Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales to the north, South Australia to the west, and Tasmania to the south, on Boundary Islet.

Victoria is Australia's most densely populated state, and has a highly centralised population, with almost 75% of Victorians living in Melbourne, the state capital and largest city.

Etymology

Victoria, like Queensland, was named after Queen Victoria, the monarch at the time.

History

After the founding of the colony of New South Wales in 1788, Australia was divided into an eastern half named New South Wales and a western half named New Holland, under the administration of the colonial government in Sydney. The first European settlement in the area later known as Victoria was established in October 1803 under Lieutenant-Governor David Collins at Sullivan Bay, Victoria on Port Phillip. It consisted of 308 convicts, 51 marines, 17 free settlers, 12 civil officers, a missionary and his wife. They had been sent from England in HMS ''Calcutta'' under the command of Captain Daniel Woodriff, principally out of fear that the French, who had been exploring the area, might establish their own settlement and thereby challenge British rights to the continent.

Victoria's next settlement was at Portland, on the west coast of what is now Victoria. Melbourne was founded in 1835 by John Batman. From settlement the region around Melbourne was known as the Port Phillip District, a separately administered part of New South Wales. In 1851, the British Government separated the area from New South Wales, proclaiming a new Colony of Victoria.

In 1851 gold was discovered near Ballarat, and subsequently at Bendigo. Later discoveries occurred at many sites across Victoria. This triggered one of the largest gold rushes the world has ever seen. The colony grew rapidly in both population and economic power. In ten years the population of Victoria increased sevenfold from 76,000 to 540,000. All sorts of gold records were produced including the "richest shallow alluvial goldfield in the world" and the largest gold nugget. Victoria produced in the decade 1851–1860 20 million ounces of gold, one third of the world's output.

Immigrants arrived from all over the world to search for gold, especially from Ireland and China. Many Chinese miners worked in Victoria, and their legacy is particularly strong in Bendigo and its environs. Although there was some racism directed at them, there was not the level of anti-Chinese violence that was seen at the Lambing Flat riots in New South Wales. However, there was a riot at Buckland Valley near Bright in 1857. Conditions on the gold fields were cramped and unsanitary; an outbreak of typhoid at Buckland Valley in 1854 killed over 1,000 miners.

In 1854 at Ballarat there was an armed rebellion against the government of Victoria by miners protesting against mining taxes (the "Eureka Stockade"). This was crushed by British troops, but the discontents prompted colonial authorities to reform the administration (particularly reducing the hated mining licence fees) and extend the franchise. Within a short time, the Imperial Parliament granted Victoria responsible government with the passage of the Colony of Victoria Act 1855. Some of the leaders of the Eureka rebellion went on to became members of the Victorian Parliament.

The first foreign military action by the colony of Victoria was to send troops and a warship to New Zealand as part of the Māori Wars. Troops from New South Wales had previously participated in the Crimean War.

In 1901 Victoria became a state in the Commonwealth of Australia. As a result of the gold rush, Melbourne had by then become the financial centre of Australia and New Zealand. Between 1901 and 1927, Melbourne was the capital of Australia while Canberra was under construction. It was also the largest city in Australia at the time. Whilst Melbourne remains an important and influential financial centre, home to many national and international companies, it was slowly overtaken by Sydney in business importance around the 1970s and 1980s.

On Saturday 7 February 2009 ("Black Saturday"), the state was affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires, resulting in 173 deaths.

Government

Parliament

Victoria has a parliamentary form of government based on the Westminster System. Legislative power resides in the Parliament consisting of the Governor (the representative of the Queen), the executive (the Government), and two legislative chambers. The Parliament of Victoria consists of the lower house Legislative Assembly, the upper house Legislative Council and the Queen of Australia.

Eighty-eight members of the Legislative Assembly are elected to four-year terms from single-member electorates.

In November 2006, the Victorian Legislative Council elections were held under a new multi-proportional representation system. The State of Victoria was divided into eight electorates with each electorate represented by five representatives elected by Single Transferable Vote proportional representation. The total number of upper house members was reduced from 44 to 40 and their term of office is now the same as the lower house members – four years. Elections for the Victorian Parliament are now fixed and occur in November every four years. Prior to the 2006 election, the Legislative Council consisted of 44 members elected to eight-year terms from 22 two-member electorates.

Premier and cabinet

The Premier of Victoria is the leader of the political party or coalition with the most seats in the Legislative Assembly. The Premier is the public face of government and, with cabinet, sets the legislative and political agenda. Cabinet consists of representatives elected to either house of parliament. It is responsible for managing areas of government that are not exclusively the Commonwealth's, by the Australian Constitution, such as education, health and law enforcement. The current Premier of Victoria is Ted Baillieu.

Governor

Executive authority is vested in the Governor of Victoria who represents and is appointed by Queen Elizabeth II. The post is usually filled by a retired prominent Victorian. The governor acts on the advice of the premier and cabinet. The current Governor of Victoria is Alex Chernov.

Constitution

Victoria has a written constitution. Enacted in 1975, but based on the 1855 colonial constitution, it establishes the parliament as the state's law-making body for matters coming under state responsibility. The Victorian Constitution can be amended by the parliament of Victoria. Under new provisions to be enacted, changes to the Victorian Constitution will be subjected to a plebiscite of votes, voting in a referendum.

Politics

Premier Ted Baillieu leads a Liberal/National Coalition that won the November 2010 Victorian state election.

The centre-left Australian Labor Party (ALP), the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia and the rural-based National Party of Australia are Victoria's major political parties. Traditionally, Labor is strongest in Melbourne's inner, working class and western and northern suburbs, Morwell, Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong. The Liberals' main support lies in Melbourne's more affluent eastern and outer suburbs, and some rural and regional centres. The Nationals are strongest in Victoria's North Western and Eastern rural regional areas.

Federal government

Victorian voters elect 49 representatives to the Parliament of Australia, including 37 members of the House of Representatives and 12 members of the Senate. Since 2010, the ALP has held 22 Victorian house seats, the Liberals 12, the Nationals two and the Greens one. As of 1 July 2008, the Liberals have held six senate seats, the ALP five and the Family First Party one.

Local government

Victoria is incorporated into 79 municipalities for the purposes of local government, including 39 shires, 32 cities, seven rural cities and one borough. Shire and city councils are responsible for functions delegated by the Victorian parliament, such as city planning, road infrastructure and waste management. Council revenue comes mostly from property taxes and government grants.

{|- | style="font-size:90%;" margin- left="5em"| Source: Victorian Parliamentary Library, Department of Victorian Communities, Australian Electoral Commission |}

Demographics

The 2006 Australian census reported that Victoria had 4,932,422 people resident at the time of the census, an increase of 6.2% on the 1996 figure. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that in June 2010 the state's population reached 5,547,500, an increase of 1.8% from the previous year and may well reach 7.2 million by 2050.

Victoria's founding Anglo-Celtic population has been supplemented by successive waves of migrants from southern and eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and, most recently, the Horn of Africa and the Middle East. Victoria's population is ageing in proportion with the average of the remainder of the Australian population.

About 72% of Victorians are Australian-born. This figure falls to around 66% in Melbourne but rises to higher than 95% in some rural areas in the north west of the state. Around two-thirds of Victorians claim Australian, Scottish, English or Irish ancestry. Less than 1% of Victorians identify themselves as Aboriginal. The largest groups of people born outside Australia came from the British Isles, China, Italy, Vietnam, Greece and New Zealand.

More than 70% of Victorians live in Melbourne, located in the state's south. The greater Melbourne metropolitan area is home to an estimated 3.9 million people. Leading urban centres include Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Shepparton, Mildura, Warrnambool, Wodonga and the Latrobe Valley.

Victoria is Australia's most urbanised state: nearly 90% of residents living in cities and towns. State Government efforts to decentralise population have included an official campaign run since 2003 to encourage Victorians to settle in regional areas, however Melbourne continues to rapidly outpace these areas in terms of population growth.

Age structure and fertility

The government predicts that nearly a quarter of Victorians will be aged over 60 by 2021. The 2006 census reveals that Australian average age has crept upward from 35 to 37 since 2001, which reflects the population growth peak of 1969–72. In 2007, Victoria recorded a TFR of 1.87, the highest after 1978.

Crime

The state of Victoria is divided into four geographical regions; North-West Metropolitan Region, Southern Metropolitan Region, Eastern Region, Western Region. In 2010-2011 there were 152 homicides within the state of Victoria.

Religion

About 60.5% of Victorians describe themselves as Christian. Roman Catholics form the single largest religious group in the state with 27.5% of Victorian population, followed by Anglicans and members of the Uniting Church. Catholics and Protestants (including Anglicans) in Victoria each form around 30% of the population. Buddhism, the state's largest non-Christian religion, is also the fastest growing with 132,634. Victoria is also home of 109,370 Muslims and 41,105 Jews. Around 20% of Victorians claim no religion, and even amongst those who declare a religious affiliation, church attendance is low.

In 2008, the levels of couples choosing to marry in a church had dropped to 36%; the other 64% chose to register their marriage with a civil celebrant.

Education

Primary and secondary

Victoria's state school system dates back to 1872, when the colonial government legislated to make schooling both free and compulsory. The state's public secondary school system began in 1905. Before then, only private secondary schooling was available. Today, a Victorian school education consists of seven years of primary schooling (including one preparatory year) and six years of secondary schooling.

The final years of secondary school are optional for children aged over 17. Victorian children generally begin school at age five or six. On completing secondary school, students earn the Victorian Certificate of Education. Students who successfully complete their secondary education also receive a tertiary entrance ranking, or ATAR score, to determine university admittance.

Victorian schools are either publicly or privately funded. Public schools, also known as state or government schools, are funded and run directly by the Victoria Department of Education . Students do not pay tuition fees, but some extra costs are levied. Private fee-paying schools include parish schools run by the Roman Catholic Church and independent schools similar to English public schools. Independent schools are usually affiliated with Protestant churches. Victoria also has several private Jewish and Islamic primary and secondary schools. Private schools also receive some public funding. All schools must comply with government-set curriculum standards. In addition, Victoria has four government selective schools, Melbourne High School for boys, MacRobertson Girls' High School for girls, the coeducational schools John Monash Science School, Nossal High School and Suzanne Cory High School, and The Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. Students at these schools are exclusively admitted on the basis of a selective entry test.

As of August 2005, Victoria had 1,613 public schools, 484 Catholic schools and 208 independent schools. Just under 537,000 students were enrolled in public schools, and 289,000 in private schools. Nearly two-thirds of private students attend Catholic schools. More than 455,000 students were enrolled in primary schools and more than 371,000 in secondary schools. Retention rates for the final two years of secondary school were 77% for public school students and 90% for private school students. Victoria has about 60,200 full-time teachers.

Tertiary education

Victoria has nine universities. The first to offer degrees, the University of Melbourne, enrolled its first student in 1855. The largest, Monash University, has an enrolment of nearly 56,000 students—more than any other Australian university. Both the University of Melbourne and Monash University are purportedly ranked highly among the world's best universities requiring a fairly high entry score, passing of mature age entrance exams or direct payment for student admission into their courses.

The number of students enrolled in Victorian universities was 241,755 at 2004, an increase of 2% on the previous year. International students made up 30% of enrolments and account for the highest percentage of pre-paid university tuition fees. The largest number of enrolments were recorded in the fields of business, administration and economics, with nearly a third of all students, followed by arts, humanities, and social science, with 20% of enrolments.

