Kate Ceberano

Kate Ceberano
Background information
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Pop, soul, jazz
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, actress
Instruments	Singing
Years active	1983–present
Labels	Universal Music Group
Associated acts	I'm Talking (1983–87)
Website	www.kateceberano.com

Kate Ceberano (born 17 November 1966) is an Australian pop vocalist entertainer. She achieved success in the soul, jazz and pop genres as well as in her brief forays into musicals with Jesus Christ Superstar and film. She has also achieved success as a songwriter, with the hit "Pash" going gold in 1998.

Ceberano is an active member of the Church of Scientology.^[1][2] As of September 2008, Kate is the face of Playtex lingerie.

Biography

Ceberano was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia of an American father of Filipino descent^[3] (karate master Tino Ceberano) and an Australian mother. Kate's mother's family are amongst some of the earliest settlers and government officials in South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania.^[3] She is a third-generation member of the Church of Scientology in Australia, her grandmother having once been employed as a governess for L. Ron Hubbard's children. She retains close family ties, working closely with her mother Cherie Ceberano, her brother (guitarist Phil) and her husband (film-maker Lee Rogers).

Noted for her soulful and powerful vocal style, singer-songwriter Kate Ceberano has won almost every entertainment award in Australia. She has released five Platinum albums, five Gold albums, selling in excess of 1 million albums in Australia alone, performed tours, acted in feature films and hosted her own television show.

Ceberano first came to prominence as lead vocalist at 15 years of age, for the funk band I'm Talking, which was managed by Ken West. The group's album produced three top ten singles, went Platinum and won Best New Talent (1984) at the Countdown Awards. Ceberano won Best Female Vocalist (1985) at the Countdown Awards as well as Best Female Singer (1985) at the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA) Awards. However after just one album, the group broke up and she went solo, with manager West soon replaced by Ceberano's mother Cherie.

Ceberano's first solo album was the live set Kate Ceberano and Her Septet (1987). Her following album You've Always Got the Blues (1988) earned her an ARIA Award for Best Female Artist (1988). One year later, she won another ARIA for Best Female Artist (1989) as well as one for Highest Selling Single (1989), which was "Bedroom Eyes". At the end of 1990, she received three prestigious Mo Awards for Jazz Performer, Female Rock Performer and Contemporary Concert Performer of the Year.

In 1992, Ceberano performed the role of Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar (1992), which toured Australia and also featured John Farnham as Jesus Christ, and former Noiseworks howler Jon Stevens as Judas Iscariot. She followed this with her own late-night cabaret-style show on ABC TV called Kate Ceberano and Friends (1993-1994).

In 1994 a portrait of Kate Ceberano by painter Peter Robertson won the Packing Room award at the Archibald Prize.

In 1996 Ceberano released her next solo album Blue Box, which went Gold and saw her nominated for another Best Female Artist ARIA. In 1997 she wrote and released "Pash". It went Gold and establishing Ceberano as one of Australian's leading songwriters.

Ceberano has also appeared the feature films, Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (2002), Dust Off the Wings (1996), Garbo (1990) and telemovie Arguing the Toss of a Cat (1989). She also performs as a special guest with acclaimed Los Angeles improv group the Really Spontaneous Theatre Company.

In 2005, Ceberano appeared as a judge on the Australian version of the television reality show The X Factor for which she was voted Australia's Worst Female TV Personality by the annual satirical TV Fugly Awards.^[4]

Later she performed at the Kimberley Moon Experience at Kununurra, marking her first time in the Kimberley.

She has also appeared on Network Ten Australia's David Tench Tonight program, as well as on the 2007 edition of the Seven Network's Dancing with the Stars, which she won, and has also featured as a guest contributor on Series 4 of the Nine Network's 20 to 1. She appeared on the Seven Network's second and third season of It Takes Two. In the second season in 2007, she accompanied swimmer Daniel Kowalski who came fifth and in 2008, she accompanied footballer Russell Robertson who came second in the competition.

Kate appeared in the Countdown Spectacular 2 concert series in Australia between late August and early September 2007, singing the I'm Talking favourites "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" and "Trust Me".

