Casey Donovan (born 13 May 1988) is an Australian singer, songwriter, actress, theatre actress and author, best known for winning the second season of the singing competition show ''

Australian Idol ''Australian Idol'' is an Australian singing competition, which began its first season in July 2003 and ended its initial run in November 2009. As part of the ''Idol'' franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program ''Pop Idol' ...

'' in 2004. She won the competition at age 16, becoming the series' youngest winner. In 2017, Donovan won the third series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here''. Donovan also hosted the

NITV National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the half-hourly nightly ''NITV News'' ...

music show ''Fusion with Casey Donovan''.

Early life

Casey Donovan was born in

Condell Park, New South Wales Condell Park, a suburb of local government area City of Canterbury-Bankstown, is 21 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, and is a part of the south-western Sydney region ...

, of indigenous descent to a family that included several relatives with musical careers, including her father, who along with his brothers are members of country band

The Donovans The Donovans (The Donovan Band) are an Australian Aboriginal country music band. The Donovans have been playing together since their first official gig in 1984 at the Fire Brigade Ball in Mt Druitt. The Donovans grew up surrounded by the coun ...

. After her parents divorced, her mother and siblings moved in with stepfather Norm Axford. Growing up, Casey was always interested in singing and performing. Contact with the Donovan cousins fostered interest in both singing and playing guitar, which led to busking on the streets of Tamworth during the Country Music Festival when she was ten. Casey's musical interest was noticed at Bass Hill Public School and Georges Hall Primary but was not enough to have any public notice. It was not until attending Condell Park High that her talent became noticed and was supported especially by both her mother and stepfather.

Career

2004–2006: ''Australian Idol'' and ''For You''

In 2004, Donovan transferred to the

Australian Institute of Music The Australian Institute of Music (AIM) is an Australian private tertiary education provider, with campuses in Sydney, New South Wales and Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1968, AIM delivers education for careers in the Australian music, entert ...

in Sydney and auditioned for the second season of ''

'', singing

Kasey Chambers Kasey Chambers (born 4 June 1976) is an Australian country singer-songwriter and musician born in Mount Gambier. She is the daughter of fellow musicians, Diane and Bill Chambers, and the younger sister of musician and producer, Nash Chambers. ...

' "A Million Tears". During the series, Donovan won a

Deadly Award The Deadly Awards, commonly known simply as The Deadlys, was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. The event was held from 1995 to 2013. Description T ...

for Most Promising New Talent in Music. In November, Donovan was announced the winner of Idol over favourite

Anthony Callea Anthony Cosmo Callea (born 13 December 1982) is an Australian singer-songwriter and stage actor who rose to prominence as the runner-up in the 2004 season of '' Australian Idol''. Callea's debut single, a cover of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocel ...

. Her success was marred by a typographical mistake by Australian Idol sponsor

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 20 ...

, in a half-page nationally run newspaper advertisement including what was assumed to be her website. The link was a memorial for the late American pornography actor of the same name. Telstra apologised for the error. Donovan released her debut single "

Listen with Your Heart "Listen with Your Heart" is a song written by Diane Warren, and recorded by CeCe Winans for her second album ''Everlasting Love'' (1998). Casey Donovan version In 2004, the song was chosen to be released as the winner's single of the second ser ...

" on 29 November 2004, which debuted at number 1 and was certified triple platinum. On 13 December 2004, Donovan released her debut album, '' For You'', which debuted at number 2 and was certified double platinum.

''Australian Idol'' performances

In February 2005, Donovan released " What's Going On" which peaked at number 18 on the

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. At the

Deadly Awards 2005 The Deadlys Awards was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. Music *Most Promising New Talent: Lez Beckett *Single Release of the Year: Casey Donovan ( ...

, Donovan won Single Release of the Year for "Listen with Your Heart" and Artist of the Year. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2005 The 19th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) were held on 23 October 2005 at the Sydney Superdome at the Sydney Olympic Park complex, thus continuing the pre ...

, Donovan was nominated for Highest Selling Single, losing to

's " The Prayer". In 2006, Donovan was dropped from

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

2007–2016: Post-''Idol'' career

In 2008, independently released the

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

'' Eye 2 Eye''. While starring in the successful concept show ''Women of Soul'', Donovan was approached by Rhoda Roberts for the theatrical production of ''Miracle in Brisbane'' for the Brisbane Festival in October 2009. In 2010, Donovan was cast in the role of Cynthia in a musical stage production of '' The Sapphires'', which saw the show tour Australia throughout the first half of 2010. Donovan won praise from the critics for her role in the production, which was presented by

Company B Belvoir Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Since 2016 and its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre contains a 330-seat Upstairs Theatre and a 80-seat ...

and

Black Swan State Theatre Company Black Swan State Theatre Company (formerly The Black Swan Theatre Company) is Western Australia's state theatre company. It runs an annual subscription season in Perth at the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, tours its productions reg ...