Victoria has 18 government-run institutions of “technical and further education” (TAFE). The first vocational institution in the state was the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute (established in 1839), which is now the Melbourne Athenaeum. More than 1,000 adult education organisations are registered to provide recognised TAFE programs. In 2004, there were about 480,700 students enrolled in vocational education programs in the state.

{|- | style="font-size:90%;" margin- left="5em"| Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Department of Education and Training (Victoria), Department of Education, Science and Training (Commonwealth), National Centre for Vocational Education Research |}

Libraries

The State Library of Victoria is the State's research and reference library. It is responsible for collecting and preserving Victoria's documentary heritage and making it available through a range of services and programs. Material in the collection includes books, newspapers, magazines, journals, manuscripts, maps, pictures, objects, sound and video recordings and databases.

In addition, local governments maintain local lending libraries, typically with multiple branches in their respective municipal areas.

Economy

Victorian production andworkers by economic activities
!Economicsector	!GSPproduced	!Number ofworkers	!Percentageof workers
	30.5%	319,109	15.3%
	16.6%	562,783	27.4%
	15.4%	318,218	15.3%
	12.1%	423,328	20.3%
	10.6%	133,752	6.4%
	6.2%	136,454	6.6%
	4%	62,253	3%
	3.3%	72,639	3.5%
	1.3%	4,472	0.2%
	–	49,208	2%

The state of Victoria is the second largest economy in Australia after New South Wales, accounting for a quarter of the nation's gross domestic product. The total gross state product (GSP) at current prices for Victoria was at just over A$222 billion, with a GSP per capita of A$44,443. The economy grew by 3.4% in 2004, less than the Australian average of 5.2%.

Finance, insurance and property services form Victoria's largest income producing sector, while the community, social and personal services sector is the state's biggest employer. Despite the shift towards service industries, the troubled manufacturing sector remains Victoria's single largest employer and income producer. As a result of job losses in declining sectors such as manufacturing, Victoria has the highest unemployment rate in Australia as of September 2009.

Agriculture

During 2003–04, the gross value of Victorian agricultural production increased by 17% to $8.7 billion. This represented 24% of national agricultural production total gross value. As of 2004, an estimated 32,463 farms occupied around 136,000 square kilometres (52,500 sq mi) of Victorian land. This comprises more than 60% of the state's total land surface. Victorian farms range from small horticultural outfits to large-scale livestock and grain productions. A quarter of farmland is used to grow consumable crops.

More than 26,000 square kilometres (10,000 sq mi) of Victorian farmland are sown for grain, mostly in the state's west. More than 50% of this area is sown for wheat, 33% for barley and 7% for oats. A further 6,000 square kilometres (2,300 sq mi) is sown for hay. In 2003–04, Victorian farmers produced more than 3 million tonnes of wheat and 2 million tonnes of barley. Victorian farms produce nearly 90% of Australian pears and third of apples. It is also a leader in stone fruit production. The main vegetable crops include asparagus, broccoli, carrots, potatoes and tomatoes. Last year, 121,200 tonnes of pears and 270,000 tonnes of tomatoes were produced.

More than 14 million sheep and 5 million lambs graze over 10% of Victorian farms, mostly in the state's north and west. In 2004, nearly 10 million lambs and sheep were slaughtered for local consumption and export. Victoria also exports live sheep to the Middle East for meat and to the rest of the world for breeding. More than 108,000 tonnes of wool clip was also produced—one-fifth of the Australian total.

Victoria is the centre of dairy farming in Australia. It is home to 60% of Australia's 3 million dairy cattle and produces nearly two-thirds of the nation's milk, almost 6.4 million litres. The state also has 2.4 million beef cattle, with more than 2.2 million cattle and calves slaughtered each year. In 2003–04, Victorian commercial fishing crews and aquaculture industry produced 11,634 tonnes of seafood valued at nearly A$109 million. Blacklipped abalone is the mainstay of the catch, bringing in A$46 million, followed by southern rock lobster worth A$13.7 million. Most abalone and rock lobster is exported to Asia.

Manufacturing

Machinery and equipment manufacturing is the state's most valuable manufacturing activity, followed by food and beverage manufacturing and petroleum, coal and chemical manufacturing. More than 15% Victorian workers are employed in manufacturing industries. Victoria has 318,000 manufacturing workers. The state is marginally behind New South Wales in the value of manufacturing output.

Major industrial plants belong to the car manufacturers Ford, Toyota and Holden; Alcoa's Portland and Point Henry aluminium smelters; oil refineries at Geelong and Altona; and a major petrochemical facility at Laverton.

Victoria also plays an important role in providing goods for the defence industry. Melbourne is the centre of manufacturing in Victoria, followed by Geelong. Energy production has aided industrial growth in the Latrobe Valley.

Mining

Mining in Victoria contributes around A$3 billion to the gross state product (~1%) but employs less than 1% of workers. The Victorian mining industry is concentrated on energy producing minerals, with brown coal, petroleum and gas accounting for nearly 90% of local production. The oil and gas industries are centred off the coast of Gippsland in the state's east, while brown coal mining and power generation is based in the Latrobe Valley.

In the 2005/2006 fiscal year, the average gas production was over per day (M cuft/d) and represented 18% of the total national gas sales, with demand growing at 2% per year.

In 1985, oil production from the offshore Gippsland Basin peaked to an annual average of 450,000 barrels per day. In 2005–2006, the average daily oil production declined to 83,000 bbls/d, but despite the decline Victoria still produces almost 19.5% of crude oil in Australia.

Brown coal is Victoria's leading mineral, with 66 million tonnes mined each year for electricity generation in the Latrobe Valley, Gippsland. The region is home to the world's largest known reserves of brown coal.

Despite being the historic centre of Australia's gold rush, Victoria today contributes a mere 1% of national gold production. Victoria also produces limited amounts of gypsum and kaolin.

Service industry

The service industries sector is the fastest growing component of the Victorian economy. It includes the wide range of activities generally classified as community, social and personal services; finances, insurance and property services, government services, transportation and communication, and wholesale and retail trade. Most service industries are located in Melbourne and the state's larger regional centres.

As of 2004–05, service industries employed nearly three-quarters of Victorian workers and generated three-quarters of the state's GSP. Finance, insurance and property services, as a group, provide a larger share of GSP than any other economic activity in Victoria. More than a quarter of Victorian workers are employed by the community, social and personal services sector.

Geology and geography

Victoria's northern border is the southern bank of the Murray River. It also rests at the southern end of the Great Dividing Range, which stretches along the east coast and terminates west of Ballarat. It is bordered by South Australia to the west and shares Australian's shortest land border with Tasmania. The official border between Victoria and Tasmania is at 39°12' S, which passes through Boundary Islet in the Bass Strait for 85 metres. Victoria contains many topographically, geologically and climatically diverse areas, ranging from the wet, temperate climate of Gippsland in the southeast to the snow-covered Victorian alpine areas which rise to almost 2,000 metres (6,500 ft), with Mount Bogong the highest peak at 1,986 m; (6,516 ft). There are extensive semi-arid plains to the west and northwest.

There is an extensive series of river systems in Victoria. Most notable is the Murray River system. Other rivers include: Ovens River, Goulburn River, Patterson River, King River, Campaspe River, Loddon River, Wimmera River, Elgin River, Barwon River, Thomson River, Snowy River, Latrobe River, Yarra River, Maribyrnong River, Mitta River, Hopkins River, Merri River and Kiewa River.

The state symbols include the Pink Heath (state flower), Leadbeater's Possum (state animal) and the Helmeted Honeyeater (state bird).

The state's capital, Melbourne, contains approximately 70% of the state's population and dominates its economy, media, and culture. For other cities and towns, see List of localities (Victoria) and Local Government Areas of Victoria.

Transport

Victoria has the highest population density in any state in Australia, with population centres spread out over most of the state; only the far northwest and the Victorian Alps lack permanent settlement.

The Victorian road network services the population centres, with highways generally radiating from Melbourne and other major cities and rural centres with secondary roads interconnecting the highways to each other. Many of the highways are built to freeway standard ("M" freeways), while most are generally sealed and of reasonable quality.

Rail transport in Victoria is provided by several private and public railway operators who operate over government-owned lines. Major operators include: Metro Trains Melbourne which runs an extensive, electrified, passenger system throughout Melbourne and suburbs; V/Line which is now owned by the Victorian Government, operates a concentrated service to major regional centres, as well as long distance services on other lines; Pacific National, CFCLA, El Zorro which operate freight services; Great Southern Railway which operates The Overland Melbourne—Adelaide; and CountryLink which operates XPTs Melbourne—Sydney.

There are also several smaller freight operators and numerous tourist railways operating over lines which were once parts of a state-owned system. Victorian lines mainly use the broad gauge. However, the interstate trunk routes, as well as a number of branch lines in the west of the state have been converted to standard gauge. Two tourist railways operate over narrow gauge lines, which are the remnants of five formerly government-owned lines which were built in mountainous areas.

Melbourne has the world's largest tram network, currently operated by Yarra Trams. As well as being a popular form of public transport, over the last few decades trams have become one of Melbourne's major tourist attractions. There are also tourist trams operating over portions of the former Ballarat and Bendigo systems. There are also tramway museums at Bylands and Haddon.

Melbourne Airport is the major domestic and international gateway for the state. Avalon Airport is the state's second busiest airport, which is complements Essendon and Moorabbin Airports to see the remainder of Melbourne's air traffic. Hamilton Airport, Mildura Airport, Mount Hotham and Portland Airport are the remaining airports with scheduled domestic flights. There are no fewer than 27 other airports in the state with no scheduled flights.

The Port of Melbourne is the largest port for containerised and general cargo in Australia, and is located in Melbourne on the mouth of the Yarra River, which is at the head of Port Phillip. Additional seaports are at Westernport, Geelong, and Portland.

Utilities

Energy

Victoria's major utilities include a collection of brown-coal-fired power stations, particularly in the LaTrobe Valley. One of these is Hazelwood Power Station, which is number 1 in the worldwide List of least carbon efficient power stations.

Water

Victoria's water infrastructure includes a series of dams and reservoirs, predominantly in Central Victoria, that hold and collect water for much of the state. The water collected is of a very high quality and requires little chlorination treatment, giving the water a taste more like water collected in a rainwater tank. In regional areas however, such as in the west of the state, chlorination levels are much higher.

The Victorian Water Grid consists of a number of new connections and pipelines being built across the State. This allows water to be moved around Victoria to where it is needed most and reduces the impact of localised droughts in an era thought to be influenced by climate change. Major projects already completed as part of the Grid include the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline and the Goldfields Superpipe.

Climate

Victoria has a varied climate despite its small size. It ranges from semi-arid and hot in the north-west, to temperate and cool along the coast. Victoria's main land feature, the Great Dividing Range, produces a cooler, mountain climate in the centre of the state.

Victoria's southernmost position on the Australian mainland means it is cooler and wetter than other mainland states and territories. The coastal plain south of the Great Dividing Range has Victoria's mildest climate. Air from the Southern Ocean helps reduce the heat of summer and the cold of winter. Melbourne and other large cities are located in this temperate region.

