Full disclosure, I was never, and still haven’t a famous pop star. I didn’t have a breakout hit, or win any awards. I’d be kidding myself if I even claimed to achieve half the things the people here have done so easily. But a part of me really wants to reminisce on the times when these people were at the forefront at our minds.
Alas, here it is. Here are eight Australian pop singers I’m sure you’ve all forgotten about.
Iggy Azalea
Iggy Azalea was originally from Sydney. She’s a controversial rapper, singer, songwriter, and sometimes even a model. Her “breakout” hit ‘Fancy’ featured English singer Charli XCX, and went pretty darn great, charting globally. Azalea then went on to release tracks with Ariana Grande and Rita Ora.
Azalea has come under fire for several years since her career took off, with many taking issue to the margin between her speaking and rapping voice. Some even compared the change from her speaking voice to her rap voice to blackface. Azalea, however, denied claims she was assuming a ‘black’ sounding voice. She stated, “Do you not like me because I rap with an American accent and I’m not American? Well, that’s valid on some level because that’s your opinion and I can’t change that,”
“But I’m not trying to sound black, I just grew up in a country where on TV and in music and film, everyone was American or any Australian person in them put on an American accent. So I never saw it as strange at all.”
Azalea even managed to cop some online beef with young American rapper Bhad Bhabie AKA Danielle Bregoli. Read more about that here.
Watch Iggy Azalea’s official video for ‘Fancy’ ft Charli XCX:
Gotye
Remember when that guy out of Melbourne had that huge song like eight years ago? That “now you’re just somebody that I used to know” track? That one you probably couldn’t get out of your head for the most part of 2011? That guy is Gotye. He and Kimbra released it through Eleven Music, and boy did that thing go huge?
So, not only did it chart like, internationally, because that wasn’t enough. ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ won a string of accolades, including uhmm, 5 ARIAs. Single of The Year, Best Pop Release, Producer of The Year, Engineer of the Year aaand Best Video.
After that, Gotye, real name Wouter De Backer toured internationally, and entered a hiatus a few years later. P.S. Did I mention the video for his hit track is currently at 1.2b views. Gosh.
Watch the official video for ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ ft. Kimbra:
Cody Simpson
Cody Simpson is a classic example of an (at his time) teenage heartthrob. At the ripe age of 13, after having several Youtube videos go viral, Simpson released debut track ‘iYiYi’, featuring American rapper Flo Rida. Initially from the Gold Coast in Queensland, Simpson and his family relocated to LA, to record tracks with Atlantic Records mogul Shawn.
Fast forward another year, and Cody was plucked by none other than Scooter Braun (a.k.a Justin Bieber’s manager). After this, he released a series of EPs and a debut album. In 2014, he left his Warner/Atlantic label deals, citing creative differences as the reasoning for this decision. Nowadays, Simpson is playing in his own band, Cody Simpson and the Tide. He’s also made a cameo as an actor in Broadway musical Anastasia, and is now 22 years old.
Watch the official video for Cody Simpson’s ‘Pretty Brown Eyes’:
Natalie Bassingthwaighte
43-year-old Natalie Bassingthwaighte rose to public consciousness as an actor just over 20 years ago. Her role as Izzy Hoyland earnt her 3 Logies, after which she was recruited into electro poppers Rogue Traders in 2004.
Bassingthwaighte’s first record 1000 Stars released in 2009. This album spawned her biggest hit to date, ‘Alive.’ That year, she made her debut as a presenter of Australia’s edition of So You Think You Can Dance. Bassingthwaighte then mentored and judged Australian X-Factor. Rogue Traders certainly did her wonders, as in December 2011 she married former bandmate Cameron McGlinchey.
Watch the official video for Natalie Bassingthwaighte’s ‘Alive’:
Karise Eden
The Voice export Karise Eden rose to public awareness after she auditioned with James Brown’s ‘It’s A Man’s World’. Notably, all four of the show’s judges turned their chairs within the first 12 seconds, with Eden selecting Seal as her mentor.
Eden progressed through each stage of the competition, and ended up taking out the series’ grand final. Her debut single, ‘You Won’t Let Me’ marked the start of her recording contract with Universal Music Australia. To this day, Eden is still signed to UMA through Island Records, and released her latest record Born To Fight in late 2018.
Watch Karise Eden’s The Voice audition – ‘It’s A Man’s World’