. Donovan went on to take home the Best Supporting Actress award at the 4th Daegu International Music Festival Awards while on tour with the production in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

in July 2010. Donovan returned to music with the release of her single "Big, Beautiful & Sexy" written with songwriter Beau Golden, released in August 2010. A Facebook support group named for the song grew to over 10,000 fans shortly after release. Prior to the song's release, Donovan herself lost over 20 kg and continued her support of larger men and women. Donovan went on to release another single in November 2010 titled "Last Regret", which gained some commercial airplay. In December 2010, Donovan was nominated for two awards at the 2010 Sydney Theatre Awards for "Newcomer" and "Supporting Actress", continuing to receive praise and recognition from the industry for her work in ''The Sapphires''. Although she auditioned for a role in the 2011 movie version, Donovan was not cast. 2011 saw Donovan reprise her role of Cynthia Macrae in another tour of ''The Sapphires''. The tour ran during February in ACT and NSW, and was followed by two weeks in the UK in March. In August/September 2011, Donovan created the role of

Mama Cass Mama(s) or Mamma or Momma may refer to: Roles *Mother, a female parent * Mama-san, in Japan and East Asia, a woman in a position of authority *Mamas, a name for female associates of the Hells Angels Places *Mama, Russia, an urban-type settlement ...

in the world premiere of new musical ''Flowerchildren –

The Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...

Story'' written by

Peter Fitzpatrick Peter Fitzpatrick (born 11 May 1962) is an Irish Independent politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Louth constituency since the 2011 general election. He was a former soldier in the 27 Infantry Battalion and also a former m ...

and produced by Australian company

Magnormos Magnormos is an independent musical theatre production company based in Melbourne, Australia, that specialises in musicals written by Australian writers and lesser-known international works. Its productions have included the Australian premiere of ...

. She was joined by

Matt Hetherington Matt Hetherington (born 25 May 1970) is an Australian singer and actor, who rose to prominence as a contestant on the first series of ''The Voice (Australia)''. He has appeared in musicals ''Next to Normal'', Green Room Award, '' Dirty Rotten Sco ...

as John Phillips, Laura Fitzpatrick as

Michelle Phillips Michelle may refer to: People *Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottish wi ...

, and Dan Humphris as

Denny Doherty Dennis Gerrard Stephen Doherty (November 29, 1940 – January 19, 2007) was a Canadian singer. He was a founding member of the 1960s musical group the Mamas and the Papas for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. ...

. Donovan also played several roles in Shakespeare's As You Like It at Sydney's Belvoir Street Theatre. In 2016, Donovan played Killer Queen in ''

We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at numbe ...

''.

2017–2018: ''I'm a Celebrity'', TV advertisements and "Lonely"

In January 2017, Donovan was revealed as a celebrity contestant on the third season of the Australian version of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''. On 13 March 2017, Donovan won the series and was announced as the first ever Queen of the Jungle. In April 2017, Donovan became the face of the

Coles Supermarket Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd, trading as Coles, is an Australian supermarket, retail and consumer services chain, headquartered in Melbourne as part of the Coles Group. Founded in 1914 in Collingwood by George Coles, Coles operates ...

"Down down" campaign. On 23 April 2017, Donovan performed an acoustic version of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's "

Heroes Heroes or Héroes may refer to: * Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good Film * ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama * ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film Gaming * ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...

" at the

2017 Logie Awards The 59th Annual TV Week Logie Awards were held on Sunday 23 April 2017 at the Crown Palladium in Melbourne, and broadcast live on the Nine Network. Public voting for the Best Award categories began on 20 November 2016 and ended on 18 December 2 ...

in which she received a standing ovation. In May 2017 the '' Coles'', "

Down Down "Down Down" is a song by English rock band Status Quo. Written by Francis Rossi and Bob Young and produced by Status Quo, "Down Down" was Status Quo's only number one single on the UK Singles Chart. The single spent a week at the top of the ...

" campaign was refreshed with Casey performing a disco version of the advertisement. Donovan released her first single in 7 years, " Lonely" on 19 May 2017 and ''

Off the Grid & Somewhere in Between ''Off the Grid & Somewhere in Between'' is an extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

'' EP in August 2017. She performed on New Year's Eve 2017 in Sydney, singing "

Lady Marmalade "Lady Marmalade" is a song written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, originally for Nolan's disco group. The song is famous for the repeated refrain of " ''Voulez-vous coucher avec moi''?" in French as part of the chorus, a sexually suggestive line ...

", "

Crazy Little Thing Called Love "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track is included on their 1980 album '' The Game'', and also appears on the band's compilation album ''Greatest Hits'' in 1981 ...

" and "

Nutbush City Limits "Nutbush City Limits" is a semi-autobiographical song written by Tina Turner which commemorates her rural hometown of Nutbush in Haywood County, Tennessee, United States. Originally released as a single on United Artists Records in August 19 ...