The Mallee and upper Wimmera are Victoria's warmest regions with hot winds blowing from nearby deserts. Average temperatures top 30 °C (86 °F) during summer and 15 °C (59 °F) in winter. Victoria's highest maximum temperature of 48.8 °C (119.9 °F) was recorded in Hopetoun on 7 February 2009, during the 2009 southeastern Australia heat wave.

The Victorian Alps in the northeast are the coldest part of Victoria. The Alps are part of the Great Dividing Range mountain system extending east-west through the centre of Victoria. Average temperatures are less than 9 °C (48 °F) in winter and below 0 °C (32 °F) in the highest parts of the ranges. The state's lowest minimum temperature of −11.7 °C (10.9 °F) was recorded at Omeo on 13 June 1965, and again at Falls Creek on 3 July 1970.

Rainfall

Victoria is the wettest Australian state after Tasmania. Rainfall in Victoria increases from north to south, with higher averages in areas of high altitude. Median annual rainfall exceeds 1,800 millimetres (71 in) in some parts of the northeast but is less than 250 millimetres (10 in) in the Mallee.

Rain is heaviest in the Otway Ranges and Gippsland in southern Victoria and in the mountainous northeast. Snow generally falls only in the mountains and hills in the centre of the state. Rain falls most frequently in winter, but summer precipitation is heavier. Rainfall is most reliable in Gippsland and the Western District, making them both leading farming areas. Victoria's highest recorded daily rainfall was 375 millimetres (14.7 in) at Tanybryn in the Otway Ranges on 22 March 1983.

{|- | style="font-size:90%;" margin- left="5em"| Source: Bureau of Meteorology, Department of Primary Industries, Australian Natural Resources Atlas |}

Tourism

Some major tourist destinations in Victoria are:

The metropolis of Melbourne, particular its inner city suburbs (known also for shopping tourism) and the attractions of the city centre such as Crown Casino, Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne Museum, the Melbourne Aquarium, ScienceWorks, Healesville Sanctuary, Werribee Open Range Zoo, tourism precincts such as Melbourne Docklands, Southbank and St Kilda as well as cultural and sporting tourist icons such as The Arts Centre, National Gallery of Victoria, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, also known as the MCG, and the Eureka Tower, tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, with its Skydeck 88.

Victoria has more than 2000 kilometres of coastline with hundreds of beaches.

The Goldfields region featuring the historic cities of Ballarat, Beechworth, Bendigo, Castlemaine, Maldon and Daylesford.

Natural attractions, such as The Twelve Apostles, Wilsons Promontory, The Grampians, the Fairy Penguins (particularly at Phillip Island and St Kilda), the Buchan Caves and the Gippsland Lakes.

The Dandenong Ranges (in particular the Puffing Billy Railway).

Towns along the Murray River and Riverina including Echuca and Mildura including waterskiing.

Geelong and the Australian International Airshow

The Bellarine Peninsula which features historic resort towns such as Queenscliff.

The Surf Coast which features famous beaches such as Bells Beach, Torquay and Lorne

Mornington Peninsula, particularly for its wineries and secluded beaches, Arthur's Seat and the coastal attractions of Portsea and Sorrento.

Yarra Valley (in particular Healesville Sanctuary and wineries).

Great Ocean Road, which features The Twelve Apostles, historic towns of Port Fairy and Portland, cliffs and whale watching and resort towns such as Lorne.

The Victorian Alpine Region, part of the Australian Alps, particularly for skiing

The Central Victorian Highlands, 'Highcountry' are very well known for winter sports and bushwalking

Wine regions across the entire state.

Other popular tourism activities are gliding, hang-gliding, hot air ballooning and scuba diving.

Major events also play a big part in tourism in Victoria, particularly cultural tourism and sports tourism. Most of these events are centred around Melbourne, but others occur in regional cities, such as the V8 Supercars and Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island, the Grand Annual Steeplechase at Warrnambool and the Australian International Airshow at Geelong and numerous local festivals such as the popular Port Fairy Folk Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival, Bells Beach SurfClassic and the Bright Autumn Festival.

Sport

Victoria is the home of Australian rules football, with ten of the seventeen clubs of the Australian Football League based in Victoria, and the traditional Grand Final held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground usually on the last Saturday in September.

Victoria's cricket team, the Victorian Bushrangers play in the national Sheffield Shield cricket competition. Victoria is represented in the National Rugby League by the Melbourne Storm and in Super Rugby by the Melbourne Rebels. It is also represented in Football (soccer) by Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart in the A-League.

Melbourne has held the 1956 Summer Olympics, 2006 Commonwealth Games, FINA World Swimming Championship, and is home to the Australian Open tennis tournament in January each year, the first of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, and the Australian Formula One Grand Prix.

Victoria is also home to Bells Beach, which is the home of the world's longest-running surfing competition, the Bells Beach SurfClassic, which is part of The ASP World Tour.

Netball is a big part of sport in Victoria. The Melbourne Vixens represent Victoria in the ANZ Championship. Some of the worlds best netballers such as Sharelle McMahon, Renae Hallinan, Madison Browne, Julie Corletto and Bianca Chatfield come from Victoria.

Possibly Victoria's most famous island, Phillip Island, is home of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit which hosts the Australian motorcycle Grand Prix which features MotoGP (the world's premier motorcycling class), as well as the Australian round of the World Superbike Championship and the domestic V8 Supercar racing, which also visits Sandown Raceway and the rural Winton Motor Raceway circuit.

Australia's most prestigious footrace, the Stawell Gift, is an annual event.

Victoria is also home to the Aussie Millions poker tournament, the richest in the Southern hemisphere.

The Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival is one of the biggest horse racing events in the world and is one of the world's largest sporting events. The main race is for the $6 million Melbourne Cup, and crowds for the carnival exceed 700,000.

See also

2003 Melbourne thunderstorm

Atlas of Victorian Birds

Geography:

Goombala Road

Victorian Alps

Vicmap Topographic Map Series

Lists:

List of highways in Victoria

List of localities (Victoria)

Protected areas of Victoria (Australia)

References

External links

State Government of Victoria website

Official Government tourism website

Tourism Victoria's Online Image Library

Category:Former British colonies Category:States and territories of Australia Category:States and territories established in 1851

af:Victoria (Australië) ang:Victoria (Australia) ar:ولاية فيكتوريا zh-min-nan:Victoria (Australia) be:Штат Вікторыя be-x-old:Вікторыя (Аўстралія) br:Victoria (Aostralia) bg:Виктория (щат) ca:Victòria (Austràlia) cs:Victoria (Austrálie) cy:Victoria (Awstralia) da:Victoria (delstat) de:Victoria (Australien) et:Victoria (Austraalia) el:Βικτώρια (Αυστραλία) es:Victoria (Australia) eo:Viktorio (Aŭstralio) eu:Victoria (Australia) fa:ویکتوریا (استرالیا) hif:Victoria (Australia) fr:Victoria (État) ga:Victoria (stát) gv:Victoria, yn Austrail gd:Victoria, Astràilia gl:Victoria, Australia ko:빅토리아 주 hi:विक्टोरिया (ऑस्ट्रेलिया) hr:Victoria (Australija) id:Victoria, Australia os:Виктори (Австрали) is:Victoria it:Victoria (Australia) he:ויקטוריה (אוסטרליה) jv:Victoria, Australia pam:Victoria (Australia) ka:ვიქტორია (შტატი) la:Victoria (Australia) lv:Viktorija (Austrālija) lb:Victoria (Australien) lt:Viktorija (Australija) lij:Vitöia (Australia) hu:Victoria (Ausztrália) mk:Викторија (Австралија) mr:व्हिक्टोरिया, ऑस्ट्रेलिया ms:Victoria, Australia mn:Викториа (Австрали) nl:Victoria (Australië) ja:ビクトリア州 pih:Wiktoreya no:Victoria (Australia) nn:Delstaten Victoria oc:Victòria (Estat) pnb:وکٹوریہ pl:Wiktoria (stan Australii) pt:Vitória (Austrália) ro:Victoria (Australia) rm:Victoria (Australia) ru:Виктория (Австралия) stq:Victoria (Australien) simple:Victoria (Australia) sk:Viktória (Austrália) sl:Viktorija (Avstralija) sr:Викторија (Аустралија) fi:Victoria (Australia) sv:Victoria, Australien tl:Victoria, Australya ta:விக்டோரியா (ஆஸ்திரேலியா) th:รัฐวิกตอเรีย tr:Victoria, Avustralya uk:Вікторія (штат) vec:Victoria (Austrałia) vi:Victoria (Úc) wuu:维克多利亚州 zh:維多利亞州

name	Victoria Justice
background	solo_singer
birth date	February 19, 1993
origin	Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
instrument	Vocals, piano
genre	Electropop, pop, dance pop
occupation	Actress, singer, songwriter, dancer
years active	2003–present
label	Columbia RecordsSony Music Entertainment
website	VictoriaJustice.net
notable instruments	}}

Victoria Justice (born February 19, 1993) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and dancer. She debuted as an actress at the age of 10 and has since appeared in several films and television series including the Nickelodeon series ''Zoey 101'' and ''Victorious''. She has made appearances in several theatrical releases, including ''Unknown'' as well as the 2006 thriller ''The Garden''. She has appeared in several Nickelodeon series, including ''True Jackson, VP'', ''The Troop'', ''The Penguins of Madagascar'' and ''iCarly'', as well as on the Nickelodeon game show ''BrainSurge'' as a contestant. In 2010 she starred in the Nickelodeon film ''The Boy Who Cried Werewolf''.

Aside from acting, Justice is involved in her musical career. She has performed several songs for the soundtrack to the Nickelodeon musical ''Spectacular!'', in which she starred. She has recorded a number of songs for the ''Victorious'' series. Justice has announced the release of her debut album, which is expected to be released sometime during the summer of 2011.

Early life

Victoria Justice was born on February 19, 1993, in Hollywood, Florida, to Serene and Zack Justice. Her mother is Puerto Rican and her father is of English, German, and Irish descent. She first developed an interest in acting when she was 8 years old after watching a children's commercial. She and her family relocated to Hollywood, California, in 2003. In 2005, she auditioned and was accepted into the musical theatre program at Los Angeles' renowned Performing Arts Magnet school. Her family moved from Hollywood, Florida, to Los Angeles when she was 11 after Justice had stated she wanted to be a part of filming commercials as well as television series and films. Justice has done commercials for companies such as Ralph Lauren, Gap and Guess. She appeared in national commercials for Mervyn's, Peanut Butter Toast Crunch and Ovaltine.

Career

2003–09: Beginnings and ''Zoey 101''

Justice first began her acting career when she was 10 years old, when she made a guest appearance on the ''Gilmore Girls'' episode "The Hobbit, the Sofa and Digger Stiles". Justice portrayed Jill #2 in a walk-on role. After her appearance in the series, her family moved to Los Angeles, when Justice stated she wanted a career in acting. The following year, Justice guest starred on the second episode of the Disney channel series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'', in which she plays a young pageant contestant named Rebecca. Later, Justice was awarded a role in the 2005 drama-thriller Mary. Justice portrayed the role of Stella, a young girl who begins seeing visions of Mary Magdalene. After informing her family of this, they take her to see a psychiatrist, who places her on medication. Later that night, when Mary comes back, Stella takes her medicine and ignores her. This leads Mary to give Stella's sister the task instead. The film debuted at 2005 Venice Film Festival, before being showed at several other Festivals, including the 2005 Toronto Film Festival, Deauville Film Festival and San Sebastián International Film Festival.

thumb|left|170px|Victoria Justice in June 2007 During the same year, Justice was awarded a main cast role in the Nickelodeon series ''Zoey 101'' as Lola Martinez, a new student who is also an aspiring actress. When she found out she had earned the role, she said "I was extremely happy; I was bouncing up and down and screaming. That was a really great moment." The season 2 episode that introduced Justice's character debuted on September 11, 2005. Justice also had roles in two other films that year. She had a cameo appearance in the R-rated film ''When Do We Eat?'', as well as earning the role of Rose in the Hallmark television film ''Silver Bells'', the following of which has become a Hallmark Hall of Fame film.

