The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (January 2012)

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Commuters waiting for the morning train in Maplewood, New Jersey, to travel to New York City, New York

A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns. Commuter towns belong to the metropolitan area of a city, and a ring of commuter towns around an urban area is known as a commuter belt.

A commuter town may also be known as a bedroom community or bedroom suburb (Canada and U.S. usage), a dormitory town or dormitory suburb (UK Commonwealth and Ireland usage), or less commonly a dormitory village (UK Commonwealth and Ireland). These terms suggest that residents sleep in these neighborhoods, but normally work elsewhere; they also suggest that these communities have little commercial or industrial activity beyond a small amount of retail, oriented toward serving the residents.

Distinction between suburbs and commuter towns[link]

Camarillo, California, a typical U.S. bedroom community made up almost entirely of homes, schools and retail outlets.

Suburbs and commuter towns are often the same place, but sometimes not. As with college town, resort town, and mill town, the term commuter town describes the place's predominant economic function. A suburb in contrast is a community of lesser size, density, political power and/or commerce than a nearby community. Economic function may change, for example when improved transport brings commuters to industrial suburbs or railway towns in search of suburban living. Some suburbs, for example Teterboro, New Jersey and Emeryville, California, remain industrial when they become surrounded by commuter towns. Many commuters work in such industrial suburbs, but few reside, hence they are not commuter towns.

As a general rule, suburbs are developed in areas adjacent to main employment centres, such as a town or a city, but may or may not have many jobs locally, whereas bedroom communities have few local businesses and most residents who have jobs commute to employment centers some distance away. Commuter towns may be in rural or semi-rural areas, with a ring of green space separating them from the larger city or town. Where urban sprawl and conurbation have erased clear lines among towns and cities in large metropolitan areas, this is not the case.

Causes[link]

Commuter towns can arise for a number of different reasons. Sometimes, as in Sleepy Hollow, New York or Tiburon, California, a town loses its main source of employment, leaving its residents to seek work elsewhere. In other cases, a pleasant small town over time attracts more residents but not large businesses to employ them, requiring them to commute to employment centers. Another cause, particularly relevant in the American South and West, is the rapid growth of once-small cities. Owing largely to the earlier creation of the Interstate Highway System, the greatest growth was seen by the sprawling metropolitan areas of these cities. As a result many small cities were absorbed into the suburbs of these larger cities.

Often, however, commuter towns form when workers in a region cannot afford to live where they work and must seek residency in another town with a lower cost of living. The late 20th century Dot-com bubble and United States housing bubble drove housing costs in Californian metropolitan areas to historic highs, spawning exurban growth in adjacent counties. For example, most cities in Riverside County, California can be considered exurbs of Los Angeles and San Diego, in which most residents commute to Los Angeles and San Diego daily for work. As of 2003^[update], over 80% of the workforce of Tracy, California was employed in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A related phenomenon is common in the resort towns of the American West that require large workforces, yet emphasize building larger single-family residences and other expensive housing. For example, the resort town of Jackson, Wyoming has spawned several nearby bedroom communities, including Victor, Idaho; Driggs, Idaho; and Alpine, Wyoming, where the majority of the Jackson workforce resides. Many of the workforce who serve The Hamptons also reside in communities more modest and more suburban than their workplace, giving rise to a daily reverse commuter flow from more dense to less dense areas.

In certain major European cites, such as London and Berlin,^{[citation needed]} commuter towns were founded in response to bomb damage in World War II. Residents were relocated to semi-rural areas within a 50-mile (80 km) radius, firstly because much inner city housing had been destroyed, and secondly in order to stimulate development away from cities as the industrial infrastructure shifted from rail to road. Around London, several towns – such as Stevenage, Harlow, Basildon, and Crawley – were built for this purpose by the Commission for New Towns.

Effects[link]

Where commuters are wealthier and small town housing markets weaker than city housing markets, the development of a bedroom community may raise local housing prices and attract upscale service businesses in a process akin to gentrification. Long-time residents may be displaced by new commuter residents due to rising house prices. This can also be influenced by zoning restrictions in urbanized areas that prevent the construction of suitably cheap housing closer to places of employment.