2019–present: ''Chicago'', ''Australia Decides'', and ''The Space'' podcast

In 2019 Donovan starred as "Mama Morton" in the Australian revival of the musical, ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'', receiving positive reviews. In November 2019, Donovan was announced as a participant in ''

Eurovision - Australia Decides The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pri ...

''; in an attempt to represent

Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 Australia originally planned to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 with the song "Don't Break Me" written by Montaigne (musician), Jessica Cerro, DNA Songs, Anthony Egizii and DNA Songs, David Musumeci. The song would have been perf ...

. She performed the track "Proud" in the national final on 8 February 2020 and placed second. In 2020, Donovan became a host on ''The Space'' podcast. It is listed in the "Health & Fitness" category through Nova Podcasts on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

. Two new short 3- to 4-minute mini-episodes are posted each day by Donovan. It is described as a "mindfulness podcast" and a "mini escape each morning and evening with short (and cringe-free) meditations, motivations, and tips on how to improve your day" 'The Space' is constantly in the Top 3 mindfulness and wellbeing Australian podcast category. Casey has fast become a must-see and hear performer at the annual New Year's Eve gala on the foreshore of the Sydney Opera House with performances in 2017 (Lady Marmalade, Nutbush City Limits, Think, Don't Stop Me Now) 2019 (Rolling In the Deep, I Will Survive, If I Could Turn Back Time, Purple Rain), 2020 (September, 9 To 5, So Caught Up,) and 2021 (Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Higher Love, Finally, Born This Way) and Australia Day performances at the iconic location in 2021 (Two Strong Hearts, Are You Gonna Be My Girl, Thunderstruck) and 2022 (Age of Reason, In The Summertime) as well as co-hosting, all televised nationally on ABC TV and iView. In 2021, Casey, was cast as lunatic ‘Luna Keys’ in the hit TV show How To Stay Married, alongside Peter Helliar and Lisa McCune, where she was able to peel back the layers of character acting and show her diverse talent and delivery to wide acclaim. Throughout the pandemic in 2020/ 2021, Casey has not only entertained her fans, but nourished her own musical soul, with a Facebook Live performance BluesDay Tuesday, where each week, she acoustically performs some of her favourite songs but also fan requests. “Bluesday is a show that uses music for healing, thought, interaction, distraction, storytelling whether it be m music or someone else's” says Casey. With thousands tuning in each week, Casey has decided to do a short mini tour in her home State of Victoria in October & November 2021. In 2021 Casey took on the hosting role alongside Noni Hazelhurst and Kurt Fearnley of SBS TV's What Does Australia Really Think?, a series that reveals what Australia thinks about disability, obesity, and old age through emotional personal stories, confronting social experiments and a nationwide survey. 2022 sees Casey return to the stage as a lead in the hit musical 9 TO 5, playing the role of Judy Bernly (Jane Fonda role from the hit movie) opening at the Capitol Theatre Sydney in February, then around the country throughout the year. Casey is also currently working on new music to be released in 2022 and her ‘Bluesday’ Tour on the East Coast of Australia.

Personal life

Donovan lends her name and support to a number of charitable and non-profit organisations. Donovan is an Ambassador for

APRA AMCOS APRA AMCOS consists of Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) and Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS), both copyright management organisations or copyright collectives which jointly represent over 100,000 songwr ...

and an Advocate for the

National Centre of Indigenous Excellence The Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) is an Australian federal government statutory authority with national responsibilities to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to acquire land and to manage assets to achieve cultura ...

. From 2004, Donovan was the victim of a six-year-long hoax telephone relationship with a persona named Campbell, constructed by a woman named Olga.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Singles

Television

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

! Lost to , - , rowspan="2",

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, ''For You'' , Highest Selling Album , , Missy Higgins - The Sound Of White , - , "Listen with Your Heart" , Highest Selling Single , , Anthony Callea - "The Prayer" , -

Deadly Awards

The Deadly Awards The Deadly Awards, commonly known simply as The Deadlys, was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. The event was held from 1995 to 2013. Description T ...

, (commonly known simply as The Deadlys), was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. They ran from 1996 to 2013. , - ,

Deadly Awards 2004 Deadly Awards 2004 the awards were an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. Music *Most Promising New Talent in Music: Casey Donovan *Single Release of t ...

, "herself" , Most Promising New Talent in Music , , - , rowspan="2",

, "herself" , Artist of the Year , , - , "Listen with Your Heart" , Single Release of the Year , , -

References

External links

Official Myspace

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donovan, Casey Living people 1988 births 21st-century Australian singers 21st-century Australian women singers Australian child singers Australian women pop singers Australian Idol winners Australian Institute of Music alumni I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (Australian TV series) winners I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (Australian TV series) participants Indigenous Australian actresses Indigenous Australian musicians Singers from Sydney Donovan musical family