Luke Kennedy is an Australian performer best known for placing second on
the second season of ''
The Voice (Australia)
''The Voice'' is an Australian singing competition television series. It premiered on the Nine Network on 14 April 2012, before moving to the Seven Network in 2021. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice '' ...
''. He has also toured internationally with
the Ten Tenors
The TEN Tenors (also known as TTT) are an Australian music ensemble that has toured worldwide, been seen by more than 90 million people and attracted a vast international fan-base by performing a unique combination of classical and contemporary m ...
and performed the title role in ''
Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
'' in six different productions around Australia.
History
Luke Kennedy began his performance career in
Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
where he performed in numerous local productions from the age of 16 onwards, including Jesus in
Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
, Marius in ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...
'' and Mary Sunshine in ''
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
''. He moved to Brisbane in 2002 to again play the title role in ''
Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
'' and continued in productions of ''
The Wiz
''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown (writer), William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's childr ...
'' as the Lion, ''
Alice
Alice may refer to:
* Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname
Literature
* Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll
* ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
'', ''
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...
'' as the Beast and Cain/Japheth in ''
Children of Eden
''Children of Eden'' is a 1991 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by John Caird. The musical is based on the Book of Genesis, with Act I telling the story of Adam and Eve, and Cain and Abel, while Act II deals with ...
''. In 2007, Luke played the role of Jamie in Jason Robert Brown's ''
The Last Five Years
''The Last Five Years'' is a musical written by Jason Robert Brown. It premiered at Chicago's Northlight Theatre in 2001 and was then produced Off-Broadway in March 2002. Since then it has had numerous productions both in the United States and ...
'' co-starring his now-partner Brisbane-based actress
Naomi Price
Naomi Price is an Australian stage actress and singer, best known for appearing in the fourth season of the Australian version of ''The Voice'', finishing in fifth place, and her roles in original cabarets ''Rumour Has It: Sixty Minutes Inside ...
for
(
Oscar Theatre Company
The Oscar Theatre Company is a theater company operating in Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of ap ...
/Judith Wright Arts Centre). In August and again in June 2011, he played the title role in a production of ''
Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...
''
at the QPAC Playhouse. He released his debut album, ''Overexposed'', in July 2010 and reprised the title role in ''Jesus Christ Superstar'', this time for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of South Australia in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
.
Kennedy returned to the role of Jesus in June 2015 for a sixth time at AIS Arena
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
opposite
Michael Falzon as Judas. Kennedy, along with
Rachael Beck
Rachael Elizabeth Beck (born 9 February 1971) is an Australian stage and television singer-actress. From 1991 to 1994 Beck had a major role on the popular sitcom, '' Hey Dad..!'', as Samantha Kelly. From 2006 to 2008, Beck appeared on all three ...
,
Alexandra Flood
Alexandra Flood (born 26 February 1990) is an Australian operatic soprano.
__TOC__
Career
Born in Cowes, Victoria, Flood attended the Methodist Ladies' College, Melbourne and studied from 2007 until 2010 at the University of Melbourne (B. A., Gra ...
and Michael Falzon joined
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra in the state of Queensland. The orchestra is based in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's building in South Bank. The Orchestra is funded by private corporations, the ...
for
Queensland Ballet
The Queensland Ballet, founded in 1960 by Charles Lisner OBE, is the premier ballet company of Queensland, Australia and is based in Brisbane. Queensland Ballet is one of only three full-time, professional classical ballet companies in Australi ...
's season of Strictly Gershwin in late May to early June 2016.
The Ten Tenors
Luke joined international touring group
the Ten Tenors
The TEN Tenors (also known as TTT) are an Australian music ensemble that has toured worldwide, been seen by more than 90 million people and attracted a vast international fan-base by performing a unique combination of classical and contemporary m ...
in early 2008
and in nearly two years on the road, he performed shows on nearly every continent in the world. Highlights of his time with TTT include the 2009 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon which was broadcast to 32 million people across North America, the 2008 Emirates Melbourne Cup and the DVD recording of Amigos Para Siempre: Live in Madrid in August 2009 with the RTVE Orchestra.