The number of commuter towns increased in the U.S. and the UK during the 20th century because of a trend for people to move out of the cities into the surrounding green belt. Historically, commuter towns were developed by railway companies to create demand for their lines. One 1920s pioneer of this form of development was the Metropolitan Railway (now part of London Underground) which marketed its Metro-land developments. This initiative encouraged many to move out of central and inner-city London to suburbs such as Harrow and out of London itself, to commuter villages in Buckinghamshire or Hertfordshire.^{[citation needed]} Commuter towns have more recently been built ahead of adequate transportation infrastructure, thus spurring the development of roads and public transportation systems. These can take the form of light rail lines extending from the city centre to new streetcar suburbs and new or expanded highways, whose construction and traffic can lead to the community becoming part of a larger conurbation.

In the United States, it is common for commuter towns to create disparities in municipal tax rates. When a commuter town collects few business taxes, residents must pay the brunt of the public operating budget in higher property or income taxes. Such municipalities may scramble to encourage commercial growth once an established residential base has been reached.

Exurbs[link]

The expression exurb (for "extra-urban") was coined by Auguste Comte Spectorsky in his 1955 book The Exurbanites to describe the ring of prosperous communities beyond the suburbs that are commuter towns for an urban area.^[1] Most exurbs serve as commuter towns, but most commuter towns are not exurban.

Exurbs vary in wealth and education level. In the United States, exurban areas typically have much higher college education levels than closer-in suburbs, though this is not necessarily the case in other countries. They typically have average incomes much higher than nearby rural counties. Depending on local circumstances, some exurbs have higher poverty levels than suburbs nearer the city. Others, like Loudoun County, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C.; northern McHenry County, near Chicago, Illinois; The Woodlands, outside Houston, Texas; Rochester, Michigan, outside Detroit; and Ozaukee County, near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, have some of the highest median household incomes in their respective metropolitan areas.

Then and now[link]

Commuters from early exurbs, such as the end of Philadelphia's Main Line and Upper Westchester County, New York, reached the city center via commuter rail and parkway systems.

Today's exurbs are composed of small neighborhoods in otherwise bucolic areas, towns, and (comparatively) small cities. Some lie in the outer suburbs of an urbanized area, but a few miles of rural, wooded, or agricultural land separates many exurbs from the suburbs. Exurbs that originated independently of the major city to which many residents commute may feature some cultural institutions or universities of their own. Others, by contrast, consist almost exclusively of commuters and lack the historical and cultural traditions of more established cities. Many early 20th century exurbs were organized on the principles of the garden city movement.

Yesterday's sprawling exurbs, such as Forest Hills, and Garden City, often become a later decade's suburbs, surrounded and absorbed into a belt of infill.

Planning[link]

Some communities that lie outside the city proper of a metropolitan area could also be considered exurbs (such as in the American West^[2]), whereas those inside the municipal boundaries are often known as suburbs. Many suburbs within the metropolitan city proper enjoyed their greatest growth in the post-World War II period and slowed subsequently; since the 1990s, extensive development has occurred outside of the city. There have also been significant growth differences between inside and outside metro boundaries; many developments typical of exurbs such as big box retailers lie just on the outside, due to older suburbs being restricted by inner-city land-use politics while communities outside are free to develop and grow.

Some environmentalists, architects, and urban planners consider exurbs to be manifestations of poor or distorted planning. Comparatively low density towns – often featuring large lots and large homes – create heavy car dependency.

"They begin as embryonic subdivisions of a few hundred homes at the far edge of beyond, surrounded by scrub. Then, they grow – first gradually, but soon with explosive force – attracting stores, creating jobs and struggling to keep pace with the need for more schools, more roads, more everything. And eventually, when no more land is available and home prices have skyrocketed, the whole cycle starts again, another 15 minutes down the turnpike."

—Rick Lyman, New York Times^[3]

Others argue that exurban environments, such as those that have emerged in Oregon over the last 40 years as a result of the state's unique land use laws have helped to protect local agriculture and local businesses by creating strict urban growth boundaries that encourage greater population densities in centralized towns while slowing or greatly reducing urban and suburban sprawl into agricultural and timber land.^[4]

In Britain, there is very strict regulation about building on greenfield sites, so planning in these areas is quite rare. Instead developers more increasingly find themselves building on brownfield land around British cities.

