Jessica Mauboy
Jessica Hilda Mauboy (/ˈmaʊbɔɪ/; born 4 August 1989) is an Indonesian and Aboriginal Australian singer, songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory, she rose to fame in 2006 on the fourth season of Australian Idol, where she was runner-up and subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia. After releasing a live album of her Idol performances and briefly being a member of the girl group Young Divas in 2007, Mauboy released her debut studio album, Been Waiting, the following year. It included her first number-one single, "Burn", and became the second highest-selling Australian album of 2009,[2] certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
Jessica Mauboy
- Singer
- songwriter
- actress
2003–present
Vocals
Her second studio album, Get 'Em Girls (2010), showcased a harder-edged R&B sound, and produced four platinum singles. Her third studio album, Beautiful (2013), a mixture of dance-oriented tracks, R&B and pop, included the top-ten hits "Pop a Bottle (Fill Me Up)", "Never Be the Same" and "Can I Get a Moment?".
Aside from her music career, Mauboy has ventured into acting, with starring roles in the films Bran Nue Dae (2010), and The Sapphires (2012), which earned her the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. She returned to acting in 2016 in the lead role in the television drama series The Secret Daughter for two seasons. It was her first major TV role and was written especially for her. She released two soundtrack albums from the show, the first of which made her the first Indigenous artist with a number-one album on the ARIA Albums Chart. Her fourth studio album, Hilda (October 2019), debuted at number one.
Mauboy is one of Australia's most successful female artists.[3][4] She has achieved six top-ten albums (including two number-ones) and 16 top-twenty singles (including 9 top-ten hits). She has won two ARIA Music Awards from 25 nominations, and was ranked sixteenth on the Herald Sun's list of the "100 Greatest Australian Singers of All Time".[5] She has collaborated with international artists such as Flo Rida, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Jay Sean, Pitbull and Jason Derulo. She has also toured with Beyoncé and Chris Brown, and performed at many notable events, including the Australian visits for Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, and US President Barack Obama. She was a guest performer at the second semifinal of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014. She competed for Australia at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest and reached 20th place. From 2021 to 2023, she was featured as a coach on The Voice Australia.
Early life and education[edit]
Jessica Hilda Mauboy[6] was born on 4 August 1989 and raised in Darwin, Northern Territory.[7] Her father, Ferdy, is an Indonesian-born electrician from West Timor.[8][9] Her mother, Therese, is an Aboriginal Australian woman[9][10][11][12] of the Kuku Yalanji people, whose traditional lands are the rainforest regions of Far North Queensland.[13][14][15] Mauboy has three older sisters, Sandra, Jenny and Catherine; and a younger sister, Sophia.[8] From an early age, she was involved in the local church choir with her grandmother Harriett.[11][16][17] Her home was described as the "noisiest house on the block", with her mother often singing, her father playing guitar and the rest of the family displaying their passion for music.[11]
She attended Wulagi Primary School and Sanderson High School in Darwin.[18][19] She dropped out of school in year 11 to pursue her passion for music.[8]
At age fourteen, Mauboy's talents were exposed through the Telstra Road to Tamworth competition at the 2004 Tamworth Country Music Festival in Tamworth, New South Wales.[20] As the first winner of the competition, she travelled to Sydney to perform[11] and scored a recording deal with Sony Music Australia.[7] She released a country-inspired rendition of the Cyndi Lauper hit "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".[7] A video of the song was produced and released,[21] but the song was unsuccessful and Mauboy returned to Darwin.[7]
Personal life[edit]
In late 2008, Mauboy moved from Darwin to Sydney, ahead of the release of her debut studio album Been Waiting.[125][126] In January 2009, she began a long-distance relationship with Themeli "Magoo" Magripilis, a soccer player and council worker of Greek descent, who was born and raised in Darwin.[127][128][129] Magripilis played for the Darwin soccer league's club Hellenic Athletic, the same club that Mauboy's younger sister Sophia played for.[128][130] After seven years of long distance dating, Magripilis relocated from Darwin to Sydney in September 2016 and moved in with Mauboy.[131] The couple wed in Darwin on 9 July 2022.[132] When she is not working, Mauboy returns to Darwin to spend time with her family.[133][134][135] She is an avid fan of NRL side North Queensland Cowboys.[136]
Artistry[edit]
Music and songwriting[edit]
Mauboy's music is generally R&B and pop,[137][138] but she also incorporates dance, funk, soul and hip hop into some of her songs.[125][139][140] Mauboy's debut studio album Been Waiting (2008) was described as "a blend of electro beats, heartfelt pop tunes and R&B bass lines."[141] Most of the themes on the album dealt with boys, love and break-ups, everyday life, family issues, and friendship.[141][142] Alasdair Duncan from Rave magazine described Mauboy's second studio album Get 'Em Girls (2010) as "a more hard-edged take on R&B and pop than her debut, pumped full of hip hop beats, jagged synths and futuristic vocal effects."[137] Mauboy said that she wanted each song on the album to talk about a "woman's needs", and that the album's theme was "very much about the empowerment of women and the domination of women."[143] Kylie Northover of The Sydney Morning Herald noted that Mauboy's third studio album Beautiful (2013) featured "a mix of more dance-oriented tunes and her usual R&B sound".[125]
