The story behind the incredible woman who sang the national anthem at State of Origin

There was one Queensland success story out of Sunday night’s game, the incredible woman who sang the National Anthem.

So who is the sensational singer who beat out many others for the prized role of singing the National Anthem at State of Origin last night?

Shubshri Kandiah burst forth from the Queensland Conservatorium at Griffith University on to the stage at QPAC back in 2018.

Fresh from her Bachelor of Musical Theatre degree, the then 22 year-old landed the lead role as Princess Jasmine in the Disney musical Aladdin.

Shubshri Kandiah at the opening night for Aladdin.

She kind of came out of nowhere and was as surprised as everyone else.

“I still can’t believe it’s happening,” she said at the time.

She’s had a few other roles including playing Ismene in Queensland Theatre’s Antigone.

Now the Brisbane resident’s star is on the rise again.

Anyone who didn’t know who she was will have noticed she sang the National Anthem at the State of Origin on Sunday night.

“I’m originally from Perth but now living in Brisbane, I’ve come to realise what a major event the State of Origin matches are,’’ she said.

“I’m incredibly honoured to have been asked to sing our national anthem at this prestigious event.”

Shubshri Kandiah.

Later this year she will star in the role of Ella (Cinderella) in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, an Opera Australia and John Frost co-production, which opens at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney in November and hopefully will make it to Brisbane some time later although nothing has been announced yet.

Opera Australia’s artistic director Lyndon Terracini describes Kandiah as “one of the newest shining stars in Australian theatre”.