Royston Sagigi-Baira, also known as Royston Noell, is an Australian singer best known for winning the eighth season of ''

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 2023. He officially won the title in March 2023, $100,000 prize money and a recording contract with Sony Music Australia.

Early life

Royston Sagigi-Baira is a Thanakwith (Aboriginal) and Wagadagam (Torres Strait Islander) man from

Mapoon, Queensland Mapoon is a coastal town in the Aboriginal Shire of Mapoon and a locality split between the Aboriginal Shire of Mapoon and the Shire of Cook in Queensland, Australia. In the , Mapoon had a population of 317 people. History Pre-European settlem ...

. Sagigi-Baira reflected saying "Most kids wanted to play rugby or go fishing, but I just wanted to sing It's all I ever wanted to do.". In year 2, his teacher gave him '' High School Musical'' DVD as a prize, saying "I took it home and watched it over and over again and completely fell in love with music, especially singing." Sagigi-Baira sang in church and in school. Sagigi-Baira attended the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) in Brisbane and as of 2023, is in his second year of a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Music) degree at the Queensland University of Technology.

Career

2018-2022: ''All Together Now''

In 2018, Sagigi-Baira competed on the Australian version of '' All Together Now'', becoming the first contestant to snag a perfect score of 100 performiong Sam Smith's " Lay Me Down" eventually been the last contestant eliminated behind Lai Utovou and Tarryn Stokes. During NAIDOC Week in July 2022, Aboriginal Christian leader, poet and writer Brooke Prentis spoke with Sagigi-Baira on national radio about the theme "Get Up! Stand up! Show up!" In November 2022, Sagigi-Baira released his debut single "When I Fall Apart" under the name Royston Noell.

2023: ''Australian Idol''

In 2023, Sagigi-Baira audition for the Seven Network reboot of ''

'' with the song " I'm Not the Only One" by Sam Smith, receiving a golden ticket to the top 50. He went on to advance through from the top 50 to the top 24, and then made it to the top 12 live shows. Sagigi-Baira continued to impress Australia weekly, advancing through to the top ten, then top eight and then top 6 before finding himself in the grand finale, and final three. Upon being announced as a grand finalist Noell said "I can't believe this. This is crazy. This is a testament o the factthat no matter where you come from, as long as you work hard, you can follow your dreams, and they can come true." After a performance on Whitney Houston's "When You Believe", Sagigi-Baira was announced as the winner. Immediately after the announcement, his winners single "Invincible", written by Toni Watson (known professionally as Tones and I), was released. The song was compared to

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

's " Diamonds" on Radio 6PR. In November 2023, Noell released "Dreaming".

Personal life

Sagigi-Baira is currently residing in Cape York, in far north Queensland.

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

National Indigenous Music Awards

The National Indigenous Music Awards recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia. They commenced in 2004. ! , - ! scope="row" rowspan="1",

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

, Himself , New Talent of the Year , ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagigi-Baira, Royston Living people 21st-century Australian singers Australian Idol winners Musicians from Queensland Australian LGBT singers 21st-century Australian LGBT people 1999 births