Isaiah Firebrace | |
|---|---|
 Firebrace at the2017 Eurovision Song Contest | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1999-11-21)21 November 1999 (age 26) Portland, Victoria, Australia |
| Origin | Moama,New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Labels | Sony |
| Website | isaiahofficial |
Isaiah Firebrace (born 21 November 1999) is an Australian singer who won theeighth season ofThe X Factor Australia in 2016. He then representedAustralia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Don't Come Easy", where he finished ninth.[1]
One of twelve children, Firebrace was born inPortland, Victoria, and raised inMoama,New South Wales. He is anAboriginal Australian; his father isYorta Yorta and his motherGunditjmara.[2] Firebrace first came to public attention when he entered the Fast Track Singing Competition inMelbourne.[3] This led to a scholarship at the David Jaanz School of Singing.[2]
Isaiah auditioned for the eighth season ofThe X Factor Australia, singing a cover ofAdele's "Hello". Making it through to Bootcamp, he performed a cover ofAlicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You". From the live shows, he advanced to the Grand Final.[4]
On 21 November 2016, at the Grand Final, Isaiah performedAvicii's "Wake Me Up" withJessica Mauboy, and his winner's single "It's Gotta Be You", winning the contest. His winner's single peaked at number 26 on theAustralian Singles Chart. The song also charted in Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Sweden.[5]
On 9 December 2016, Isaiah released his debut studio albumIsaiah. The album peaked at number 12 on theAustralian Albums Chart.[5]
| The X Factor performances and results (2016) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Song | Original Artist | Result |
| Audition | "Hello" | Adele | Through to bootcamp |
| Bootcamp | "If I Ain't Got You" | Alicia Keys | Through to live shows |
| Live show 1 | "Lay It All on Me" | Rudimental ft.Ed Sheeran | Safe |
| Live show 2 | "Let It Be" | The Beatles | Safe |
| Live show 3 | "Happy" | Pharrell Williams | Safe |
| Live show 4 | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | Sam Cooke | Safe |
| "FourFiveSeconds" | Rihanna | ||
| Grand Final | "Halo" | Beyoncé | Winner |
| "Wake Me Up" (withJessica Mauboy) | Avicii | ||
| "It's Gotta Be You" | Firebrace | ||
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Following his X-Factor win, Firebrace reported that he was interested in representing Australia in theEurovision Song Contest, and put his name forward for possible participation in the2017 contest.[6] On 7 March 2017, broadcasterSBS announced that they had internally selected Firebrace torepresent Australia at theEurovision Song Contest 2017 inKyiv, Ukraine. His entry, "Don't Come Easy", was written byDNA Songs, who also composedDami Im's entry "Sound of Silence".[1]
On 9 May 2017, he qualified from the first semi-final and competed in the final on 13 May, finishing in 9th place.
Throughout 2019, Firebrace completed a 55-date 'Spirit and Beyond' tour through central and regional Australia, where he made it a priority to speak with as many Aboriginal school children as possible to pass on powerful messages about working hard to achieve goals and the importance of finding a passion.[7]
In 2019, Firebrace sang the Australian National Anthem at theTAB Million Dollar Chase greyhound race[8] at Wentworth Park.
In July 2020, Firebrace released "Know Me Better". He said "This song actually means a lot to me because I finally feel like I'm starting to know myself better and I am heading in the direction I want to with my music. I've been in the studio a lot over the last three years and have experimented with lots of styles but 'Know Me Better' is a song that I'm really proud to release. I love the song, I love the production and I just can't wait to be able to show people this song".[7] Firebrace also announced that he was writing a children's book, "The Purple Platypus", which pushes a positive message for kids who feel different.[7]
In August 2020, Firebrace was revealed to be competing as the "Wizard" onthe second season ofThe Masked Singer Australia. He was the sixth contestant eliminated, placing 7th overall.[9]
In 2022, Firebrace participated inEurovision - Australia Decides for a chance to represent his country in the2022 contest. He duetted with singerEvie Irie with the song "When I'm With You", ultimately finishing in 10th place.
In September 2022, Firebrace released "Come Together" withLee Kernaghan andMitch Tambo.[10] The song coincides with Firebrace's new children's book, also calledCome Together, published on 16 November 2022.[10][11] Illustrated by Jaelyn Biumaiwai, the book was shortlisted for the 2023CBCAEve Pownall Award.[12]
In November 2022, Firebrace released the self-composed Christmas song "First Christmas".[13]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [5] | NZ Heat. [14] | ||
| Isaiah |
| 12 | 5 |
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [5] | BEL (Fl) Tip [16] | DEN [17] | NLD [18] | NZ Heat. [19] | SWE [20] | ||||||||||||||
| "It's Gotta Be You" | 2016 | 26 | —[A] | 21 | 60 | 6 | 15 | Isaiah | |||||||||||
| "Don't Come Easy" | 2017 | 69 | 47 | — | — | — | 50 | Eurovision Song Contest 2017 | |||||||||||
| "Streets of Gold"[24] | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||||||||||
| "Close to Me"[25] | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| "Spirit"[26] | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| "What Happened to Us"[27] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| "Thinking About You"[28] | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| "Know Me Better"[29][30] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| "You"[31] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| "Blame on Me"[32] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| "More Than Me"[33] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| "When I'm With You" (withEvie Irie)[34] | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| "Come Together" (withLee Kernaghan andMitch Tambo)[10] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| "First Christmas"[13] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| "Have You Ever?"[35] | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| "All I Can Give"[36] | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
| "Balance" | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Song | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "You're the Voice" (as part of United Voices Against Domestic Violence)[37] | 2017 | Non-album single |
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Something Stupid" (withJessica Mauboy) | 2017 | The Secret Daughter Season Two: Songs from the Original 7 Series[38] |
| "Don't Change" | 2018 | Countdown: Live At The Sydney Opera House[38] |
| "Don't Dream It's Over" | ||
| "Solid Rock" (withShane Howard) | ||
| "Dont Dream It's Over" (withStan Walker) | 2020 | Deadly Hearts: Walking Together[39] |
TheCountry Music Awards of Australia is an annual awards night held in January during theTamworth Country Music Festival. Celebrating recording excellence in theAustralian country music industry. They commenced in 1973.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | "Come Together" (with Lee Kernaghan and Mitch Tambo) | Vocal Collaboration of the Year | Nominated | [40] |
| Heritage Song of the Year | Nominated |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | The X Factor Australia Winner 2016 | Succeeded by N/A (show cancelled) |
| Preceded by | Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