See also[link]

• Boomburb
• Concentric zone model
• Demographic history
• Developed environments
• Edge city
• Hamlet
• Megalopolis
• Microdistrict
• Penurbia
• Rural-urban fringe
• Travel to Work Area
• Types of inhabited localities in Russia
• Urban area
• Urban sprawl
• White Flight
• Satellite town

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

External links[link]

• Central City White Flight: Racial and Nonracial Causes
• Rybczynski, Witold (Nov. 7, 2005). "Suburban Despair". Slate.
• Spectorsky, Auguste C. (1955). The Exurbanites. Lippincott, Philadelphia. OCLC 476943. 
• Living Large, by Design, in Middle of Nowhere New York Times private content
• Finding exurbia: America's fast-growing communities at the metropolitan fringe. Berube, A., Singer, A., Wilson, J.H. & Frey, W.H. (2006, October). The Brookings Institution. Retrieved December 23, 2006.

Rem Koolhaas
Rem Koolhaas at the 2 Moscow Biennale of Architecture, 2010
Born	(1944-11-17) 17 November 1944 (age 67) Rotterdam, Netherlands
Nationality	Dutch
Alma mater	Netherlands Film and Television Academy, Architectural Association School of Architecture, Cornell University
Awards	Pritzker Prize (2000) Praemium Imperiale (2003) Royal Gold Medal (2004)
Work
Practice	Office for Metropolitan Architecture
Buildings	Casa da Música in Porto Seattle Central Library Netherlands Embassy Berlin
Projects	Volume Magazine

Remment Lucas Koolhaas (/ˈrɛm ˈkɔːlhɑːs/; born (1944-11-17)17 November 1944) is a Dutch architect, architectural theorist, urbanist and Professor in Practice of Architecture and Urban Design at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University. Koolhaas studied at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy in Amsterdam, at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London and at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Koolhaas is the founding partner of OMA, and of its research-oriented counterpart AMO, currently based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In 2005 he co-founded Volume Magazine together with Mark Wigley and Ole Bouman.

In 2000 Rem Koolhaas won the Pritzker Prize. In 2008 Time put him in their top 100 of The World's Most Influential People.^[1]

Early life and career[link]

Remment Koolhaas, usually abbreviated to Rem Koolhaas, was born on 17 November 1944 in Rotterdam, Netherlands to Anton Koolhaas (1912–1992) and Selinde Pietertje Roosenburg (born 1920). His father was a novelist, critic, and screenwriter. Two documentary films by Bert Haanstra for which his father wrote the scenarios were nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Feature, one won a Golden Bear for Short Film. His maternal grandfather, Dirk Roosenburg (1887–1962), was a modernist architect. His grandfather had worked for Hendrik Petrus Berlage, before he opened his own practice. Rem Koolhaas has a brother, Thomas, and a sister, Annabel. The family lived consecutively in Rotterdam (until 1946), Amsterdam (1946–1952), Jakarta (1952–1955), and Amsterdam (from 1955).^[2][3][4]

His father strongly supported the Indonesian cause for autonomy from the colonial Dutch in his writing. When the war of independence was won, he was invited over to run a cultural programme for three years and the family moved to Jakarta in 1952. "It was a very important age for me," Koolhaas recalls, "and I really lived as an Asian."^[5]

Koolhaas first studied scriptwriting at the Netherlands Film and Television Academy in Amsterdam. Koolhaas co-wrote The White Slave, a 1969 Dutch film noir, and later wrote an unproduced script for American soft-porn king Russ Meyer.^[6]

Rem Koolhaas inspecting the Seattle Central Library model. 2005

He then was a journalist for the Haagse Post before starting studies, in 1968, in architecture at the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London, followed, in 1972, by further studies with O. Mathias Ungers at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, followed by studies at the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York City.