In 2006, while filming episodes for ''Zoey 101'', Justice made a guest appearance on an episode of the series ''Everwood'', in the episode "Enjoy the Ride". Justice made her theatrical film debut that year, when she was given a cameo role in the film ''Unknown''. The film was a financial failure, and received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has a 39% approval rate, and only has a 44% approval rate on metacritic.

2006 also saw Justice in her first major theatrical role, when she was awarded the supporting role of Holly in the thriller film ''The Garden''. The film was met with negative reviews from critics, with Tex Massacre of Bloody Disgusting giving the film a score of 3 out of 10, stating, "Overflowing with way too much exposition, and a barrage of scenes that offer little more than the actors looking pensive, ''The Garden'' felt like five movies – five long strange never-ending tales that were designed to suck the very soul from my body. Perhaps it felt that way because it took me 5 sittings to finally make it through the film!"

2007 and 2008 saw Justice focusing on the third and fourth seasons of ''Zoey 101'', which was coming to a close. Justice released her debut single midway through 2007, while she was still filming ''Zoey 101''. The song was a cover of the Vanessa Carlton song, "A Thousand Miles". The song failed to make an impact on any charts, had little promotion, and no music video was filmed or released. When being interviewed about in 2010 about her musical career, Justice has stated "My family could always tell, ever since I was little, that [music is] something that's always come natural to me and that I've always wanted to do. It's something that's just been in my blood. Ever since I was little, I was taking tap classes, jazz classes, hip-hop classes, acting classes. I just always wanted to cultivate that and do that more. But, the moment where I actually realized, "Woah, this is something that I can actually do for the rest of my life and maybe be successful at," was actually the pilot of Victorious when I did the performance number for the first time. I just remember standing on stage and seeing all these people looking at me and I was nervous. And then, the music started and I started dancing around and really feeling it and having an amazing time, and that's when it clicked for me that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life." May 2, 2008 saw the airing of the final episode of the series.

2009 proved to be a successful year for Justice. She announced plans to guest star on an episode of Nickelodeon's series ''The Naked Brothers Band''. The TV special, titled ''Valentine Dream Date'' featured Justice portraying herself. Justice made no plans of going back into the recording studio until 2009, when she starred in the Nickelodeon musical, ''Spectacular!''. Justice's character performs three songs during the course of the film. When being interviewed about the song writing process, Justice stated "It was really fun. This is the first time that people are going to hear me sing officially. There was a YouTube video where I covered “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton, which I did just for fun with my singing coach. Somehow that got leaked online, and I guess people liked it. But this is the first time that my voice will be on any soundtrack and people are actually going to hear me sing in the studio. It’s really cool and I can’t wait for people to hear it! The songs are really catchy and you can dance around to them. When we were filming, that’s all me, Simon [Curtis], Avan [Jogia] and Andrea [Lewis], would listen to! We would dance around to the songs all the time and practice the moves." She also stated "I completed the songs pretty quickly. I sang three songs that were all duets with Simon, and I finished them in 2 days. I practiced them a long time before, because I wanted to be prepared. So for the 2 weeks before that, I was rehearsing every single day, like 10 times a day. It’s a good idea [to memorize the lyrics] because you’re more prepared. I definitely did, but I don’t think everyone does." Justice starred alongside Nolan Funk and Simon Curtis in the musical film, which aired on Nickelodeon on February 16, 2009. The film has become one of Nickelodeon's most popular movies, attracting an audience 3.7 million viewers on its premiere night. The film received a generally positive review from several critics. Common Sense Media said in their review that "With SPECTACULAR!, Nickelodeon attempts to loosen the iron grip Disney established on tween-targeted modern-day musicals with ''High School Musical'' and its sequels. ''Spectacular!'' definitely has some similarities to HSM – including a talented cast, upbeat song-and-dance numbers, and age-appropriate content for tweens – but there are also some marked differences. Nikko is a bit of a bad boy, mouthing off to his older brother (who acts as his guardian) and flaunting a major superiority complex with the choir members. Courtney's also guilty of some errors in judgment, including allowing her passion for upstaging Ta-Da – and lead singer Royce (Simon Curtis), who defected from ''Spectacular!'' – to lead to promising Nikko money that belonged to the group. But rather than weighing the story down, these character flaws actually benefit the overall package. They allow the characters to evolve – and, in the end, that's what tweens will take away from this story. Spectacular! can't boast the same pure star power of its popular Disney rival, but it does offer equally kid-friendly entertainment with strong positive overtones. Though parents will find the story predictable and more than a little cheesy, tweens are sure to embrace it and the messages it sends." The film has a 76% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of 2011.

After the success of The Naked Brothers Band special in which Justice guest starred, producers insisted on placing her in yet another episode. The episode, titled "The Premiere", debuted on April 11, 2009. Shortly afterward, it was announced that Victoria Justice would be guest starring on a special episode of the hit television series ''iCarly''. The episode, which aired on August 8, 2009 saw Justice portraying ring fighter Shelby Marx. After Carly jokingly states she could beat Marx in a fight, Marx goes to Carly's home and challenges her. The plan is to rig the fight, so no one really is hurt. The fight is set to air on TV as well. However, after Carly's enemy, Nevel, intervenes, the fight turns real. The special was later released onto a DVD of the same name, which features not only the episode, but also has three other ''iCarly'' episodes, including "iDate a Bad Boy", "iCarly Awards", and "iLook Alike". The DVD also includes ''Big Time Audition'', the pilot movie of ''Big Time Rush''. September 26 saw the release of the ''True Jackson, VP'' episode "True Crush", which featured an appearance by Justice. On its original airdate, the show received 3.6 million viewers.

On November 30 Justice appeared as herself on the latest Nickelodeon show, called ''BrainSurge''. The game show saw Justice competing as a celebrity contestant as part of a series special. Justice announced that year that she would be working on a thriller film, set for theatrical release. It was later announced the film would feature Dylan Sprouse and Cole Sprouse, who star on the Disney series ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' as well as its spin-off series ''The Suite Life On Deck''. The film is about two cousins, Will and Clayton, who witness a murder, but out of fear decide not to tell anyone. They and their friend Betsy (Justice), whose father has been wrongfully accused of the crime, go on a journey to find the real killer, and at the same time redeem themselves. Unlike initial plans of a theatrical release, the film had a limited preview release on December 12, 2009 and was returned to post production. Despite this, the film's worldwide release has been canceled.

Justice guest-starred on the Nickelodeon television series, ''The Troop'', in which she portrays an Eris Fairy who has been running around the school breaking up couples in love in the episode "Speed."

2010–present: ''Victorious'' and other projects

Justice confirmed that she would be receiving her own musical show on Nickelodeon, explaining the show's genesis thus: "I was on ''Zoey 101''. When I was 12, Dan Schneider cast me as a new character, Lola Martinez. From there, I worked with him for three years, on three seasons of ''Zoey 101''. And, after that, Dan found out that I could also sing and dance as well as act, so he thought it would be really cool to create a show for me on Nickelodeon, called Victorious." The pilot for the show, which was presented as a special for the series, debuted on March 27, 2010, and received 5.7 million views, making it the highest rated premiere for a live-action Nickelodeon series. The original broadcast of this episode was an extended cut, all subsequent airings had various scenes and lines were removed to conform to its time-slot. The extended cut version can be downloaded on iTunes and was featured on the ''iCarly'' DVD ''iSpace Out''. The series premiere received generally positive reviews from critics. Brian Lowry of ''variety.com'' said of the shows debut "The difference between "Big Time Rush" – Nickelodeon's lackluster first collaboration with Sony Music—and their latest joint venture, "Victorious," rests almost entirely on 17-year-old Victoria Justice's petite shoulders. Both shows are near plot-free and set in a high school for the performing arts, as if the original "Fame" were given a frontal lobotomy. But Justice is winsome and talented enough to provide the latest show a leg up in connecting with tween girls—and not incidentally, maybe selling some music in the process." Common Sense Media praised Justice's role in the series, stating, "Victorious marks Victoria Justice’s rise from successful supporting roles in ''Zoey 101'' and ''Spectacular!'' to the center stage, and like her TV counterpart, she proves she’s worthy of the promotion. Tweens will find much to like in this upbeat comedy – original music, dance, and plenty of mild teen drama – and the fact that Tori always emerges with unwavering self-assurance sends positive vibes to impressionable viewers."

Justice returned to the recording studio to record music for the series in 2010. She recorded the series first featured song, which also serves as the theme song, titled "Make It Shine". The single had little success charting in the U.S., however it did manage to reach 16 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 singles chart. Several other songs have been featured in the series, including "You're the Reason", "Finally Falling", "Beggin' on Your Knees","Best Friend's Brother" and "Tell Me That You Love Me". Justice performed her third official single, "Freak the Freak Out", during the ''Victorious'' special episode of the same name. The single became her third song to receive an official release, after "A Thousand Miles" and "Make It Shine" and was officially released on November 22, 2010. The single has become her first song to chart on any major chart, when it debuted at 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Justice performed the song live for the first time at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Justice later guest-starred on the animated series ''The Penguins of Madagascar'', voicing the character of Stacy in the episode "Badger Pride". Justice starred in the 2010 Nickelodeon television movie ''The Boy Who Cried Werewolf'', playing Jordan Sands, a girl who is transformed into a werewolf following her move to a creepy manor. The film was a major success for the network, drawing in 5.8 million viewers for the premiere. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. The film currently holds a 69% approval rate on Rotten Tomatoes based on 24 reviews. Felix Vasques Jr. of ''CinemaCrazed'' gave the film a positive review as well, stating "''The Boy Who Cried Werewolf'' ends up being a surprisingly solid family horror comedy that isn't as soapy or girly as I originally assumed it would be. Within the pandering to preteens salivating after Justice, there is also a solid however flawed and derivative story and some wicked special effects." It has been confirmed that in 2011 the cast of ''iCarly'', along with the cast of Victorious will be doing a crossover episode, titled ''iParty with Victorious''. This will mark the second time Justice has guest starred for iCarly, first as Shelby Marx.

In a 2010 interview with the Associated Press, she stated that she is recording an album but will take her time with the process, rather than rush it, and write the songs on the album. But, she is very excited waiting for it. In March 2011 The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Justice had landed the lead role in the coming of age comedy ''Fun Size''.