The Voice Australia, Record Deal, and A Time For Us
In April 2013, Kennedy auditioned for
Season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
{{disambig ...
of ''
The Voice Australia
''The Voice'' is an Australian singing competition television series. It premiered on the Nine Network on 14 April 2012, before moving to the Seven Network in 2021. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice '' ...
''. He appeared on the fourth Blind Audition episode on 10 April 2013 singing "
Un giorno per noi (A Time for Us)". All four coaches turned their chairs with standing ovations. Kennedy chose
Ricky Martin
Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...
as his coach .
He was paired against "Belinda Adams" in the Battle Rounds singing
Rose Laurens
Rose Laurens, previously billed as Rose Merryl (born Rose Podwojny; 4 March 1951 – 29 April 2018), was a French singer-songwriter, known for her 1982 single "Africa", a top-three hit in several European countries."Africa", in various singles ...
"
I Dreamed a Dream
"I Dreamed a Dream" is a song from the 1980 musical ''Les Misérables''. It is a solo that is sung by the character Fantine during the first act. The music is by Claude-Michel Schönberg, with orchestrations by John Cameron. The English lyri ...
". This resulted in Martin choosing Kennedy to go through to the Showdowns. In the Showdowns he sang "
Con te partirò
"Con te partirò" (; "With You I Shall Depart") is an Italian song written by Francesco Sartori (music) and Lucio Quarantotto (lyrics). It was first performed by Andrea Bocelli at the 1995 Sanremo Music Festival and recorded on his album of the ...
" by
Andrea Bocelli
Andrea Bocelli (; born 22 September 1958) is an Italian tenor and multi-instrumentalist. He was born visually impaired, with congenital glaucoma, and at the age of 12, Bocelli became completely blind, following a brain hemorrhage resulting fro ...
and was voted through to the live finals by the public.
In the first Live Final he sang "
Please Don't Ask Me
''Uncovered'' is a solo studio album by British-born Australian singer John Farnham, produced by Little River Band's Graeham Goble, and released on 3 July 1980, which peaked at No. 20 on the Australian Kent Music Report album chart NOTE: Used fo ...
" by
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British born Australian singer. Farnham was a Teen idol, teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an Adu ...
. This was the first time he has moved away from his Opera genre into a more pop genre. After impressing coach Ricky Martin the most on his team, Martin put him straight through to the top 12.
In the second Live Final he sang "
Freedom 90
"Freedom! '90" (also known simply as "Freedom!") is a song written, produced, and performed by George Michael, and released on Columbia Records in 1990. The "'90" added to the end of the title is to prevent confusion with a hit by Michael's for ...
" by
George Michael
George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...
and this resulted in the public voting him through to the top 8. In the third Live Final Kennedy sang "
Overjoyed" by
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
. At the start of the semi-final it was revealed Kennedy was through to the last four because of this performance.
In the semi-finals he had to sing two songs in one night for the first time. First up was "
Caruso" by
Lucio Dalla
Lucio Dalla (; 4 March 1943 – 1 March 2012) was an Italian singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He also played clarinet and keyboards.
Dalla was the composer of " Caruso" (1986), a song dedicated to Italian opera tenor Enrico Caruso, and ...
. After all of the final eight had performed their first song it was revealed that Kennedy was through to the final four after a close race between him and fellow Team Ricky member "Miss Murphy". He was through the Grand Final. He then performed his own original song "Love Is Gone".
In the Grand Final he again sang two songs. First was a group performance by the top 4 of "
You're the Voice
"You're the Voice" is a song written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson, and recorded by the Australian singer John Farnham and released as a single in September 1986 ahead of his album ''Whispering Jack''. "You're the V ...
