Conrad Ignatius Mario Maximilian Sewell (born 31 March 1988) is an Australian singer and songwriter. He is best known for his vocals on Kygo's single "Firestone" and his number-one single "Start Again".
| Conrad Sewell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Conrad Ignatius Mario Maximilian Sewell |
| Born | 31 March 1988 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Sony Music |
| Formerly of | Sons of Midnight |
| Website | conradofficial |
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2015, he won Song of the Year for "Start Again" and was nominated in two other categories: Breakthrough Artist and Best Pop Release. His debut studio album Life was released in May 2019.
Early life
editGrowing up in Brisbane, Sewell started pursuing a music career from a young age, sending around demos since he was 8 years old.[1] He later tried his luck with short-lived rock band Sons of Midnight.[2] He is the brother of Australian pop singer Grace. In 2004, Sewell auditioned for season 2 of Australian Idol, but he did not initially pass the audition stage, needing to travel to a different state and re-auditioning before making it into the Top 100 singers for that season.[clarification needed][1] In 2006, he moved to the United Kingdom.[1]
Sewell comes from a family of musicians; his grandparents toured with the Bee Gees and the Gibb Brothers. His sister Grace is a singer best known for her version of the 1963 Lesley Gore song "You Don't Own Me", which hit number one on the ARIA Charts in May 2015. When "Start Again" hit number one on the ARIA Charts in June 2015, Conrad and Grace became the first Australian-born siblings in the history of the charts to hit number one as separate acts.
Career
edit2007–2017: Sons of Midnight, solo career beginnings, All I Know
editIn 2007, Sewell and guitarist Matthew Copley formed a pop rock group called The Frets, who were later joined by three more members before changing their name to Sons of Midnight. The band released their debut single "The Fire" in 2012, achieving moderate success. The song currently has over 3.3 million plays on Spotify. The band released their debut self-titled album in 2013, but disappeared from the public shortly before the planned release of their second album.[3]
In 2014 Sewell wrote and featured on Kygo's hit, "Firestone". The single was a top five hit across Europe.[4][5] His debut single "Hold Me Up" was written and produced by Brian Lee, The Euroz and Louis Bell. On 2 March 2015, Sewell announced his opening slot on Ed Sheeran's Australian tour via a video posted on his Facebook page. He joined Sheeran on 13 dates throughout Australia.[6] On 12 June 2015, Live Nation confirmed that Sewell would join Maroon 5 on the Maroon V Tour in September as well as posting several tour dates.[7] Sewell supported Jess Glynne on her "Ain't Got Far to Go" UK tour in October and November 2015. In October, Sewell announced that his debut extended play, All I Know would be released on 13 November 2015.[8] He also posted various Australian and New Zealand tour dates throughout November.[9] In March 2015, he was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month and was featured on American TV network NBC's Today show hosted by Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb and broadcast nationally across the United States where he performed live his single "Start Again". In November 2015, at the ARIA Music Awards of 2015, Sewell won Song of the Year for "Start Again".[10] In February 2016, Sewell released "Remind Me" as the final single from All I Know. The following month, Coca-Cola released a song and video for their new campaign, "Taste the Feeling". It features Sewell's vocals and production from Avicii.[11]
2018–2021: Sony Music Australia and Life
editIn May 2018, Sewell announced he had signed with Sony Music Australia. In a statement, AO, chairman and CEO of Sony Denis Handlin said, "Conrad Sewell is an incredibly talented artist and I am thrilled to welcome him to the Sony Music family. This exciting next phase of his career will see him reach new heights and we are honoured to be a part of it."[12][13]
On 18 May 2018, Sewell released the Ghosts & Heartaches EP, containing "Come Clean" and "Healing Hands".[14] In February 2019, Sewell announced the release of his debut studio album Life which was released on 17 May 2019[15] and debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Charts. Sewell had performed the Australian national anthem at the 2019 AFL Grand Final.