Other endeavors

Philanthropy

Justice has taken part in a few charity events. She has supported charities such as the ''United Nations Foundation'', which benefits numerous causes such as AIDS, Children, Environment, Health, Human Rights and Peace. On September 30, 2010, Justice announced she would be joining the Charity Campaign ''Girl Up''. When asked about joining, she stated "I’m so excited to become a Champion for Girl Up and to help make a difference for girls who aren’t given the same opportunities that most of us take for granted. I know that there are plenty of girls throughout the country who are just like me – ready and motivated to stand up for the rights and well-being of girls in the developing world. I am confident that, together, we will rise to the challenge." Justice joined ''Girl Up'' on September 30, 2010 for the campaign’s official launch in New York City and will go on to support the “Unite for Girls” tour, which travels to cities across the U.S. to activate and engage teens from coast to coast. She will have the chance to visit Girl Up-supported programs in developing countries to observe first-hand the impact they can have on girls and communities. During an interview with ''Seventeen'' magazine, Justice stated:

Filmography

''The Garden'' ''Spectacular!'' ''The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (2010 film) ''Victorious'' ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' ''Everwood'' ''The Naked Brothers Band (TV series) ''The Troop'' ''2010 Kids' Choice Awards'' ''The Penguins of Madagascar'' ''7 Secrets With Victoria Justice'' ''Nick News'' ''2011 Kids' Choice Awards'' ''BrainSurge'' ''iCarly''

colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Film
Year	Film	Role	! Notes
rowspan="3"	2005	Mary (2005 film)>Mary''	Stella
''When Do We Eat? (2006 film)	When Do We Eat?''	Young Nikky
''Silver Bells (film)	Silver Bells''	Rose
rowspan="2"	2006	|	Holly
''Unknown (2006 film)	Unknown''	Daughter
rowspan="2"	2009	|	Tammi Dyson
''The Kings of Appletown''	Betsy
2010	The Boy Who Cried Werewolf'' ||	Jordan Sands	Lead role
colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Television series
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
2005–2008	''Zoey 101''	Lola Martinez (Zoey 101)>Lola Martinez
2010–present	|	List of Victorious characters>Victoria "Tori" Vega	Lead role
colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Television guest appearances
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Episode(s)
2003	''Gilmore Girls''	Jill #2
2005	|	Rebecca	List of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody episodes#ep2>"The Fairest of Them All" (Season 1, episode 2)
2006	|	Thalia Thompson	"Enjoy the Ride" (Season 4, episode 18)
rowspan="4"	2009	The Naked Brothers Band'' ||	Herself	"Valentine Dream Date (TV special)
''[[iCarly''
''True Jackson, VP''
''BrainSurge''	Herself
2010	|	Eris Fairy	List of The Troop episodes#ep15>Speed" (Season 1, episode 15)
2010	|	Herself	(with the cast of ''Victorious'')
2010	|	Stacy	"Badger Pride" (Season 2, episode 14)
2010	|	Herself	Television Special
2011	|	Herself	Episode: Lies We Tell In Middle School
2011	|	Herself	Performed Beggin' On Your Knees, Nominated for "Favorite Television Actress", (with the cast of ''Victorious'')
2011	|	Herself
2011	|	Tori Vega	"iParty with Victorious" (Season 3, episode 11–13, crossover)

Discography

Soundtracks

+	Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
! scope="col" style="width:7em;font-size:90%;"
! scope="row"		* Released: February 3, 2009	* Format: CD, digital download	* Label: Nick Records	44
! scope="row"		* Released: August 2, 2011	* Format: CD, digital download	* Label: Sony Music Entertainment	5

Singles

Promotional singles

Title	Year	Peak chart Positions	Album
		US
"A Thousand Miles"		–

Soundtrack singles

Title	Year	Peak chart Positions	Album
		US
"Make It Shine"		116	align="center" rowspan=5
"Freak the Freak Out"	50
"Beggin' on Your Knees"		58
"Best Friend's Brother"	86
"I Want You Back"	108

As featured artist

! scope="row"

Title	Year	Positions	Album
		US
"Leave It All to Shine" (iCarly cast & Victorious cast featuring Miranda Cosgrove & Victoria Justice)	2011	124

;Notes :1. "Leave It All to Shine" did not enter the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 but peaked on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number twenty-four.

Awards

Iconic TV Actress 2011 Kids' Choice AwardsImagen AwardsALMA Awards

style="background-color: #BCBCBC"	Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2010	J-14's Teen Icon Awards	|	Victorious
2011	|	Favorite TV Actress	Victorious
2011	|	Best Young Actress/Television	Victorious
2011	|	Favorite TV Actress – Leading Role in a Comedy	Victorous

See also

List of Puerto Ricans

References

External links

Category:1993 births Category:Actors from Florida Category:American child actors Category:American child singers Category:American film actors Category:American female singers Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of German descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Puerto Rican descent Category:American television actors Category:Child pop musicians Category:Hispanic and Latino American actors Category:Musicians from Florida Category:Living people Category:People from Hollywood, Florida

ca:Victoria Justice cs:Victoria Justice da:Victoria Justice de:Victoria Justice es:Victoria Justice fa:ویکتوریا جاستیس fr:Victoria Justice it:Victoria Justice he:ויקטוריה ג'סטיס nl:Victoria Justice ja:ヴィクトリア・ジャスティス pl:Victoria Justice pt:Victoria Justice ru:Джастис, Виктория sl:Victoria Justice fi:Victoria Justice sv:Victoria Justice

Name	The ExponentsThe Dance Exponents
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Christchurch, New Zealand
Years active	1981–2000, 2006, 2010-2012
Associated acts	Jordan Luck BandLuckThe Diamond RingsThe StarlingsBasementChannel 4
Current members	Jordan LuckDavid GentBrian JonesMichael "Harry" Harralambi
Past members	Steve CowanMartin MorrisChris SheehanEddie OlsonDavid BarracloughSteve Simpson }}

The Exponents are a New Zealand rock group led by vocalist and songwriter Jordan Luck.

Their major hits, including "Why Does Love Do This To Me", "Who Loves Who The Most", "Victoria", "I'll Say Goodbye (Even Though I'm Blue)" and "Whatever Happened To Tracey" have been taken up by successive generations of younger New Zealanders, with social commentators going so far as to say that an Exponents concert forms a rite of passage for New Zealand youth.

History

The group formed in 1981 after vocalist Jordan Luck and guitarist Brian Jones disbanded their first group, Basement, and relocated from the South Canterbury town of Timaru to Christchurch with their ex-Splash Alley friend, Steve "Fingers" Cowan. Searching for a drummer in Christchurch, the trio met Dave Gent (bass) and Michael "Harry" Harralambi (drums) from punk band Channel 4. Cowan moved from bass to keyboards and guitar and the five piece became The Dance Exponents. Their first gig was at the Hillsborough Tavern on Luck's 20th birthday and Cowan's 22nd - October 15th 1981. A residency at Christchurch's Aranui Tavern quickly earned them a strong live reputation, and on the recommendation of Jim Wilson they were signed by Mushroom Records by Mike Chunn in 1982.

The band's debut single "Victoria" was a top ten hit and was quickly followed by the singles "Airway Spies" and "All I Can Do". During this period guitarist Steve Cowan left the group and they played as a four piece until Martin Morris was added to the live band following the recording of the band's debut album in 1983. Sadly Steve Cowan died a couple of years after leaving the group.

With their popularity growing nationally from extensive touring, TVNZ recorded them live at Mainstreet in Auckland. The show was simulcast on television and FM radio and the companion album released in June 1983 saw six songs from the Dance Exponents on one side of the album with four songs from The Legionnaires on the other side.

In December 1983 the group's debut album "Prayers Be Answered" was released and it stayed in the NZ Album chart for nearly a year, selling double platinum in the process - a rare feat for a new New Zealand act at the time . Luck's songs, their exuberant live shows and the group's broad appeal made them one of the most popular new bands in New Zealand in the early 80s.

In 1984 Martin Morris left the band and Chris Sheehan joined on guitar. Sheehan brought a new edge to the group, best heard on his first recording with the group the Julian Mendlesohn produced single "Sex & Agriculture". The Dance Exponents second album "Expectations" was released in May 1985. Harry left the group before Expectations was recorded and Vince Ely from The Psychedelic Furs was hired by producer Ian (Fab) Taylor to drum on the album. Eddie Olson joined the band on drums following the album's release.

The band's third album "Amplifier" was co produced by John Jansen and Doug Rogers and released on Roger's Zulu label in 1986. Amplifier featured the single "Caroline Skies" and re-recordings of "Sex & Agriculture", "Victoria" and "Only I Could Die", the latter becoming the second single from the album. Without the band's approval, Zulu released a recording of "Brand New Doll" as single. It was not featured on the Amplifier album but was included on the CD when it was released in 1999. After only a moderate response to the album, Eddie Olson left the group and the band moved to Britain in 1987. There, they were a popular draw for expatriate New Zealanders (and sometimes Australians and South Africans) and attracted A&R; interest, but did not gain a record contract. During their four year hiatus in the UK, Luck continued to write and accumulated a number of strong songs which were demoed by the band.

Interest in the UK demos from PolyGram Records NZ brought the band back to New Zealand in 1990, although Sheehan remained in the UK and went on to form The Starlings. In New Zealand, Harry rejoined the group and to mark the new start of the four original members, they dropped the "Dance" from their name to become The Exponents. Their subsequent 1992 album for PolyGram "Something Beginning with C", yielded the group's biggest hits of their career in "Why Does Love Do This To Me" and "Who Loves Who The Most" and the album became the band's first number 1 record in New Zealand. It includes some of Luck's strongest songs and is marked by simple arrangements and Brian Jones' vocal harmonies with Luck. Widely considered a New Zealand classic, it is included in Nick Bollinger's book "100 Essential New Zealand Albums".

In 1992 The Exponents signed to Phonogram Records in Australia and relocated to Sydney to record their fifth album "Grassy Knoll". Before they began Jones left the band and relocated to the UK. With guitars played by Dave Dobbyn and Brent Williams (an old band mate of David Gent who went on to join Pop Mechanix), "Grassy Knoll" was significantly rockier than it's predecessors and delivered the singles "Like She Said", "Don't Say Goodbye" and "House Of Love". With limited promotion in New Zealand, "Grassy Knoll" went gold but failed to match the success of "Something Beginning With C".

Following the release of Grassy Knoll, the band met Rockingham raised Dave "Duck" Barraclough in Sydney in 1994 and he joined them as guitarist and songwriting partner to Luck. His first contribution to the group was his song "La La Lulu" which was backed by a co-write with Luck called "Summer You Never Meant". "La La Lulu" returned the band to the singles charts and the two songs featured on the group's first hits compilation entitled "Once Bitten, Twice Bitten - The Singles 1981 - 1995" which was released by Warner Music. The album was a massive success hitting Number 1 on the New Zealand album charts and selling 5 x Platinum. In 1996 the group recorded a final, one off single for Warner Music entitled "Do You Feel In Love".

In 1997 the Exponents signed to Sony Music and released their sixth studio album Better Never Than Late which featured the singles "One In A Lifetime", "Close" and "Change Your Mind". Produced by Eddie Rayner and The Exponents it reached number 3 on the album chart.

In 1999, Dave Gent took a break from the group and Steve Simpson was drafted in on bass. Shortly after The Exponents decided to call it quits and went out on a final New Zealand tour in support of their final album "Hello, Love You, Goodbye". The record featured Simpson on bass with 6 new tracks and 8 live tracks recorded at the Pounamu Hotel in Takapuna in 1999. Following the tour Barraclough returned to Australia and joined Mental As Anything.

Luck formed his own band, Luck, playing Exponents songs and new compositions with songwriting partner Bryan Bell and he continues to play in the Jordan Luck Band today.

