Host Guy Sebastian plans to make the 2019 ARIA Awards a celebration not a sledge-fest
He still nurses some scars after being the target of relentless sledging. But Guy Sebastian has revealed why he has no fear in taking on what many believe is TV’s toughest gig.
Music
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If there’s one thing Guy Sebastian won’t be doing when he hosts the 2019 ARIA Awards, it will be artist jokes.
The Choir singer has agreed to take on what many regard as the worst job in television — awards host — and still nurses some scars after being the target of relentless sledging at a songwriter’s awards night in 2005, 18 months after he won the inaugural Australian Idol.
Back then, television talent shows and the pop artists they launched onto the charts were not taken seriously by the music industry or their artist peers.
“It took me years to go to another APRA awards because at my first one, the comedian tore shreds out of me and Shannon (Noll), it was really personal,” he said.
“I was so embarrassed, I felt like the whole room was looking at me and everything was swallowing me up. I already had people down on me because of Idol.
“I get to set the culture at the ARIAs as host and because I know what it’s like to sit in those ceremonies, my approach will be to celebrate how incredibly talented we are as a nation and to bring unity, no matter whatever genre you are from.”
Sebastian is likely to be among this year’s nominees when they are announced on October 10, alongside Tones and I, Thelma Plum, Dean Lewis, Paul Kelly, Jessica Mauboy, Illy, Ruel and Hilltop Hoods.
He has been in the charts for more than four months with his emotionally-charged single Choir.
The song was written to honour his friend and bandmate Luke Liang who died in August last year after a long battle with depression.
Sebastian said he has been blown away by how strongly the song has connected not only with his fans but everyone from “cricketers to actors” and how it continues to spark vital conversations about mental illness.
Singing the song to close out the night on his current Ridin’ With You tour which winds up in Sydney this week.
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“Every night it’s hard to sing it, it’s really tough. At first I didn’t want to release it because it was so personal, so raw for me and Luke’s family. I didn’t want to upset people and I wanted to make sure he was honoured in a way he would be OK with,” Sebastian said.
“A lot of my fans loved Luke too and while it’s always hard to predict what is going to connect with an audience, I think when you are dealing with loss with a song that’s honest about that, that’s the power of music.”
The 2019 ARIA Awards will be held in Sydney on November 27.