Kayne Taylor is a

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

singer from

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

who won the 2004 Australian series of ''

Popstars Live ''Popstars Live'' was an Australian music talent show television program similar to ''Australian Idol'' that aired on the Seven Network in early 2004. It was an evolution of the original '' Popstars'' TV show which aired between 2000 and 2002 on ...

''. Taylor started singing in 1994 and can also play bass and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

''Popstars Live''

Taylor was working for Australia Post when a friend dared him to audition. He did so, becoming a finalist and then the winner. On ''Popstars Live: The Finalists'', Taylor covered "

Jealous Guy "Jealous Guy" is a song written and originally recorded by English rock musician John Lennon from his 1971 album ''Imagine (John Lennon album), Imagine''. Not released as a single during Lennon's lifetime, it became an international hit in a v ...

", first performed by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and later an Australian number one hit for

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera (guitar), Andy Mackay (saxophone ...

in 1981. Taylor's show-stopping performance of the

INXS INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...

song "

Never Tear Us Apart "Never Tear Us Apart" is a song by Australian rock band INXS, released in August 1988 as the fourth single from their sixth studio album, ''Kick''. Background and composition The music was written by keyboardist Andrew Farriss, who recorded ...

" was considered by many to be his finest moment. Other standouts included his unique rendition of "

It's Raining Men "It's Raining Men" is a song by the American musical duo the Weather Girls from their third studio album, ''Success'' (1983). It was released as the album's lead single on September 10, 1982, through Columbia Records and CBS Records Internatio ...

", as well as the

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

and Jason Donovan duet "

Especially for You "Especially for You" is a song performed by Australian recording artists Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan from Donovan's debut album, '' Ten Good Reasons'' (1989). The song was released as his album's second single on 28 November 1988 and was ...

", which was performed, strangely, as a solo. After winning the series, Taylor entered the studios in early June 2004 to record a debut album. The first single "Heartbreaker" was released on 21 June 2004 and debuted at No. 8 on the Australian singles charts. He co-wrote the song himself. A planned second single, "City Lights", and the album were never released.

Future direction

Taylor moved on from ''

'' in order to pursue an independent record career. Taylor completed a three-month entertainment contract with the Conrad Hilton in Bangkok. During his time in Bangkok, Taylor got in touch with German producer

Leslie Mándoki László "Leslie" Mándoki (born 7 January 1953) is a German-Hungarian musician who became known as a member of the music group Dschinghis Khan. He continued his career as a solo artist and became a music producer who worked with many internat ...

and subsequently travelled to Germany, where he recorded seven songs in four days. Taylor and Mandoki then began working on Taylor's debut album for Europe.

Discography

Singles

Other appearances

* "Jealous Guy" from ''Popstars Live: The Finalists'' (2004)

References

External links

Official Myspace page for Kayne Taylor

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Kayne Australian pop singers Living people Popstars winners Musicians from Melbourne Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people)