Brian Jones returned to New Zealand in the early 2000s and began working with former Bird Nest Roys singer Little Ross Hollands in their new group The Diamond Rings which also included a rhythm section of fellow Exponents David Gent and Harry. The Diamond Rings released their debut album "The Rasper" in June 2009.

In 2005 the four original Exponents - Luck, Gent, Jones and Harry got together to record "Geraldine" and "Or A Girl I Knew" with producer Neil Finn for inclusion in a new Exponents hits compilation called "Sex & Agriculture - The Very Best Of The Exponents". The album featured one disc of the hits and a second of b-sides and rarities. They played a few shows in support of the album which went platinum and reached number 7 on the charts.

The four reunited again in 2010 to play at the benefit concert for the 2010 Canterbury earthquake. Their 1985 hit "Christchurch (In Cashel Street I Wait)" became the theme song for the concert and the band closed the show with a mass chorus of the song featuring all the artists who performed at the concert.

The Exponents are currently working on a new project for 2011 and 2012.

New Zealand Music Awards

In 1984 The Dance Exponents won three NZ Music Awards:

Album Of The Year "Prayers Be Answered"

Top Male Vocalist - Jordan Luck

Best Group

In 1992 The Exponents won two NZ Music Awards:

Single Of The Year "Why Does Love Do This To Me"

Top Male Vocalist - Jordan Luck

APRA Awards

In 2001, to celebrate 75 years of its existence, APRA invited its members and an academy to vote on what they believe are to be New Zealand's top songs of all time. The Exponents had several songs appearing in the top 100:

#8 - "Victoria"

#47 - "Why Does Love Do This To Me"

#89 - "I'll Say Goodbye"

At the 2007 APRA Silver Scroll Awards on September 18, Jordan Luck was named by Mike Chunnas the first inductee to the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame.

Discography

Albums

Date	Title	Producer	Label	Charted	Certification	Catalog Number
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Singles

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Year	Single	Album	Charted	Certification	Catalogue
					Mushroom X13083 (12")Mushroom K8793 (7")
					Mushroom X13097 (12")Mushroom K8905 (7")
					Mushroom:K9044
					Mushroom K9250
					Mushroom K9051
					Mushroom K9053
					Mushroom X14083 (12")Mushroom K9478 (7")
					Mushroom K9711
					Mushroom X14205 (12")Mushroom K9713 (7")
					Mushroom K9659
					Zulu Z001
					Zulu Z003
					Zulu Z007
					Mercury 868176-2
					Mercury 866543-2
					Mercury 868776-2
					Mercury 866658-2
					Mercury 864013-2
					Mercury 864775-2
					Mercury 858052-2
					Mercury 858847-2
					Mercury 856375-2
					Warner 063012167-2
					Warner 063015229-2
					Columbia 664262-2
					Columbia 664717-2
					Columbia 664991-2
					Digital Only

Videos

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Year	Video	Director

Notes

Exponents, The

Keny Arkana (born 1982 in Marseille, France) is a French rap artist. She is active in the alter-globalization movement with "La Rage Du Peuple", a music collective created in 2004 in the neighborhood of Noailles in Marseilles.

Biography

Raised in Marseilles of Argentine heritage, Arkana began rapping in 1996, with her first texts at the age of 12. She formed the collectives Mars Patrie and later Etat-Major, gaining performance experience in the Marseilles underground scene, culminating in the 2003 release of Etat Major's first mixtape.

After several solo appearances on various projects, Arkana released her first EP ''Le missile est lancé'' (''The rocket is launched'') in 2004. Her first album ''Entre ciment et belle étoile'' (''Between concrete and stars'') was released in October 2006. Her first single, ''La rage'', released in 2006, pointedly references the 2005 civil unrest in France.

Keny Arkana also launched a series of local social fora through the association Appel aux sans voix (Call to the voiceless).

"L'Esquisse 2" is her latest album, released in May 2011.

Etat-Major Discography

2003 : Volume 1 (EP)

Solo discography

2004 : Le missile est lancé (EP)

2005 : L'Esquisse

2006 : La rage (EP)

2006 : Entre ciment et belle étoile (october 16)

2008 : Désobéissance (EP) (april 7)

2011 : L'Esquisse 2 (may 23)

2012 : Tout Tourne Autour Du Soleil (2012)

Notes

Links

Official site of Keny Arkana

La Rage du Peuple

La Rage (sound file)

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:French rappers Category:French people of Argentine descent Category:Female rappers

da:Keny Arkana de:Keny Arkana es:Keny Arkana fr:Keny Arkana it:Keny Arkana he:קאני ארקנה sv:Keny Arkana

name	John Mayer
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	John Clayton Mayer
birth date	October 16, 1977
birth place	Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
origin	Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S.
instrument	Guitar, vocals, omnichord, piano, vibraphone, harmonica, percussion, flute, clarinet, violin
genre	Blues rock, pop rock, acoustic rock, blue-eyed soul
occupation	Musician, songwriter, record producer, columnist, graphic designer, photographer, comedian, television host
years active	–present
label	Arista, Aware, Columbia
associated acts	John Mayer Trio
website
notable instruments	Fender StratocasterMartin GuitarsGibson Guitars }}

John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American musician singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his skills and gained a following, and he now lives in New York City. His first two studio albums, ''Room for Squares'' and ''Heavier Things'', did well commercially, achieving multi-platinum status. In 2003, he won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Your Body Is a Wonderland."

Mayer began his career performing mainly acoustic rock, but gradually began a transition towards the blues genre in 2005 by collaborating with renowned blues artists such as B. B. King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton, and by forming the John Mayer Trio. The blues influence can be heard on his album ''Continuum'', released in September 2006. At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in 2007 Mayer won Best Pop Vocal Album for ''Continuum'' and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Waiting on the World to Change". He released his fourth studio album, ''Battle Studies'', in November 2009. He has sold over 10 million albums in the U.S. and 20 million albums worldwide.

Early life

John Clayton Mayer was born on October 16, 1977 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Margaret, an English teacher, and Richard, a high school principal. He grew up in Fairfield, Connecticut, the second of three children.His father is Jewish, and Mayer has said that he "relat[es] to Judaism". He attended Andrew Warde High School in Fairfield although he was enrolled in the Center for Global Studies at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk for his junior year. (Then known as the Center for Japanese Studies Abroad, it is a magnet program for students wanting to learn Japanese.) During an appearance on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', Mayer said that he had played the clarinet for a while in middle school, with minor success.

After watching Michael J. Fox's guitar performance as Marty McFly in ''Back to the Future'', Mayer became fascinated with the instrument, and when he turned 13, his father rented one for him.

A neighbor gave Mayer a Stevie Ray Vaughan cassette, which cultivated Mayer's love of blues music. Mayer started taking lessons from a local guitar-shop owner, Al Ferrante, and soon became consumed with playing the instrument. His singular focus concerned his parents, and they took him twice to see a psychiatrist—but Mayer was determined to be fine. Mayer says that the contentious nature of his parents' marriage led him to "disappear and create my own world I could believe in". After two years of practice, he started playing at blues bars and other venues in the area, while he was still in high school. In addition to performing solo, he was a member of a band called Villanova Junction (named for a Jimi Hendrix song) with Tim Procaccini, Joe Beleznay, and Rich Wolf. Mayer considered skipping college to pursue his music, but the disapproval of his parents dissuaded him from doing so.

When Mayer was seventeen, he was stricken with cardiac dysrhythmia and was hospitalized for a weekend. Reflecting on the incident, Mayer said, “That was the moment the songwriter in me was born,” and he penned his first lyrics the night he got home from the hospital. Shortly thereafter, he began suffering from panic attacks, and lived with the fear of having to enter a mental institution. He continues to manage such episodes with Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug. After graduation, he worked for fifteen months at a gas station until he saved enough money to buy a 1996 Stevie Ray Vaughan signature Stratocaster.

Career

Early career

Mayer enrolled in the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, aged 19. However, at the urging of his college friend and Atlanta, Georgia native, Clay Cook, he left school after two semesters and moved with Cook to Atlanta. In Atlanta they formed a two-man band called LoFi Masters and began performing in local coffee houses and club venues such as Eddie's Attic. According to Cook, they began to experience musical differences due to Mayer’s desire to move more towards pop music. As a result, the two parted ways, and Mayer embarked on a solo career.

With the help of local producer and engineer Glenn Matullo, Mayer recorded the independent EP ''Inside Wants Out''. Cook co-wrote many of the songs from the EP including Mayer's first commercial single release, "No Such Thing". The EP includes eight songs with Mayer on lead vocals and guitars. However, Cook's only contribution was backing vocals on the song “Comfortable”. For the opening track, “Back To You”, a full band was enlisted, including the EP’s co-producer David "DeLa" LaBruyere on bass guitars. Mayer and LaBruyere then began to perform throughout Georgia and nearby states.

Major label success

Mayer’s reputation began to build, and a March 2000 appearance at South by Southwest brought him to the attention of "launch" label, Aware Records. After including him in the Aware Festival concerts and having his songs included on Aware compilations, in early 2001, Aware released Mayer's internet-only album entitled, ''Room for Squares''. During this time, Aware inked a deal with Columbia Records that gave Columbia first pick in signing Aware artists, and so in September of the same year, Columbia remixed and re-released ''Room for Squares''. As part of the major label "debut", the album's artwork was updated, and the track "3x5" was added. The re-release also included reworked studio versions of the first four songs from his indie album, ''Inside Wants Out''.

By the end of 2002, ''Room for Squares'' had spawned several radio hits, including "No Such Thing," "Your Body Is a Wonderland", and ultimately, "Why Georgia". In 2003, Mayer won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Your Body Is a Wonderland." In his acceptance speech he remarked, "This is very, very fast, and I promise to catch up." He also figuratively referred to himself as being sixteen, a remark that many mistook to mean that he was only sixteen years old at the time.

In 2003, Mayer released a live CD and DVD of a concert in Birmingham, Alabama titled ''Any Given Thursday''. The concert featured songs previously not recorded, such as "Man on the Side" (co-written with Cook) and "Something's Missing", which later appeared on ''Heavier Things''. The concert also included "Covered In Rain". According to the accompanying DVD documentary, this song is "part two" of the song "City Love", which features the line "covered in rain". Commercially, the album quickly peaked at number seventeen on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The CD/DVD received conservative, although consistent, praise, with critics torn between his pop-idol image, and (at the time) emerging guitar prowess. Erik Crawford (of Allmusic) asked "Is he the consummate guitar hero exemplified when he plays a cover of Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'Lenny', or is he the teen idol that the pubescent girls shriek for after he plays 'Your Body Is a Wonderland?'"

''Heavier Things'', Mayer's second album, was released in 2003 to generally favorable reviews. ''Rolling Stone, Allmusic'' and ''Blender'' all gave positive, although reserved, feedback. ''PopMatters'' said that it "doesn't have as many drawbacks as one might assume". The album was commercially successful, and while it did not sell as well as ''Room for Squares'', it peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart. Mayer earned his first number one single with the song "Daughters" as well as a 2005 Grammy for Song of the Year, beating out fellow contenders Alicia Keys and Kanye West. He dedicated the award to his grandmother, Annie Hoffman, who died in May 2004. He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, beating Elvis Costello, Prince, and Seal for the award. In a February 9, 2009 interview on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'', Mayer said that he thought he should not have won the Grammy for Song of the year because he thought that Alicia Keys' If I Ain't Got You was the better song. Because of this, he removed the top half of the Grammy and gave it to Keys, and kept the bottom part for himself. At the 37th Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2006, Mayer was honored with the Hal David Starlight Award.