2022–present: Precious
editOn 9 September 2022, Sewell released "God Save the Queen"; the first new music from Sewell since 2019. The single described as "high-octane rock and roll, and a riot of energy."[16] That month, he performed as a support act for Irish band The Script on their Australian tour.[17] On 14 October 2022, Sewell released "Make Me a Believer", a proclamation of unwavering devotion from the singer-songwriter. In October 2022, Sewell announced three headline East Coast shows in Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne throughout November and December as well as the title of his second studio album, Precious, released in March 2023.[18]
In 2023, Sewell competed as Bouncer on the fifth season of The Masked Singer Australia. He placed third, behind Darren Hayes and Dami Im.[19]
Personal life
editSewell comes from a large Catholic family and was confirmed in 2005, shortly after his success on Australian Idol.[20][21]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [22] | ||
| Life |
|
1 |
| Precious |
|
67 |
Extended plays
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [22] | ||
| All I Know |
|
9 |
| Ghosts & Heartaches |
|
—[A] |
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [22] |
AUT [26] |
FRA [27] |
GER [28] |
SWE [29] | ||||||||||
| "Hold Me Up" | 2015 | 39 | — | — | — | —[B] | All I Know | |||||||
| "Start Again" | 1 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Who You Lovin" | 17 | — | — | — | — |
| ||||||||
| "Remind Me"[33] | 2016 | 22 | — | — | — | — |
| |||||||
| "Taste the Feeling" (with Avicii) |
— | 17 | 136 | 53 | 60 | Non-album single | ||||||||
| "Healing Hands" | 2018 | 7 | — | — | — | — |
|
Life | ||||||
| "Changing" | 91 | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Love Me Anyway"[36] | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Life"[37] | —[C] | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Big World"[39] | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "God Save the Queen"[16] | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | Precious | |||||||
| "Make Me a Believer"[40] | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Caroline"[41] | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Rolling Thunder"[42][43] | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Ferris Wheel"[44] | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "All Life Long"[45] | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |||||||
| "Different Kind of Love"[46] | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [22] |
AUT [26] |
FRA [27] |
GER [28] |
NL [47] |
NOR [48] |
SWE [29] |
SWI [49] |
UK [50] |
US [51] | |||||
| "Firestone" (Kygo featuring Conrad Sewell) |
2014 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 92 | Cloud Nine | ||
| "Braver Love"[59] (Arty featuring Conrad Sewell) |
2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Glorious | ||
| "Little Love"[60] (Kilian & Jo featuring Conrad Sewell) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||
| "Secrets"[61] (Cid featuring Conrad Sewell) |
2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Sex, Love & Water"[62] (Armin van Buuren featuring Conrad Sewell) |
2018 | — | — | — | — | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | Balance | ||
| "Who Am I"[63] (Enzo Ingrosso featuring Conrad Sewell) |
2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Kingdom"[64] (ARTY featuring Conrad Sewell) |
2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Notes
edit- ^ In Australia, sales of the Ghosts & Heartaches EP counted towards the song "Healing Hands" and therefore could not chart separately.
- ^ "Hold Me Up" did not enter the Swedish Singles Chart, but peaked at number eight on the Swedish Heatseeker chart.[30]
- ^ "Life" did not enter the ARIA Singles Chart, but peaked at number 15 on the ARIA Digital Track Chart.[38]
Tours
edit- Headlining
- All I Know Tour (2015–16)[65]
- Life Tour (2019)
- Headline Tour (2022)
Awards and nominations
editAPRA Awards
editThe APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Healing Hands" | Pop Work of the Year | Nominated |
ARIA Music Awards
editThe ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Sewell had one win from 4 nominations.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Start Again" | Best Pop Release | Nominated | [66] |
| Breakthrough Artist | Nominated | |||
| Song of the Year | Won | |||
| 2018 | "Healing Hands" | Song of the Year | Nominated |
Queensland Music Awards
editThe Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's brightest emerging artists and established legends. They commenced in 2006.[67]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Life | Highest Selling Album | Won | [68] |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Meet Pop's Hair-Flipping, Rock-Loving Rising Star Conrad". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Mike Wass (1 April 2015). "Popping Up: Conrad Sewell". idolator.com. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
- ^ "Sons of Midnight". www.facebook.com.
- ^ "Kygo Releases 'Firestone' Featuring Conrad On Spotify".
- ^ "Firestone (feat. Conrad Sewell)". iTunes.
- ^ "Conrad Sewell". Facebook.
- ^ "ANNOUNCED: Conrad Sewell Joins Maroon 5 Tour". Archived from the original on 4 November 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ^ "Conrad Sewell drops hot new single Who You Lovin from upcoming EP All I Know". chartshaker.com. 5 October 2015. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ^ "Conrad Sewell To Tour November". krock.com.au. 8 October 2015. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ "ARIAS - Conrad Sewell Wins Song Of The Year".
- ^ "Taste The Feeling - Coca-Cola". Billboard.
