Shannon Noll
(born 16 September 1975) first came to prominence as runner-up of the first series of Australian Idol
(2003) which led to him being signed to Sony BMG. Since then he has released four Top 10 albums and ten Top 10 singles. His first two albums That's What I'm Talking About
in 2004 and Lift
in 2005 debuted at #1 on the ARIA charts and both achieved multi platinum accreditation. [1] [2] His third album Turn It Up
released in 2007, debuted at #3 and was accredited platinum. [3] His most recent album No Turning Back: The Story So Far
containing some of his previous hits and five new songs was released in 2008, debuting at #7, and has not gained accreditation yet. [4] Noll has had more success with singles than any other Australian idol contestant. His first ten singles released between February 2004 and September 2007 all peaked inside the Aria Top 10. [5] He is the only artist in Australian chart history to have ten consecutive Top 10 singles. [6] Seven of these singles were Top 5 with three of those debuting at #1.
Noll received Aria nominations for highest seller for his debut album and single in 2004, and for the single "Shine" in 2006. His second album Lift
was also nominated for Best Pop release in that year. [7] [8] He won MTV awards for Best Male Artist three years in succession between 2005 and 2007. [9] He has achieved nine platinum accreditations for albums and eight platinum and two gold accreditations for singles during his career according to Australian Recording Industry Association records. [10] His 2008 biography on his official website states he has sold over 1 million units in Australia, [11] but taking into account all his accredited and non accredited releases the figure would actually be over 1.3 million. Noll also had some chart success in two other countries in 2004. His debut single "What About Me" reached #2 in Ireland and #10 in New Zealand. His debut album also peaked at #31 and spent 7 weeks in the New Zealand charts. [12] An album of his Australian hits called What Matters Most
was released in the UK and Ireland in June 2009 to coincide with his tour there with the stage production of The War Of The Worlds. He will release his fifth Australian album in 2010.
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SHANNON NOLL TICKETS
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Early life
Noll grew up in the small town of
Condobolin in central western
New South Wales. He is the youngest of three children to parents Sharyn and Neil Noll and along with brothers Damian and Adam, spent their entire childhood and teenage years on the family farm which ran sheep and cattle and grew cereal crops. At school, Noll enjoyed drama classes, performing in a number of school productions. Noll has since expressed a desire to continue his acting work. After leaving school, Noll traveled to Sydney and played football. It was here where he met his current wife Rochelle.
During his adult years, Noll began working on other farms and properties shearing sheep amongst other tasks. It was during this time Noll and his brothers formed the band called "Cypress" (named for the fact that they rehearsed in a timber mill). Shannon provided vocals and played guitar. In numerous small gigs around the
Australian outback, the band played in country pubs gaining a solid live reputation. Although they performed mainly covers, the group also wrote original music they would include as part of their set.
Father Neil was tragically killed during a farming accident in 2001, which left running the farm to Shannon and his brothers. After two years of extreme drought the brothers sold the farm and settled in Condobolin with their mother. Shannon often cites the death of his father as a major inspiration in his musical career, and penned a song on his latest album
Lift titled "
Now I Run" in memory of his father.
Noll and his wife Rochelle Ogden began their relationship in 1997. They have two sons Cody (2001) and Blake (2002). They wed in October 2004 and had a daughter, Sienna (2006).
Australian Idol
By 2003, Noll was in debt and out of work following the sale of the farm. His brothers encouraged him to travel to Sydney to audition for the 2003 debut season of "
Australian Idol". Noll impressed the judges
Mark Holden,
Marcia Hines, and
Ian Dickson with his audition in which he performed the Southern Sons'
Hold Me In Your Arms
. After his audition,
Marcia Hines praised Shannon and told him that she had just discovered
"a voice"
and
Ian Dickson informed Shannon that
"...Australia will love you"
Following his initial audition, Noll made his way into the Top 32 semi-final where he performed a rendition of Robbie Williams' hit "
Better Man". The viewing audience voted Noll into the Top 12. Over eight weeks of performance shows, Noll found himself in the bottom three only once – following his performance of
Bon Jovi's "
Livin' On A Prayer" during The 80's theme night. Throughout the show, Noll impressed both the judges and audience with performances of songs as diverse as
Powderfinger's "Already Gone", to
The Beatles "
Hey Jude" to
Jimmy Barnes "
Working Class Man".