Mayer again recorded live concerts across seven nights of his U.S. tour in 2004. These recordings were released to the iTunes Store under the title ''As/Is'', indicating that the errors were included along with the good moments. A few months later, a "best of" CD was compiled from the ''As/Is'' nights. The album included a previously unreleased cover of Marvin Gaye's song "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)", featuring a solo from Mayer's support act, jazz and blues turntablist DJ Logic. All the album covers of the ''As/Is'' releases feature drawings of anthropomorphic bunnies.

With increased exposure, Mayer's talent came into demand in other areas. Steve Jobs invited Mayer to perform during the keynote address of Apple's annual Macworld Conference & Expo, in January 2004, as Jobs introduced the software application GarageBand. The gig led to Mayer becoming a fixture of the event. He rejoined Jobs on stage for a solo performance at Macworld 2007, following the announcement of the iPhone. Mayer has also done endorsements, such as a Volkswagen commercial for the Beetle's guitar outlet and for the BlackBerry Curve.

Change in musical direction

Mayer began to collaborate extensively, often working with artists outside of his own genre. He appeared on Common's song "Go!" and on Kanye West's "Bittersweet Poetry". Following these collaborations, Mayer received praise from rap heavyweights Jay-Z and Nelly. When asked about his presence in the hip hop community, Mayer said, "It's not music out there right now. That's why, to me, hip-hop is where rock used to be."

It was around this time that Mayer began hinting a change in his musical interests, announcing that he was "closing up shop on acoustic sensitivity." In 2005, he began a string of collaborations with various blues artists, including Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, as well as jazz artist John Scofield. He also went on tour with legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock, which included a show at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. These collaborations led to recordings with several of these artists, namely, Clapton (''Back Home'', Crossroads Guitar Festival), Guy (''Bring 'Em In)'', Scofield (''That's What I Say''), and King (''80''). Although Mayer has maintained a reputation for being a sensitive singer-songwriter, he has also gained distinction as an accomplished guitarist, influenced by the likes of the above artists, as well as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Tommy Herman, Robert Cray, and Freddie King.

John Mayer Trio

This sample features an extended electric guitar solo.}}

In the spring of 2005, Mayer formed the John Mayer Trio with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan, both of whom he had met through previous studio sessions. The trio played a combination of blues and rock music. In October 2005, the Trio opened for The Rolling Stones during a sold-out club tour of their own, and that November, released a live album called ''Try!'' The band took a break in mid-2006. In September 2006, Mayer announced plans for the Trio to begin work on a future studio album.

''Continuum''

Mayer's third studio album, titled ''Continuum'', was released on September 12, 2006, and was produced by Mayer and Steve Jordan. Mayer suggested the album was intended to combine his signature pop music with the feel, sound, groove, and sensibilities of the blues. In that vein, two of the tracks from his Trio release ''Try!''—"Vultures" and "Gravity"—also were included on ''Continuum''.

The first single from ''Continuum'' was "Waiting on the World to Change", which debuted on ''The Ron and Fez Show''. The song was the third most downloaded song of the week on the iTunes Store following its release on July 11, 2006, and debuted at #25 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Chart.

On August 23, 2006, Mayer debuted the entire album on the Los Angeles radio station Star 98.7, giving commentary on each track. A subsequent version was released the next day on the Clear Channel Music website as a streaming sneak preview. On September 21, 2006, Mayer appeared on ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', playing "Waiting on the World to Change" and "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room." The song "Gravity" was featured on the television series ''House'', in the episode "Cane & Able", and ''Numb3rs''. He recorded a session for the British program ''Live from Abbey Road'' at Abbey Road Studios on October 22, 2006.

On December 7, 2006, Mayer was nominated for five 2007 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. The John Mayer Trio also received a nomination for their album, ''Try!''. He won two: Best Pop Song with Vocal for "Waiting on the World to Change" and Best Pop Album for ''Continuum''. Mayer remixed an acoustic version of his single "Waiting on the World to Change" with vocal additions from fellow musician Ben Harper. In preparation for recording ''Continuum'', Mayer had booked the Village Recorder in Los Angeles to record five demo acoustic versions of his songs with veteran musician Robbie McIntosh. These recordings became ''The Village Sessions'', an EP released on December 12, 2006. As usual, Mayer oversaw the artwork of the release.

Mayer was featured on the cover of ''Rolling Stone'' (#1020) in February 2007, along with John Frusciante and Derek Trucks. He was named as one of the "New Guitar Gods," and the cover nicknamed him "Slowhand, Jr.," a reference to Eric Clapton. Additionally, he was selected by the editors of ''Time'' magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2007 and was listed among artists and entertainers.

On November 20, 2007, the re-issue of ''Continuum'' became available online and in stores. The release contains a bonus disc of six live songs from his 2007 tour: five from ''Continuum'' and a cover of the Ray Charles song "I Don't Need No Doctor". His new single, "Say", also became available through iTunes. On December 6, 2007, "Belief" was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. He accompanied Alicia Keys on guitar on her song "No One" at the ceremony.

In February 2008, Mayer hosted a three-day Caribbean cruise event that included performances with various musicians including David Ryan Harris, Brett Dennen, Colbie Caillat and Dave Barnes, among others. The event was called "The Mayercraft Carrier" and was held aboard the cruise ship known as the ''Carnival Victory''. A follow up cruise titled "Mayercraft Carrier 2" set sail from Long Beach, California from March 27–31, 2009 on the Carnival Splendor.

On July 1, 2008, Mayer released ''Where the Light Is'', a live concert film of Mayer's performance at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on December 8, 2007. The film was directed by Danny Clinch. It features an acoustic set and a set with the John Mayer Trio, followed by a set with John's band from the ''Continuum'' album. The DVD and Blu-ray bonus material includes footage of Mayer backstage and playing outside on Mulholland Drive.

Australian artist Guy Sebastian invited Mayer to collaborate on three songs from his 2009 album ''Like It Like That''. Mayer also played guitar on the title track of Crosby Loggins' debut LP, ''Time to Move'', released on July 10, 2009.

On July 7, 2009, Mayer performed an instrumental guitar version of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" at Jackson's televised memorial service.

''Battle Studies'' and ''Born and Raised''

On November 17, 2009, Mayer's fourth studio album, ''Battle Studies'', was released and debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart. The album consists of 11 tracks with a total time of 45 minutes. The first single from the album, "Who Says", was released on September 24, 2009 in advance of album, and was followed on October 19 by the single "Heartbreak Warfare" and the single "Half of My Heart" released on June 21, 2010. Despite the album's commercial success, critics were mixed with their praise; while some reviews were glowing, calling it his "most adventurous", others called the album "safe" and noted that "Mayer the singer-songwriter and Mayer the man about town sometimes seem disconnected, like they don’t even belong in the same body."

Mayer admitted to ''Rolling Stone'' that he thought ''Battle Studies'' was not his best album.

Reports indicate that the follow-up to ''Battle Studies'' will be called ''Born and Raised'', and will be released in October 2011.

Other projects

Philanthropy and activism

In 2002, Mayer began the "Back to You" Fund, a nonprofit organization that focuses on fundraising in the areas of health care, education, the arts, and talent development. The foundation raises funds through the auction of exclusive John Mayer items, such as guitar picks, T-shirts, and signed CDs, made available on Mayer's auction site. The auctions have been successful, with some tickets selling for more than seventeen times their face value.

Mayer participated at the East Rutherford, New Jersey location of the Live Earth project, a musical rally to support awareness for global warming held July 7, 2007. In the summer of 2007, the environmental advocacy group Reverb set up informational booths and helped his crew conserve energy on his tour dates. He converted his tour bus to bio-diesel fuel.

Mayer has performed at a number of benefits and telethons for charity throughout his career. In response to the Virginia Tech massacre, Mayer (along with Dave Matthews Band, Phil Vassar, and Nas) performed a free concert at Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium on September 6, 2007. On December 8, 2007, Mayer hosted the first annual Charity Revue, a tradition he has continued each year. Charities who have benefited from the concerts include Toys for Tots, Inner City Arts, and the Los Angeles Mission. Both CDs and DVDs of the first concert were released under the title ''Where the Light Is'' in July 2008. It has not been announced whether the DVD proceeds will go to charity or not. Mayer appeared on ''Songs for Tibet: The Art of Peace'', a celebrity initiative to support Tibet and the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso.

Design

In a ''Rolling Stone'' interview, Mayer recalled that after former Columbia Records head, Don Ienner, panned ''Continuum'', he briefly considered quitting music and studying design full time. In 2003, Martin Guitars gave Mayer his own signature model acoustic guitar called the OM-28 John Mayer. The guitar was limited to a run of only 404, an Atlanta area code. This model was followed by the release of two Fender signature Stratocaster electric guitars, beginning in 2005. A third Stratocaster, finished in charcoal frost metallic paint with a racing stripe, was also a limited-release, with only 100 guitars made. In January 2006, Martin Guitars released the Martin OMJM John Mayer acoustic guitar. The guitar was intended to have many of the attributes of the Martin OM-28 John Mayer but with a more affordable price tag. In August 2006, Fender started manufacturing SERIES II John Mayer Stratocasters. The new Olympic white with mint green pickguard and cream plastics replaced the shoreline gold model.

In January 2007, Two Rock collaborated with Mayer on custom-designed amps. Only 25 (all signed by Mayer himself) were made available to the public. June 2007 saw the release of the "album art" guitar, with the ''Continuum'' motif repeated on the face of the instrument, as well as a 500-run John Mayer signature Fender Stratocaster in Cypress-Mica, including the limited Cypress-Mica model was the INCSvsJM gig bag on which Mayer collaborated with Incase designs. In 2006, Mayer was estimated to have more than 200 guitars in his personal collection. In 2010, Fender announced a production model of Mayer's "The Black One" guitar.

Writing

With the June 1, 2004, issue of ''Esquire'', Mayer began a column called "Music Lessons with John Mayer". Each article featured a lesson and his (often humorous) take on various topics, both of personal and popular interest. In the August 2005 issue, he invited readers to create music for orphaned lyrics he had written. The winner was Tim Fagan of L.A., as announced in the following January's issue.

Mayer has been active online, and has maintained four blogs: a Myspace page, a blog at his official site, another at Honeyee.com, one at tumblr.com, and a photoblog at StunningNikon.com. He also is one of the most-followed persons on the micro-blogging site Twitter, reaching 3 million followers in January 2010. Although his posts often deal with career-related matters, they also contain jokes, videos, photos, his convictions, and his personal activities; they sometimes overlap in content. He is noted for writing the blogs himself, and not through a publicist. On January 23, 2008, he posted a graphic that read, "Done & Dusted & Self Conscious & Back to Work." on his official blog, followed by the quote "There is danger in theoretical speculation of battle, in prejudice, in false reasoning, in pride, in braggadocio. There is one safe resource, the return to nature.."; all the previous blog entries were deleted.

In the mid-2000s he did stand-up comedy sporadically making random appearances at the famed Comedy Cellar in New York and at other venues. He stated that it helped him write better but that increased media attention made him too careful in his technique.