Discography

Singles

• 1984 "It's Magic" / "Only with You" (Backing vocals for John Justin)
• 1984 "Someday" (with I'm Talking)
• 1985 "Trust Me" (with I'm Talking) AUS #10
• 1985 "Lead the Way" (with I'm Talking) AUS #25
• 1985 "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (with I'm Talking) AUS #21
• 1986 "Do You Wanna Be?" (with I'm Talking) AUS #8
• 1986 "Holy Word" (with I'm Talking) AUS #9
• 1988 "You've Always Got the Blues" (duet with Wendy Matthews) AUS #81
• 1989 "Bedroom Eyes (song)" AUS #2
• 1989 "Love Dimension" AUS #14
• 1989 "Brave" / "Young Boys Are My Weakness" AUS #15
• 1990 "That's What I Call Love" AUS #30 (featured on the Soundtrack "She Devil")
• 1990 "Dindi"
• 1990 "Nature Boy"
• 1991 "Every Little Thing" AUS #34
• 1991 "Satisfied" AUS #71
• 1991 "See Right Through" / "Everything Will Be Alright" AUS #33
• 1992 "Calling You" (with Andrew Pendlebury on guitar) AUS #97
• 1992 "Everything's Alright" (with John Farnham and Jon Stevens) AUS #6
• 1992 "I Don't Know How to Love Him" AUS #38
• 1993 "You've Got a Friend" (Bass Culture Featuring Kate Ceberano) AUS #100
• 1994 "Feeling Alright"
• 1994 "All That I Want Is You" AUS #88
• 1995 "Change" AUS #100
• 1996 "Love and Affection" AUS #91
• 1996 "Blue Box"
• 1997 "Pash" AUS #9, NZ #36
• 1998 "Pash" (Remix)
• 1998 "Love Is Alive" AUS #57
• 1998 "Time To Think"
• 1999 "I Won't Let You Down" AUS #50
• 1999 "True Romantic" AUS #79
• 2002/2003 "Yes" (US + Australian radio promo single only)
• 2004 "Higher and Higher" (Australian radio promo single only)
• 2004 "At Last" (Australian radio promo single only)
• 2006 "Unchained Melody" (Australian radio promo single only)
• 2007 "Go Your Own Way" (Australian radio promo single only)
• 2008 "She Will Be Loved" (Australian radio promo single only)

Albums

• 1986 Bear Witness (as lead singer in the band I'm Talking) — Platinum^{[citation needed]} (AUS #14)
• 1987 Kate Ceberano & Her Septet — Gold^{[citation needed]}
• 1988 You've Always Got the Blues (with Wendy Matthews) — Platinum^{[citation needed]} (AUS#7)
• 1989 Brave — Triple Platinum^{[citation needed]} (AUS#2)
• 1990 Like Now (as Kate Ceberano & Her Sextet) AUS #18
• 1991 Think About It AUS #24
• 1992 Jesus Christ Superstar Cast Album — Role: Mary Magdalene (4× Platinum^{[citation needed]}, 10.Wks at No. 1)
• 1992 Open the Door — Live at Mietta's
• 1994 Kate Ceberano & Friends — live album from her ABC TV show — Gold^{[citation needed]} AUS #19
• 1996 Blue Box — Gold^{[citation needed]} AUS #18
• 1997 Pash — Gold^{[citation needed]} AUS #23
• 1999 True Romantic: The Best of Kate Ceberano — Double Platinum^{[citation needed]} (AUS#9)
• 2003 The Girl Can Help It
• 2004 The Definitive Collection
• 2004 19 Days in New York (AUS #53)
• 2006 Live with The WASO
• 2007 Nine Lime Avenue — Platinum^{[citation needed]} (AUS #4)
• 2008 So Much Beauty^[5] (AUS #9)
• 2009 Bittersweet with trumpet player Mark Isham (AUS #80, #3 ARIA Jazz Chart)
• 2009 Merry Christmas (AUS #26)

Awards / highlights

• 1999 Outstanding Achievement in the Arts in Asia — Business Asia Awards
• 1994 Peoples Choice Awards — Favourite Female Singer (record 3rd time)
• 1993 Peoples Choice Awards — Favourite Female Singer
• 1992 Peoples Choice Awards — Favourite Female Singer
• 1992 Coca Cola Australia Music Award — Most Popular Female Performer
• 1992 Coca Cola Australia Music Award — Most Popular Song
• 1992 Coca Cola Australia Music Award — Most Popular Australian Act in a live Performance
• 1990 MO Awards — Female Jazz Performer of the Year
• 1989 MO Awards — Rock Performer of the Year
• 1989 MO Awards — Female Rock Performer of the Year
• 1989 MO Awards — Contemporary Concert Performer of the Year
• 1989 Monte Carlo World Music Awards — Highest Selling Australian Artist
• 1989 ARIA Award — Highest Selling Australian Single*
• 1989 ARIA Award — Best Female Artist*
• 1988 ARIA Award — Best Female Artist*
• Kate has been nominated 7 times; a record equalled only by Kylie Minogue
• 1987 Coca Cola Australia Music Award — Most Popular Female Performer
• 1987 Asian Popular Song Contest — Winner
• 1986 Countdown Awards — Best Female Artist
• 1985 Countdown Awards — Best Female Artist
• 1984 Countdown Awards – Most Promising New Talent

Film / Television

Filmography

• 1989 Arguing the Toss of a Cat (telemovie), Director: Christine Sammers
• 1997 Dust Off the Wings (feature film), Director: Lee Rogers
• 1999 Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (feature film), Director: Paul Cox
• 1999 Opening theatrical sequence for Sydney's Fox Studios, Director: Baz Luhrmann

Television highlights

• Dancing with the Stars (2007)
• It Takes Two (2007, 2008)

External links

Scientology portal

• Official website
• Official Myspace
• Kate Ceberano's "So Much Beauty" on iTunes
• It Takes Two official website
• Kate Ceberano at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview April 2008

References