During the 2003
Australian Idol
series finals, Noll sang:
| Week
| Theme
| Song Sung
| Original Artist
|
| Audition
| Contestant's Choice
| "Hold Me in Your Arms"
| Southern Sons
|
| Top 40
| Semifinals
| "Better Man"
| Robbie Williams
|
| Top 12
| Time Warp #1 - The 1970s
| "Help is On Its Way"
| Little River Band
|
| Top 10
| #1 Smash Hits
| "What About Me"
| Moving Pictures
|
| Top 8
| Aussie Music
| "Already Gone"
| Powderfinger
|
Top 6 Up, Close & Personal
| Time Warp #2 - The 1980s -
| "Livin' on a Prayer" "With or Without You"
| Bon Jovi U2
|
| Top 5
| R&B Music Songs of Soul Music
| "Higher and Higher" "When a Man Loves a Woman"
| Jackie Wilson Percy Sledge
|
| Top 4
| Big Bands
| "I've Got Yoy Under My Skin" "New York, New York
| Frank Sinatra
|
| Top 3
| Time Warp #3 - The 1960s
| "One" "Hey Jude"
| Harry Nilsson The Beatles
|
| Top 2
| Idol's Choice Idol's Choice Winner's Single
| "Please Forgive Me" "Working Class Man" "Angels Brought Me Here"
| Bryan Adams Jimmy Barnes Guy Sebastian
|
In the weeks leading up to the Grand Final of Idol, Noll recorded his version of the winner's single "
Angels Brought Me Here" and filmed the music video for the song, which was to be released the week after the winner was announced. Copies of Noll's version of the song were released to radio stations in anticipation of his win, however Noll's version of the song was subsequently never aired on radio and the music video was never released for television broadcast.
In the week before the Grand Final, Noll and fellow finalist
Guy Sebastian embarked on a whirlwind Australia-wide promotional tour. Tens of thousands of fans turned out in support, including 20,000 people in
Adelaide and 15,000 in
Melbourne.
Noll reached the Grand Final on
November 19,
2003 alongside eventual winner
Guy Sebastian following fellow contestant,
Cosima De Vito's withdrawal from the competition. During the Grand Final show, Noll performed an encore performance of "
What About Me", which helped cement the popularity of his version of the song and lead it to being chosen for release as his debut single.
2003-2004: That's What I'm Talking About
right
(2004).
Noll signed a multi-album deal with Sony BMG shortly after Australian Idol. It was announced in December 2003 that his debut single would be a cover of the
Moving Pictures hit
What About Me
performed on Idol. Recording of the single took place during November/December 2003 at Eargasm Studios in
Sydney and tracks were chosen and recorded for inclusion on Noll's debut album around the same time.
Shannon Noll's debut single
What About Me
was released on
25 January 2004 and debuted at number one on the
Australian Singles Chart the following week with sales exceeding 125,000 copies in its first week. At the time, this figure was the third highest one-week sales for a single in Australian chart history. The single earned Noll a nomination for Highest Selling Single at the 2004
ARIA Awards. Over its chart run,
What About Me
sold in excess of 300,000 copies and was certified 4x Platinum in March 2004.
Following the success of "
What About Me", Noll's full-length debut album
That's What I'm Talking About
was released on
9 February 2004 in Australia by Sony BMG.
Noll joined the other Australian Idol Top 12 finalists in January and February 2004 on an arena tour which played to crowds in every Australian capital city. Though, it was at his record-breaking
Valentine's Day in-store appearance at
Warringah Mall to more than 15,000 fans that Noll announced that the second single from the album was
Drive
.
Containing a mixture of pop, rock and country tracks recorded over six weeks between December 2003 and January 2004,
That's What I'm Talking About
debuted at number one and was certified
triple-platinum upon its release. By August 2004, the album was certified as a 3x Platinum seller and remained in the Top 100 Album Chart for almost a year.
Drive
, an uptempo rock track written by Canadian singer
Bryan Adams, was a successful second single from
That's What I'm Talking About
in March 2004. Noll undertook a large amount of promotion for the single including performances on television, including
The NRL Footy Show
and
Sunrise
. It reached number four in Australia and was another
Platinum seller. Noll later performed
Drive
at the
2004 TV Week Logie Awards ceremony.
Solo tour
Noll undertook his first full scale solo tour in May 2004 playing 40 shows in 47 days. Noll later stated in an interview that performing that number of shows in such a small amount of time was something he would never do again.