Television

In 2004, Mayer hosted a one-shot, half-hour comedy special on VH1 entitled ''John Mayer Has a TV Show'', with antics including wearing a bear suit while anonymously teasing concertgoers in the parking lot outside one of his concerts. The American network CBS announced on January 14, 2009 that they were in negotiations with Mayer for a variety show; it may air as a special or as a regular series. In an interview with ''Rolling Stone'', posted online on January 22, 2010, Mayer confirmed that the program, also called ''John Mayer Has a TV Show'', was still in development, and that personnel were being hired. He described the concept as "a high quality music performance show, where I could also steer it a little bit. It's about there being a bastion of artists being made to look good and sound good.".

Mayer has made many appearances on talk shows and other television programs, most notably, on a ''Chappelle's Show'' comedy skit, ''Late Night with David Letterman'' and on the final episode of ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien''. Mayer made an appearance with Rob Dyrdek in the MTV show ''Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory''.

Touring

{{externalvideo | align = right | width = 320px | video1 = Where the Light Is''">Official video Mayer performing an acoustic set from his DVD ''Where the Light Is'' | }} Mayer has toured with many musical groups, including Maroon 5, Guster, Howie Day, Mat Kearney, Counting Crows, Ben Folds, The Wallflowers, Teitur, Brett Dennen, Sheryl Crow, Colbie Caillat, Train, Ellie Goulding, OneRepublic and Paramore. Crow and Mayer, who had just previously appeared on the ''''Cars'' Soundtrack'' together, co-headlined a tour that ran from August to October 2006. In 2007, Mayer toured Europe, hoping to reach the popularity abroad that he enjoys in North America. The initial North American ''Continuum'' tour ended on February 28, 2007, with a show at Madison Square Garden, a performance which the ''New York Post'' described as "career-defining." In 2010, Mayer and Keith Urban performed at a CMT Crossroads concert which saw Mayer and Urban performing a medley of their own songs together and a rendition of George Michael's single, "Faith". This performance was led to Urban and Mayer teaming up again for future performances, including at the 2010 CMT Music Awards.

Mayer allows audio taping at most of his live performances, and he also allows for the non-commercial trading of those recordings. He does this to give fans the opportunity to recreate the live experience, and to encourage fan interaction.

Mayer often shows up at small venues unannounced (or with little advance notice) for surprise concerts—occasionally for free or without accepting the performance fee. He has made appearances throughout the Los Angeles, Atlanta and New York areas, including shows at The Laugh Factory, Eddie's Attic, and the Village Underground. His latest surprise appearace was on January 8, 2011 at Hotel Cafe where he played seven new unreleased songs.

Touring band members

;Current members

David Ryan Harris – guitar, backing vocals (2003–present)

Robbie McIntosh – guitar, slide guitar, backing vocals (2006–present)

Sean Hurley – bass, backing vocals (2008–present)

Bob Reynolds – saxophones, flute (2006–2008, 2010–present)

Bryan Lipps - trumpet (2010–present)

Charlie Wilson – keyboards (2009–present)

Aaron Sterling - drums (2011–present)

;Former members

Pino Palladino - Bass (2010)

Keith Carlock - drums, percussion (2010)

David LaBruyere – bass (1999–2008)

Nir Z - drums (2001)

Matt Mangano - guitar (2001)

Matt Johnson - drums (2002)

Stephen Chopek – drums, percussion (2001–2002)

Michael Chaves – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2001–2005)

Kevin Lovejoy – keyboards (2003–2004)

Erik Jekabsen – trumpet, flugelhorn (2003–2004)

Chris Karlic – saxophone, flute (2003–2005)

J.J. Johnson – drums (2003–2005, 2006–2008)

Onree Gill – keyboards (2004–2005)

Chuck McKinnon – trumpet, flugelhorn (2004–2005)

Keith Carlock - drums, percussion (2010–2011)

Ricky Peterson – keyboards, organ, backing vocals (2006–2007)

Charlie Wilson – keyboards (2009–2011)

Tim Bradshaw – keyboards, organ, lap steel guitar, backing vocals (2007–2008)

Kenna Ramsey - backing vocals (2009–2010)

Melanie Taylor - backing vocals (2009–2010)

Steve Jordan – drums, percussion, backing vocals (2003, 2005–2006, 2009–2010)

Brad Mason - trumpet, flugelhorn (2006–2008)

Personal life

Mayer has followed the discipline of Krav Maga.

He hosts an annual Interfaith Baking Contest, in which he judges his favorite from pictures of baked goods sent in by his fans during the end-of-year, holiday season.

Mayer has a number of tattoos. These include: "Home" and "Life" (from the song title) on the back of his left and right arms respectively, "77" (his year of birth) on the left side of his chest, and a koi-like fish on his right shoulder. His entire left arm is covered in a sleeve tattoo that he acquired gradually, ending in April 2008; it includes: "SRV" (for his idol, Stevie Ray Vaughan) on his shoulder, a decorated rectangle on his biceps, a dragon-like figure on his inner arm, and various other floral designs. In 2003, he got a tattoo of three squares on his right forearm, which, he has explained, he will fill in gradually. As of 2011, two are filled.

He is an avid collector of watches and owns timepieces worth tens of thousands of dollars. Mayer also has an extensive collection of sneakers, estimated () at more than 200 pairs.

Mayer's parents concluded an uncontested divorce on May 27, 2009. After the divorce, Mayer moved his (82-year-old) father to an assisted-living facility in Los Angeles.

Mayer sold his home in the Los Angeles suburbs in 2011. He currently lives in his apartment in the New York City neighborhood of SoHo.

Dating and relationship with the media

Mayer dated Jennifer Love Hewitt briefly in 2002. In a comedy routine at the Hollywood Laugh Factory in May 2006, he said that they never consummated their relationship; he later said that he immediately apologized to her for the raunchy routine. Mayer dated Jessica Simpson for about nine months, beginning in the middle of 2006. Rumors started in August of that year with a ''People'' magazine article, but kicked into high gear when Mayer and Simpson spent New Year's holiday together in New York City, both attending Christina Aguilera's New Year's Eve party. When Ryan Seacrest asked Mayer on the red carpet of the 2007 Grammy Awards, about his relationship with Simpson, Mayer responded in Japanese. Despite some initially conflicting translations, he said, "Jessica is a lovely woman, and I'm glad to be with her." However, the couple split in May 2007. He began dating actress Minka Kelly in September 2007, but they split up before the year's end. Mayer began dating actress Jennifer Aniston in April 2008, but Mayer broke it off the following August. They resumed dating in October 2008 and split up again in March 2009. His relationships with high-profile celebrities has led to his having a reputation as a "womanizer." Taylor Swift recently wrote a few songs about her relationship with Mayer, "Dear John". Mayer's relationship with Jessica Simpson coincided with some personal behavior changes that served to significantly increase his tabloid exposure. Previously, Mayer had expressed his resolve to completely avoid drugs, alcohol, clubbing, "red-carpet" events, dating celebrities and anything else that he felt would detract from his focus on his music. In interviews, however, Mayer has alluded to experiencing an extreme "anxiety bender" episode in his twenties that motivated him to be less reclusive. He later said he realized that, "If I wanted to see Jessica more, I had to grow up," and not be afraid to be without his guitar. He called his relationship with her "sexual napalm" and said she had the power to "change [his] values." He began making appearances at clubs in Los Angeles and New York (where he would stage pranks for the paparazzi), and in a ''Rolling Stone'' interview from 2006, he first mentioned that he had begun using marijuana. Mayer joined Aniston at the 81st Academy Awards in February 2009, where she was a presenter.

Mayer's relationship with the media has drawn controversy. He has been called long-winded and self-aware, stemming from his style as an interviewee. Mayer's discourse with the tabloid media (including hosting a TMZ segment and getting in Twitter battles with Perez Hilton) culminated in an impromptu press conference outside of his gym in New York, where he explained why he had broken-up with Aniston. The fall-out was unfavorable, and he was branded a "douchebag" for "saving face"; Mayer later said, "It was one of the worst times of my life," and maintains he did it to take responsibility for hurting her.

Controversies and allegations of racism

Despite assertions that he would not be doing any more press, an interview with ''Playboy'' magazine (posted to their website on February 10, 2010) set off accusations in the media and on Twitter of his being a misogynist, kiss-and-tell ex-boyfriend, and racist. He apologized via Twitter for his use of the word "nigger," saying, "It was arrogant of me to think I could intellectualize...a word that is so emotionally charged." He also tearfully apologized to his band and fans at his concert in Nashville later that night.

Solo discography

''Room for Squares'' (2001)

''Heavier Things'' (2003)

''Continuum'' (2006)

''Battle Studies'' (2009)

''Born & Raised'' (2011)

Awards

Grammy Awards

Mayer has won seven awards from eighteen nominations.

Year	! Awardee	! Category	! Result
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	2008
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Others awards and nominations

Year	! Award	! Category
	MTV Video Music Awards		* Best New Artist in a Video for "No Such Thing" – nominated
Orville H. Gibson Guitar Awards		* Les Paul Horizon Award (Most Promising Up and Coming Guitarist)
VH1 Big in 2002 Awards		* Can't Get You Out of My Head Award for "No Such Thing"
Pollstar Concert Industry Awards		* Best New Artist Tour
	20th Annual ASCAP Awards		* ASCAP Pop Award – "No Such Thing" (shared with Clay Cook)Awarded to songwriters and publishers of the most performed songs in the ASCAP repertory for the award period.
31st Annual American Music Awards		* Favorite Male Artist – Pop or Rock 'n Roll Music
15th Annual Boston Music Awards		* Act of the Year	* Male Vocalist of the Year	* Song of the Year for "Your Body Is a Wonderland"
MTV Video Music Awards		* Best Male Video
Radio Music Awards		* Modern Adult Contemporary Radio Artist of the Year	* Best Hook-Up Song for "Your Body Is a Wonderland"
Teen People Awards		* Choice Music – Male Artist	* Choice Music – Album for ''Any Given Thursday''
Danish Music Awards		* Best New Artist
	BDS Certified Spin AwardsMarch 2004 recipients		* Reached 100,000 spins for "Why Georgia"
	33rd annual American Music Awards		* Adult Contemporary: Favorite Artist
World Music Awards		* World's Best Selling Rock Act
People's Choice Awards		* Favorite Male Artist
	35th Annual American Music Awards		* Adult Contemporary Music — nominated
23rd Annual TEC Awards		* Tour Sound Production (for the Continuum Tour)	* Record Production/Single or Track (for production on "Waiting on the World to Change")	* Record Production/Album (from production on ''Continuum'')

See also

Battle Studies World Tour

Notes

Footnotes

References

Edwards, G. (2006) ''Is Tiny Dancer Really Elton's Little John?'', New York: Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 0-307-34603-X

External links

"Music Lessons with John Mayer", database of Mayer's ''Esquire'' column at Esquire.com

Comprehensive John Mayer guitar tabs

"Square pegged", Mayer's first feature article in 2001, from ''Creative Loafing''

Nikon Podcast #3: "Exclusive Interview with John Mayer" (posted September 9, 2007) (listen)

"John Mayer's Soft-Sell 'World'", NPR ''Morning Edition'' interview from March 2007. (listen) (read)

Category:1977 births Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:American bloggers Category:American male singers Category:American pop singers Category:American rock guitarists Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:Berklee College of Music alumni Category:Blue-eyed soul singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Krav Maga practitioners Category:Live Music Archive artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Connecticut Category:People from Bridgeport, Connecticut Category:People with synesthesia

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