Royston Sagigi-Baira
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 1999 Australia |
| Origin | Mapoon, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2018-present |
| Labels | Sony Music Australia (2023+) |
Royston Sagigi-Baira, also known as Royston Noell,[1] is an Australian singer best known for winning the eighth seasonofAustralian Idol in 2023. He officially won the title in March 2023, $100,000 prize money and a recording contract with Sony Music Australia.[2]
Royston Sagigi-Baira is a Thanakwith (Aboriginal) and Wagadagam (Torres Strait Islander) man from Mapoon, Queensland.[3]
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.".[4] 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."[4]
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.[4]
In 2018, Sagigi-Baira competed on the Australian versionofAll Together Now, becoming the first contestant to snag a perfect score of 100 performiong Sam Smith's "Lay Me Down"[5] eventually been the last contestant eliminated behind Lai Utovou and Tarryn Stokes.[6]
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!"[7]
In November 2022, Sagigi-Baira released his debut single "When I Fall Apart" under the name Royston Noell.[8][9]
In 2023, Sagigi-Baira audition for the Seven Network reboot of Australian Idol with the song "I'm Not the Only One" by Sam Smith, receiving a golden ticket to the top 50.[10][11] He went on to advance through from the top 50 to the top 24, and then made it to the top 12 live shows.[12][13]
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.[14][15]
Upon being announced as a grand finalist Noell said "I can't believe this. This is crazy. This is a testament [to the fact] that no matter where you come from, as long as you work hard, you can follow your dreams, and they can come true."[16]
| Australian Idol performances and results (2023) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Song | Original Artist | Result |
| Auditions | "I'm Not the Only One" | Sam Smith | Through to Top 50 |
| Top 50 Part 1-Round 1 | "Wrecking Ball" | Miley Cyrus | Through to Round 2 |
| Top 50 Part 1-Round 2 | "I'll Be There" | Jess Glynne | Through to Part 2 |
| Top 50 Part 2 | "Everything I Wanted" | Billie Eilish | Through to Top 24 |
| Top 24 | "Versace on the Floor" | Bruno Mars | Through to Top 12 |
| Top 12 | "Man In The Mirror" | Michael Jackson | Through to Top 10 |
| Top 10 | "I Won't Let You Go" | James Morrison | Through to Top 8 |
| Top 8 | "The Climb" | Miley Cyrus | Through to Top 6 |
| Top 6 | "True Colors" | Cyndi Lauper | Perform Head to Head |
| Top 6-Head to Head | "I Want to Know What Love Is" | Foreigner | Through to Grand Finale |
| Grand Finale-Top 3 | "I Can't Make You Love Me" | Bonnie Raitt | Through to Top 2 |
| Grand Finale-Top 2 | "When You Believe" | Whitney Houston | Winner |
| "Invincible" | winners single | ||
After a performance on Whitney Houston's "When You Believe", Sagigi-Baira was announced as the winner.[17][18][19]
Immediately after the announcement, his winners single "Invincible", written by Toni Watson (known professionally as Tones and I), was released.[20][16] The song was compared to Rihanna's "Diamonds" on Radio 6PR.[21]
In November 2023, Noell released "Dreaming".[22]
Sagigi-Baira is currently residing in Cape York, in far north Queensland.[23]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | |||
| "When I Fall Apart"[8] | 2022 | — | TBA |
| "Invincible"[16] | 2023 | — | |
| "Dreaming"[22] | — |
The National Indigenous Music Awards recognise excellence, innovation and leadership among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians from throughout Australia. They commenced in 2004.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Himself | New Talent of the Year | Nominated | [24][25] |
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