"
Learn To Fly" was the third and final commercial release from
That's What I'm Talking About. A limited edition release of 40,000 copies, the single was another success for Noll, debuting at the number two position on the
ARIA singles chart on
July 12,
2004.
Increased popularity during this period saw him star in his own one-hour TV special on the Ten Network,
Up Close with Shannon Noll
, hosted by
Australian Idol
judge
Ian "Dicko" Dickson, screened on
2 August 2004. During the show, Noll spoke candidly about his past and touched on topics including his experiences with drugs and the death of his father. Noll also performed several songs during the special, including "
Learn to Fly" which he dedicated to his father, and a duet with
Australian Idol judge
Marcia Hines. The special rated reasonably well .
In October 2004, Noll achieved overseas success when his single "What About Me" reached number two in
Ireland.. Also in October 2004, the
Nine Network approached Noll to re-record the
World Series Cricket song "
C'mon Aussie C'mon" with updated lyrics with names of the current Australian cricket team, for release on
19 December 2004. The single peaked at number two on the
ARIA singles chart, raising more than $A150,000 for children's charities.
In December 2004 it was announced that Noll would star in the stage musical production of
Grease
, which appeared in Australian
theatres in May 2005, however, Noll opted out to concentrate on the recording of his second album release,
Lift
.
2005-2006: Lift
200px
(2005).
In early 2005, Noll embarked on a songwriting trip in which he travelled to London, UK, and across America. It was reported early on in the process that Noll had met with hitmaking songwriters
Desmond Child, responsible for writing hit songs for
Bon Jovi and
Aerosmith, and powerballad writer
Dianne Warren. Noll later explained that whilst he appreciated the opportunity to work with big name international songwriters, he felt the material being written by local Australian songwriters was more connected to the type of album he wanted to create at the time and that they were the stronger songs.
During his time in America in early 2005, Noll played a handful of small "showcase" style gigs both for Sony BMG executives and the general public, but was unable to obtain a US recording contract. Following the trip, Noll returned to Australia to complete the writing and recording of
Lift
.
Noll was asked by Canadian artist
Bryan Adams to support him on Adams' Australian tour throughout February and March 2005. It was during these concerts that Noll premiered two songs he had written for his new album,
Lonely
and the unreleased
The Winner Takes It All
.
On
25 August 2005, the first single from his second album
Lift
, entitled
Shine
was released to Australian radio. The track premiered simultaneously Australia wide and quickly became one of the most requested songs. The uptempo bouncing pop-rock track moved away from Noll's prior releases and it was commented that Noll's voice and vocal technique had improved since his last recording.
Shine
was released as the first single from the album
Lift
on
23 September 2005, and debuted at number one on the
ARIA singles chart the following week.
Shine
was later nominated as Highest Selling Single at the 2005
ARIA Awards.
A week after the release of
Shine
, Noll's second album
Lift
was released on
16 October 2005, and debuted at number one on the ARIA charts the following week. First week shipment and sales of
Lift
ensured the album a platinum certification. The album, with 11 out of 13 tracks co-written by Noll, contained some of Noll's most personal songs to date, ranging in topic from finding love to death, overcoming the odds and self belief. Highlight tracks were third and fourth singles
Now I Run
and
Lonely
.
Noll made a special guest appearance at the final of the 2005 season of Australian Idol, where he performed his new single
Lift
. After the performance, Noll was presented a plaque in honour of sales exceeding one million units in Australia over the previous 18 months.
The title track of Noll's second album,
Lift
, was released in December 2005. The single was Noll's first not to debut in the top ten, however two weeks after its release, it jumped to number ten, remaining there for several weeks. The track, an uplifting rock influenced song about overcoming the odds and fighting adversity, achieved a gold certification.
Lift
spent 35 weeks in the top 100 singles chart, the longest running chart single for an Australian Idol related release.
Lift
is the theme song of the Australian version of
The Biggest Loser
.
In January 2006, Noll performed the song
Shine
at the 2006
Australian Open tennis final. The performance sparked renewed interest in the
Lift
album which returned to the top ten.