Mauboy has also incorporated her Aboriginal heritage into her music, including songs on the soundtrack album for The Sapphires and in the single "Sea of Flags".[92][144][145] Aside from her vocals work, Mauboy can also play the piano and has co-written some of her material.[9] She co-wrote eleven songs on her first studio album,[39] nine on her second studio album, and fourteen on her third studio album.[146] In 2010, Mauboy was nominated for Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year at the APRA Awards.[147] Mauboy stated in an interview that while working with American producer Harvey Mason, Jr., they came up with the melodies and hooks for the songs "Fight for You" and "Here for Me" on the album Get 'Em Girls.[143] She also experimented with an operatic-type voice on her song "Scariest Part".[143]
Influences[edit]
Mauboy grew up listening to country singers Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton and Slim Dusty;[21][148] she credits country music as her first love of music, saying the genre "is who I really, really am deeply."[149] Mauboy also grew up listening to hip-hop rappers Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.[150] Mauboy cites Mariah Carey as her main influence and inspiration, stating that she has "drawn a lot of inspiration from watching and listening to her live performances".[148][151][152] She grew up listening to many of Carey's songs and was inspired by her vocal style and songwriting, "I loved 'Dreamlover' and 'Fantasy' – and picked up loads of tips from her style of singing. She taught me that the lyrics you write have to come from personal experiences – I really felt her music. Now I aspire to writing honest lyrics with real feelings that people can relate to."[153] Mauboy also names Whitney Houston as another influence, stating that she looks up to her and Carey "for their outstanding vocal performances".[143] Her other musical influences are John Farnham and Beyoncé.[151][154][155] Mauboy is also inspired by fellow Indigenous Australian women such as Olympic gold medalist Cathy Freeman and actress Deborah Mailman.[155][156]
Public image[edit]
Mauboy is known for her good girl image[157] and is considered a role model to young girls and Indigenous communities in Australia.[158][159][160] Ed Gibbs of The Sydney Morning Herald described her as a "wholesome girl-next-door",[161] while Holly Richards of New Idea noted that she "is renowned for her squeaky-clean image and family values."[162] Genevieve Rosen of The Vine wrote that Mauboy's "flawless public image is no farce. Humble, genuinely engaging and passionate about public service, Mauboy, put simply, is really nice."[163] Anna Byrne of the Herald Sun observed, "It's clear this endearing unpretentiousness is not a fame facade. In every respect, the pint-sized pop star embodies one of the most elusive qualities of stardom: relatability. It's this genuineness that has seen her star ascend to where she actually is."[164] Fashion has influenced Mauboy's music career and image. Byrne noted that her "fashion choices have mirrored her rise in fame, with her style evolving from shy schoolgirl to confident diva, set to steal the sartorial spotlight."[164] Mauboy cites Jennifer Lopez as her style icon.[153] She has worn dresses designed by Dolce & Gabbana, J'Aton, Steven Khalil and Toni Matičevski,[164] and has appeared on the covers of fashion magazines in Australia, including Elle,[165] InStyle,[166] and Marie Claire.[167] She has also appeared on the cover of Who magazine's Sexiest People issue twice; first in 2012 and again in 2016.[168][169]
Mauboy's weight has been the subject of media interest, ever since her rise to fame on Australian Idol when judge Kyle Sandilands publicly told her to "lose the jelly belly".[170][171] Mauboy told Women's Health magazine that she was proud of her curvy figure, saying "having curves is one of my favourite things".[172] In 2014, she received media attention for her weight loss transformation from a size 12 to 8.[173] Mauboy has an alter ego named J Malley, who she described as her "fearless side" and "sort of like Beyoncé's Sasha Fierce".[174] Mauboy is often referred to as Australia's answer to Beyoncé.[174][175] However, she does not agree with the comparisons, saying "I totally disagree with that one. I've...watched her documentary [Life Is But a Dream] and was just blown away by how magnificent she really is and it's so inspiring for me. I just think she's fantastic and I'm completely nowhere near where she is, but I aspire to that."[176]
With the release of Mauboy's second studio album Get 'Em Girls, some critics felt that she was becoming an "R&B sexpot".[161][177] Both the album and its title track also received negative reviews from critics.[57][178][179] The music video for the title track was heavily criticised by fans who felt that Mauboy had become too sexy and moved away from her good girl image.[157] Speaking of Mauboy's image for R&B music, Fairfax Media journalist Bernard Zuel said: "It's a problem, matching the personality to a formula. The formula with young women singing modern R&B is that they have to be out there sexually, thrusting physically and vocally. But that's just not who she is."[161] Following the release of her single "Gotcha" in 2012, Miranda Cashin of Sunshine Coast Daily noted that it was "a return to the Mauboy [we knew] before the infamous 2010 sexed-up fist-pumping album, Get 'Em Girls".[177]
Headlining
Supporting act
