathaniel Willemse and Reigan Derry cut by Sony". www.dailytelegraph.com.au. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  34. ^ "NATHANIEL DEAL EASY AS 123". auspOp. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  35. ^ "INHALE NATHANIEL'S VAPOURS". auspOp. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  36. ^ "Nathaniel Let's Get it On". Nathaniel Let's Get it On. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  37. ^ "Nathaniel puts a ring on it". The West Australian. Seven West Media. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  38. ^ "Former The X Factor singer Nathaniel Willemse has popped the question to girlfriend Fujan Erfanian". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  39. ^ "Discography Nathaniel". Australian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  40. ^ "Flava – Single by Nathaniel". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  41. ^ "Jungle Boogie - Single". iTunes. Apple. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  42. ^ "Vapours single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  43. ^ "Moon- single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  44. ^ "Mysterious Girl - single". AllMuisic. Retrieved 5 August 2018.
  45. ^ "Us - Single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  46. ^ "Nathaniel 'You' Music Video". Theloop.com.au. Archived from the original on 12 March 2014.
  47. ^ "Nathaniel 'Always Be Yours' Music Video". YouTube.com. 6 November 2015.
  48. ^ "Nathaniel - Vapours". YouTube.com. 29 January 2017.
  49. ^ "Nomination for World's Best Male Artist". World Music Awards. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014.
  50. ^ "Nomination for World's Live Act". World Music Awards. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014.
  51. ^ "Nomination for World's Best Entertainer of the Year". World Music Awards. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014.
  52. ^ "Nomination for World's Best Song". World Music Awards. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014.
  53. ^ "Nomination for World's Best Video". World Music Awards. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014.
  54. ^ "Pop Work of the Year". APRA Music Awards. Australasian Performing Right Association. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014.
  55. ^ "Most Played Australian Work". APRA Music Awards. Australasian Performing Right Association. Archived from the original on 31 May 2014.
  56. ^ Zuel, Bernard (7 October 2014). "Chet Faker and his beard are set to rule ARIAs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  57. ^ McCabe, Kathy (7 October 2015). "ARIA Award nominations announced in Sydney". News.com.au. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
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