In support of the album's third single release,
Now I Run
, Noll embarked on a 72-date concert tour across Australia including a gig during the annual
Gympie Muster. Once again he focused on some of the more remote and isolated country and rural areas during this tour, one of the few Australian touring acts to do so, and at completion of the tour had played to more than 200,000 people.
In 2006, Noll was courted for a role in an Australian movie based loosely on the life of now-deceased Australian racing legend
Peter Brock, but he declined, preferring to focus on his music.
Noll released a further two singles from
Lift
,
Now I Run
and
Lonely
. Both singles were top 10 hits, increasing his run of top 10 successes to eight. With the release of
Lonely
, Noll rewrote Australian chart history by having so far achieved nine consecutive top 10 singles (10 including his contribution to the #1 hit
Rise Up
with the Australian Idol Final 12, 2003). To the end of 2006, Noll has been the only former Australian Idol contestant to have ever been nominated for a music industry-voted award by ARIA. As of
[] January 2007, the
Lift
album remains in the Top 100 ARIA album chart after 64 weeks. It has now charted over a three year period from 2005–2007.
In September 2006, Noll decided not to continue with his managers since his first album, Sydney firm Caplice Management, and signed with Worldwide Entertainment Group. The decision was seen as a positive move in Noll's desire to gain success in America. Worldwise Entertainment Group's press release stated that Noll is a "high priority artist" for them and that an extensive promotional and songwriting trip was organised for America in early 2007.
Noll was chosen as support act for American rock group
Live in October 2006, playing each capital city across Australia. Including the tour with Live, Noll has now performed in excess of 300 concerts in the last two and a half years.
On
9 December 2006, Noll released a duet with
Rogue Traders singer
Natalie Bassingthwaithe. It is a cover of the
Peter Gabriel and
Kate Bush hit
Don't Give Up
. The single was yet another success for Noll, peaking at number two on the ARIA singles charts and being certified Platinum with 12 consecutive weeks in the top 10. Proceeds from the single went to the charity "Beyond Blue", which deals with depression.
2007: Turn It Up
right
(2007).
Noll spent several months in early 2007 travelling to America to write songs for his upcoming third album. During Noll's "Now I Run" tour in mid 2006, he premiered a new composition entitled "The World Outside" which may find a place on his next album.
It was reported that Noll would be spending time in Nashville, New York, and Los Angeles collaborating with US writers Jon Ingoldsby,
Desmond Child,
Richie Sambora, and
Richard Marx on tracks for possible inclusion on his third album, which has been slated for release in September 2007.
28 February brought nomination for the third consecutive time as "Best Male Artist" at the
MTV Australia Awards, an award he won for the previous two years. Noll performed his hit singles
Shine
and
Don't Give Up
at the opening ceremony of the FINA World Swimming Championships, in Melbourne, Victoria. Noll was the lead act at a large-scale annual public function held on the Queensland Gold Coast.
In 2007 Noll appeared as Parson Nathaniel in the Australian tour of
Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds.
The first single from Noll's third album
Turn It Up
was a track called
Loud
. A one-minute teaser of the track premiered on the website for
the Daily Telegraph. The single included the previously unreleased track
The World Outside
.
Turn It Up
was released on
September 15,
2007.
On
September 21, it was confirmed by Noll that his second single from
Turn It Up
would be
In Pieces
. Shannon states, "this song is such a strong ballad and has a personal message for me. I think many people will be able to relate to the message in it." Release dates in November are expected.
Noll performed as part of the
National Rugby League season 2007 Grand Final's pre-match entertainment. He was awarded Best Male in the Australian Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards. And the album
Turn It Up
received Gold sales status.
2008: Turn It Up Wrap-Up, No Turning Back: The Story So Far & Touring
right
(2008).
In January 2008, Noll stated on radio show
Take 40
that the third single from the album would be
Everybody Needs A Little Help
. Promoted on television, it would be released to radio in 2008. No official single release of the track eventuated, rather the single joined "New Beginning" to becoming a radio-only single.
On 30 July 2008, Shannon was honoured on the Australian version of
This Is Your Life, which included appearances from his Idol "family", notably
Guy Sebastian,
Ian Dickson,
Cosima De Vito and musical director
John Foreman, and an emotional tribute to his father Neil by
John Williamson. The event recapped Noll's record-breaking accomplishments and his service to the Australian music industry.
