KATE CEBERANO

Kate Ceberano first came to prominence singing back-up vocals with Melbourne band The Models. The band produced a #5 album in 1985 called 'Out of Mind, Out of Sight', before Ceberano found fame with her funk band I'm Talking. I’m Talking are acknowledged as the band “who pioneered New York-style art pop in Australia during the Jurassic Period of Pub Rock”. The group was managed by Ken West, now famous for being co-founder of the Big Day Out. The group’s ‘platinum’ debut album 'Bear Witness' included three top ten singles and achieved a platinum sales certification. Ceberano won Best Female Vocalist at the 1986 Countdown Awards. After such an auspicious debut album, the group broke up and Kate went solo.

It was here, in the late 80s, that Ceberano earned a formidable reputation for her soul, jazz and pop repertoire. Quite rightly radio labelled her as having “one of the greatest voices our music industry has ever produced” Kate’s first solo album was the live recording "Kate Ceberano and her Septet", released in 1987. The following year, Ceberano collaborated with Wendy Matthews on the album 'You've Always Got The Blues', which was the soundtrack to the ABC Television show Stringer. The album peaked at #7 in the ARIA charts and earned her a nomination for the ARIA Award for Best Female Artist in 1988. In 1989, Ceberano released her acclaimed album 'Brave'. The album was the 20th highest-selling album in Australia in the 1980s and spawned four singles, including "Bedroom Eyes", which became the 5th highest-selling single in Australia in 1989 and the highest-selling single by an Australian artist in that year.

At the 1989 ARIA awards, she won the ARIA Award for Best Female Artist, as well as 'Highest Selling Single' for "Bedroom Eyes". At the end of 1990, she received three Mo Awards for Jazz Performer, Female Rock Performer and Contemporary Concert Performer of the Year. Ceberano contributed "Nature Boy" to the The Crossing soundtrack, before releasing the albums 'Like Now', in 1990, and 'Think About It!', in 1991. In 1992, Ceberano joined the Australian cast of Jesus Christ Superstar, in which she performed the role of Mary Magdalene, and the show toured nationally. The album was the highest-selling album in Australia in 1992, certified 4 x platinum. Two singles were released from the album, including "Everything's Alright" (with John Farnham and Jon Stevens), which peaked at #6 on the ARIA charts.

Ceberano won a Logie Award for Most Popular Music Video in 1993 for "Everything's Alright". "I Don't Know How To Love Him" was the second single and won Ceberano another nomination for Best Female Artist in 1993. Kate followed this success with her own late-night cabaret-style show on ABC TV simply dubbed Kate Ceberano And Friends (1993-1994), the album from which went Gold. It peaked at #19 in 1994. In 1996 Kate released her next solo album 'Blue Box', which also went Gold and saw her nominated for another Best Female Artist at the ARIA’s. In 1997 Kate wrote and released what has become an Australian pop classic ''Pash''. A gorgeous slice of three-minute pop, the song went Platinum and established Kate as one of our leading female songwriters.

The subsequent album 'Pash' shot to #5 in the ARIA charts, was certified gold and produced the singles "Pash" and "Love Is Alive". Richard Wilkins of the Today Show simply referred to her as “Australian Music Royalty”. Ceberano returned with her 2003 studio album 'Girl Can Help It'. In 2007, Ceberano saluted the 1980s with her cover album 'Nine Lime Avenue', which was recorded in three weeks while she was on television show Dancing with the Stars. The album was a commercial success, peaking at #4 and gave Ceberano her first 'top 5' album since 1989's 'Brave'. Ceberano toured in late 2007 before recording another cover album, released in 2008, titled 'So Much Beauty', which peaked at #9 in Australia. Ceberano released three albums in 2009: the first is a collaborative jazz album that was recorded with Mark Isham, titled 'Bittersweet', which earned Ceberano a nomination at the 2009 ARIA awards; the second, an indie album with Dallas Cosmas, titled 'Dallas et Kate'; and in November, Ceberano released her first Christmas album, simply titled 'Merry Christmas', which was certified gold.

Ceberano was appointed the Victorian Ambassador for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. As the Victorian Ambassador, she helps to raise funds and awareness about breast cancer. Ceberano explained: “I like to be as involved as I possibly can in causes I feel strongly about. Yes I am a musician, but if I can do more to help others then I will.” Her memoir, I'm Talking: My Life, My Words, My Music, was published by Hachette Australia in 2014. She co-wrote the book with Tom Gilling. On 3 October 2015, she sang the Australian national anthem before AFL Grand Final at the MCG in Melbourne, Australia.