" by
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British born Australian singer. Farnham was a Teen idol, teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an Adu ...
and then a duet with coach
Ricky Martin
Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...
of "
El Tango De Roxanne
"Roxanne" is a song by English rock band The Police. The song was written by lead singer and bassist Sting and was released as a single on 7 April 1978, in advance of their debut album ''Outlandos d'Amour'', released 2 November. It was written ...
" by
the Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...
. Kennedy eventually reached the top 2 but placed second to
Harrison Craig
Harrison Craig (born 7 September 1994) is an Australian singer who won the second series of ''The Voice Australia''. Craig was coached in the program by British singer Seal. Craig has had three songs on the ARIA Singles Chart top 10 with his c ...
.
Kennedy performed the following songs on The Voice:
Just weeks after
The Voice Australia
''The Voice'' is an Australian singing competition television series. It premiered on the Nine Network on 14 April 2012, before moving to the Seven Network in 2021. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice '' ...
finished, Kennedy along with other finalists ''Celia Pavey'' and ''Danny Ross'' signed a record contract with
Universal Music Australia
Universal Music Australia Pty Ltd. (UMA) is the largest Australian music corporation. It is a division of the Universal Music Group. Universal Music Australia's corporate headquarters are located in Sydney, Australia.
Labels
Universal Musi ...
and it was announced his debut album, ''A Time For Us'' would be released on 12 July 2013.
Kennedy's debut single "Stay For a Minute" was released on 5 July 2013.
''A Time For Us'' includes eleven tracks, eight of which were performed on The Voice. The other three tracks are the single, Stay For a Minute, and two other covers, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and in My Life. ''A Time For Us'' debuted at number 6 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 ...
on 13 July 2013 with 3,806 sales nationally. In its second week on the chart it stayed in the top ten at number 10. The album will be released in New Zealand later in the year when
Season 2 Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* '' 2econd Season''
See also
*
{{disambig ...
of ''
The Voice Australia
''The Voice'' is an Australian singing competition television series. It premiered on the Nine Network on 14 April 2012, before moving to the Seven Network in 2021. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice '' ...
'' finishes airing there. Kennedy has expressed interest in touring later in 2013 after appearing in a number of instores promoting "A Time For Us". He may also feature in
Ricky Martin
Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...
's upcoming Australian tour.
Swing on This
Kennedy performed in the new cabaret act ''Swing on This'' at the
Adelaide Cabaret Festival
The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is an annual arts festival featuring cabaret held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It has been held in June each year since 2001, with the exception of 2020 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, ...
on 7 June 2014. Festival Artistic Director, and singer in her own right,
Kate Ceberano
Catherine Yvette Ceberano ( or , born 17 November 1966) is an Australian singer and actress who performs in the soul, jazz, and pop genres, as well as in film and musicals such as '' Jesus Christ Superstar''. Her song " Pash" received a gold ...
appeared as a special guest to perform with a cast that included
Ben Mingay
Ben Mingay is an Australian actor and singer, perhaps best known for having played Buzz Graham in the series '' Packed to the Rafters'' and Rob Duffy in '' Wonderland''. He played the role of Billy in the stage version of ''Dirty Dancing'' in Au ...
,
Michael Falzon , and
Matt Lee. Following Adelaide Cabaret Festival, they performed as the headline act at both the official black tie launch of the refurbished
Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on 25 July and at the community concert
the next evening, again playing to a full house, and this was followed in 2015 with a season at
The Arts Centre Gold Coast
Home of the Arts (HOTA), opened as the Keith Hunt Community Entertainment and Arts Centre in 1986 and subsequently renamed The Arts Centre Gold Coast (TAC) and Gold Coast Arts Centre, is a cultural precinct situated in Surfers Paradise, City of ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
Live performance
References
External links
*
Australian Stage Online feature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Luke
Culture of Brisbane
1982 births
Living people
Australian pop singers
Musicians from Queensland
People from Ipswich, Queensland
21st-century Australian singers
21st-century Australian male singers
Swing on This members