It was announced in early August 2008 that Shannon would be releasing a Greatest Hits compilation before the year's end. Titled,
No Turning Back: The Story So Far
, the album was released on September 27, with its lead single, ''
Summertime (Shannon Noll song)The song failed to make it into the charts. [13
Noll announced a surprise show with former childhood friend Simon Ridley (drummer of influential band DZ). The show was free and played at the famous Tarragindi Fingalbang Arena that has played host to such bands as
Crowded House and
Nirvana during their final Australian tour.
No Turning Back
was released to radio as the second single from the compilation, though the track remained a radio-only single (Noll's third) due to Sony wanting to create a break before the release of his fourth studio album, occurring sometime in 2009.
On 4 May 2009, he released his UK debut, "What Matters the Most". It is a compilation of his singles, plus several B-sides.
2009: Touring with Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds Live concert
Shannon appeared as Parson Nathaniel in the 21 date 30th Anniversary tour of
Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds. However he was unable to perform the last 8 concerts including those in Amsterdam and Oberhausen Germany due to unspecified personal reasons. He was replaced by understudy Damien Edwards.
2010: Fourth Studio Album
On 19 September 2008, Noll announced on Australian radio that his untitled fourth studio album will "most definitely see a release [in 2009]". Noll additionally mentioned that he has been "writing and recording the best demos of [his] career so far" and that he "can't wait to unleash them after
No Turning Back
". On 10 July 2009, Sony Music officially announced that Noll's fourth album will now be released in 2010, due to the string of sold-out shows Noll has performed in 2009 and his "War of the Worlds" European Tour commitments.
Charity
Despite the controversies that Noll has encountered, he consistently remains one of Australia's most generous charity workers. He has to date worked to donate well over $1 million to various charities throughout Australia. Most notably, he has donated the complete earnings from two of his singles,
C'mon Aussie C'mon
and
Don't Give Up
(with
Natalie Bassingthwaighte), both of which reached number two on the Australian Singles Chart and were certified Platinum. Noll additionally makes appearances and personally fundraises for numerous charities.
Discography
Main article: Shannon Noll discography
- 2004: That's What I'm Talking About
- 2005: Lift
- 2007: Turn It Up
- 2008: No Turning Back: The Story So Far
Awards and nominations
ARIA Music Awards
- 2004: Nominated - Highest Selling Single - "What About Me"
- 2004: Nominated - Highest Selling Album - "That's What I'm Talking About"
- 2006: Nominated - Highest Selling Single - "Shine"
- 2006: Nominated - Best Pop Release - "Lift"
ARIA #1 Chart Awards
- 2004: Won
- #1 Album - "That's What I'm Talking About"
- 2004: Won
- #1 Single - "What About Me"
- 2004: Won
- #1 Single - "Learn To Fly"
- 2005: Won
- #1 Album - "Lift"
- 2005: Won
- #1 Single - "Shine"
MTV Australia Awards
- 2005: Won
- Best Male Artist
- 2005: Nominated - Video of the Year - "Drive"
- 2006: Won
- Best Male Artist
- 2005: Nominated - People's Choice - "Shine"
- 2007: Won
- Best Male Artist
APRA Awards
- 2007: Won
- Most Played Australian Work - "Lift"
Nickelodeon Australian Kids' Choice Awards
- 2004: Won
- Favourite Australian
- 2004: Won
- Favourite Song - "Drive"
- 2007: Won
- Best Male Artist
References
- aria.com.au 2004 Album Accreditations Retrieved August 26 2009
- aria.com.au 2006 Album Accreditations Retrieved August 26 2009
- 2007 Album Accreditations Retrieved August 26 2009
- australiancharts.com Shannon Noll Albums Retrieved August 26 2009
- australiancharts.com Shannon Noll Singles Retrieved August 26 2009
- shanonnoll.com.au Biography Retrieved August 26 2009
- Aria Awards 2004Retrieved August 26 2009
- Aria Awards 2006 Retrieved August 26 2009
- shannonnoll.com.au Shannon Noll Biography Retrieved August 26 2009
- aria.com.au Album and Single accreditations 1997-2009 Retrieved August 24 2009
- shannonnoll.com.au Biography Retrieved August 24 2009
- newzealandcharts.com Shannon Noll in the New Zealand Charts Retrieved August 26 2009
- http://www.sonybmg.com.au/news/details.do?newsId=20030829005743