On 17 October 2018, Ceberano confirmed that she will reunite with I'm Talking, who will return to the stage in 2019 for to support Bryan Ferry's Australian tour. "I never, ever thought I'm Talking would reform and I'm a very optimistic person. The band split due to external pressures. So this reunion feels really good. Everything's amicable, we're all getting along. You learn a lot in hindsight. After 30 plus years things take on a treasured hue. You're not tired of the songs. They actually sound awesome. We are a time capsule."

In 2019, Ceberano released 'Tryst' with Paul Grabowsky. The album won the ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019.nIn February 2021, Ceberano released 'Sweet Inspiration', her 17th studio and 28th career album. It includes ten cover versions and two original tracks.In May 2023, Ceberano released 'My Life is a Symphony' with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

SINGLES
''I'm Beginning To See The Light / Lush Life'' Regular 
''You've Always Got The Blues / 3 = 2 + 1 (Shame)'' [with Wendy Mathews] 1988 ABC 
''Guilty (Through Neglect) / The Danger Zone'' [with Wendy Mathews] 1988 ABC 
''Bedroom Eyes (#2) / Kate's Blues'' 1989 Regular 
''Love Dimension (#14) / Like Now'' 1989 Regular 
''Brave / Young Boys Are My Weakness'' (#15) 1989 Regular 
''That's What I Call Love (#30) / Catalonian Knights'' 1990 Regular 
''Since You've Been Gone / Since You've Been Gone'' 1990 Regular 
''Dindi / Samba Minha'' 1990 Regular 
''Nature Boy / Tryin' Times'' 1990 Regular 
''Every Little Thing / Losing You'' 1991 Regular 
''Satisfied (#71) / Love Gets Me Up'' 1991 Regular
"Every Little Thing" (#34) 1991 Regular
"See Right Through" (#33) 1991 Regular
"Calling You" (#92) [with Andrew Pendlebury] 1992 Regular
"Everything's Alright" (#6) [with John Farnham and Jon Stevens] 1992 Polydor
"I Don't Know How to Love Him" (#38) 1992 Polydor
"You've Got a Friend" (#100) [with Bass Culture] 1993 MXL
"Feeling Alright" 1994 Regular
"All That I Want Is You" (#88) 1994 Mushroom
"Change" (#100) 1995 Regular
"Love and Affection" (#91) 1996 Regular
"Blue Box" 1996 Regular
"Pash" (#10) 1997 Mushroom
"Love Is Alive" (#57) 1998 Mushroom
"Time to Think" 1998 Mushroom
"I Won't Let You Down" (#50) 1999 Mushroom
"True Romantic" (#79) 1999 Mushroom
"Yes" 2002 ABC
"Higher and Higher" 2004 ABC
"At Last" 2004
"Unchained Melody" 2006 
"Go Your Own Way" 2007
"She Will Be Loved" 2008
"My One and Only Love" [with Mark Isham] 2009 
"It's Only Christmas" [with Ronan Keating] 2009 Polydor
"Magnet" 2013 
"Falling Slowly" [with David Campbell] 2014 
"A Song for You" [with Paul Grabowsky] 2019 
"I Touch Myself" [with Paul Grabowsky] 2019
"Monument City Lights, 1973" [with Steve Kilbey & Sean Sennett] 2019
"My Restless Heart" [with Steve Kilbey & Sean Sennett] 2019
"All Tied Up" [with Steve Kilbey & Sean Sennett] 2019
"Hold On"2020 
"Sweet Inspiration"2020
"Pash" [with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra] 2023

ALBUMS
'Kate Ceberano & Her Septet' 1987 Regular'Brave' (#2) 1989 Mushroom
'Like Now' (#18) 1990 Mushroom
'Think About It!' (#24) 1991 Mushroom
'Blue Box' (#18) 1996 Mushroom
'Pash' (#23) 1998 Mushroom
'The Girl Can Help It' 2003 ABC
'19 Days in New York' (#52) 2004 ABC
'Nine Lime Avenue' (#4) 2007 Universal
'So Much Beauty' (#9) 2008 Universal
'Bittersweet (#80) [with Mark Isham] 2009 Universal
'Dallas et Kate' [with Dallas Cosmas] 2009 Prototype Musique
'Merry Christmas' (#17) 2009 Universal
'Kensal Road' (#23) 2013 Sony
'Lullaby'  [with Nigel MacLean] 2015 MacLean, Ceberano
'Tryst'  [with Paul Grabowsky] 2019 ABC
'The Dangerous Age' [with Steve Kilbey and Sean Sennett] 2020
'Sweet Inspiration' (#5) 2021 Sony Music Australia
'My Life Is a Symphony' (#6) [with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra] 2023 

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Ceberano

http://top100singles.blogspot.com.au/