- ^ "Conrad Sewell Signs With Sony". Noise11. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^ "Conrad Sewell Joins Sony Music Entertainment". The Music AU. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
- ^ "Ghosts & Heartaches – Single by Conrad Sewell on iTunes". iTunes Store (AU). 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ "CONRAD SEWELL'S NEW LIFE". auspOp. 14 February 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ a b "New Music Discoveries 9th September: Hailey Beavis, Conrad Sewell, Surf Shop Cops and more". The AU Review. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
- ^ "THE SCRIPT Announce CONRAD SEWELL As Special Guest On 'Greatest Hits Tour 2022'". Good Call Live. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
- ^ "Conrad Sewell Announces Intimate Australian Shows". Rolling Stone Australia. 13 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
- ^ Bond, Nick (7 November 2023). "Final three celebs revealed in The Masked Singer's 2023 season finale". news.com.au. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ Sewell, Conrad (16 January 2016). "Post".
- ^ "From 'Idol' to Easter faith". The Catholic Leader. 26 March 2005. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d Peaks in Australia:
- All except noted: "Discography Conrad Sewell". australian-charts.com.
- "Changing": "ARIA Chart Watch #497". auspOp. 3 November 2018. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- Precious: "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 13 March 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1723. Australian Recording Industry Association. 13 March 2023. p. 6.
- ^ "Life". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ Lazarus, Tom (27 October 2022). "The soulful evolution of Conrad Sewell". The New York Times Style Magazine. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Ghosts & Heartaches (Single)". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ a b "Discography Conrad Sewell". austriancharts.at.
- ^ a b "Discographie Conrad Sewell". lescharts.com.
- ^ a b "Discographie Conrad Sewell". offiziellecharts.de.
- ^ a b "Discography Conrad Sewell". swedishcharts.com.
- ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 43, 2015" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 13 July 2015. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (19 December 2015). "ARIA Singles: Justin Bieber 'Love Yourself' Racks Up Second Week at No 1". Noise11. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ "Remind Me - Single". iTunes UK. 5 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2016 Singles". ARIA. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2019 Singles". ARIA. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "Love Me Anyway - single". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Singles to Radio ISSUE 1237". The Music Network. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
- ^ "ARIA Australian Top 40 Digital Tracks W/C 5 August 2019". Australian Recording Industry Association. 3 August 2019. Archived from the original on 15 December 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ "Singles to Radio ISSUE 1254". The Music Network. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
- ^ "Make Me a Believer - single". Apple Music. 14 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
- ^ "Caroline - single". Mora. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ "Love Letter to a Record: Conrad Sewell on Maxwell's 'Pretty Wings'". Music Feeds. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "Conrad Sewell - Rolling Thunder (Live at The Village)". You Tube. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ "Conrad Sewell Shares New Single 'Ferris Wheel'". Milky Milky Milky. 3 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
- ^ "Conrad Sewell Releases Uplifting New Single 'All Life Long'". Black of Hearts. 23 March 2024. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "Different Kind of Love is officially out all over the world". Instagram. 16 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "Discografie Conrad Sewell". Dutch Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
- ^ "Discography Conrad Sewell". Norwegian Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
- ^ "Discographie Conrad Sewell". Swiss Charts Portal. Hung Medien.
- ^ "Firestone". Officialcharts.com/. Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Music: Top 100 Songs - Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
- ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. 29 June 2015. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
- ^ "British single certifications – Kygo". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 September 2024. Select singles in the Format field. Type Kygo in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kygo)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ "Troféoversikt – Kygo" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- ^ "Austrian certifications – Conrad" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- ^ "Kygo Feat. Conrad – Firestone" (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- ^ "American single certifications – Kygo feat. Conrad Sewell – Firestone". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
- ^ "Braver Love feat. Conrad Sewell". iTunes [Australia]. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
- ^ "Little Love feat. Conrad Sewell". iTunes [Germany]. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
- ^ "Secrets CID feat. Conrad Sewell". iTunes Australia. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "Sex, Love & Water feat. Conrad Sewell". iTunes Australia. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Who Am I feat. Conrad Sewell". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
- ^ "Kingdom - single". Apple Music. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- ^ "ALL I KNOW TOUR OF AUSTRALIA'S EAST COAST & NEW ZEALAND NEXT MONTH ANNOUNCED". frontiertouring.com. Frontier Touring. Retrieved 18 May 2016.
- ^ "ARIA Awards Search Results - Conrad Sewell". ARIA Awards. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- ^ "About the Queensland Music Awards". Queensland Music Awards. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ "Past Winners 2020". Queensland Music Awards. Retrieved 26 March 2021.