Koolhaas first came to public and critical attention with OMA (The Office for Metropolitan Architecture), the office he founded in 1975 together with architects Elia Zenghelis, Zoe Zenghelis and (Koolhaas's wife) Madelon Vriesendorp in London. They were later joined by one of Koolhaas's students, Zaha Hadid - who would soon go on to achieve success in her own right. An early work which would mark their difference from the then dominant postmodern classicism of the late 1970s, was their contribution to the Venice Biennale of 1980, curated by Italian architect Paolo Portoghesi, titled "Presence of the Past". Each architect had to design a stage-like "frontage" to a Potemkin-type internal street; and the OMA scheme was the only modernist scheme among them.

Other early critically received (yet unbuilt) projects included the Parc de la Villette, Paris (1982) and the residence for the President of Ireland (1981). The first large project by OMA to be built was the Kunsthal in Rotterdam (1992). These schemes would attempt to put into practice many of the findings Koolhaas made in his book Delirious New York (1978),^[7] which was written while he was a visiting scholar at the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York, directed by Peter Eisenman.^{[citation needed]}

In September 2006, Rem Koolhaas was commissioned to develop 111 First Street in Jersey City across the Hudson River from Manhattan, working with real estate developer Louis Dubin.^[8]

In October 2008 Rem Koolhaas was invited for a European "group of the wise" under the chairmanship of former Spanish prime minister Felipe González to help 'design' the future European Union. Other members include Nokia chairman Jorma Ollila, former European Commissioner Mario Monti and former president of Poland Lech Wałęsa.^[9][10]

Theoretical position[link]

Delirious New York[link]

Delirious New York set the pace for Koolhaas's career. Koolhaas celebrates the "chance-like" nature of city life: "The City is an addictive machine from which there is no escape" "Rem Koolhaas...defined the city as a collection of “red hot spots.” ^[11](Anna Klingmann). As Koolhaas himself has acknowledged, this approach had already been evident in the Japanese Metabolist Movement in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Seattle Central Library Seattle, USA, designed by OMA

A key aspect of architecture that Koolhaas interrogates is the "Program": with the rise of modernism in the 20th century the "Program" became the key theme of architectural design. The notion of the Program involves "an act to edit function and human activities" as the pretext of architectural design: epitomised in the maxim Form follows function, first popularised by architect Louis Sullivan at the beginning of the 20th century. The notion was first questioned in Delirious New York, in his analysis of high-rise architecture in Manhattan. An early design method derived from such thinking was "cross-programming", introducing unexpected functions in room programmes, such as running tracks in skyscrapers. More recently, Koolhaas (unsuccessfully) proposed the inclusion of hospital units for the homeless into the Seattle Public Library project (2003).

S,M,L,XL[link]

The next landmark publication by Koolhaas was S,M,L,XL, together with Bruce Mau, Jennifer Sigler, and Hans Werlemann (1995),^[12] a 1376-page tome combining essays, manifestos, diaries, fiction, travelogues, and meditations on the contemporary city. The layout of the huge book transformed architectural publishing, and such books—full-colour graphics and dense texts—have since become common. Ostensibly, S,M,L,XL gives a record of the actual implementation of "Manhattanism" throughout the various (mostly un-) realized projects and texts OMA had generated up to that time. The part lexicon-type layout (with a marginal "dictionary" composed by Jennifer Sigler, who also edited the book) spawned a number of concepts that have become common in later architectural theory, in particular "Bigness": 'old' architectural principles (composition, scale, proportion, detail) no longer apply when a building acquires Bigness. This was demonstrated in OMA's scheme for the development of "Euralille" (1990–94), a new centre for the city of Lille in France, a city returned to prominence by its position on the new rail route from Paris to London via the Channel Tunnel. OMA sited a train station, two centres for commerce and trade, an urban park, and 'Congrexpo' (a contemporary Grand Palais with a large concert hall, three auditoria and an exhibition space). In another essay in the book, titled "The Generic City", Koolhaas declares that progress, identity, architecture, the city and the street are things of the past: “Relief … it’s over. That is the story of the city. The city is no longer. We can leave the theatre now...”

Project on the city[link]

Netherlands Embassy in Berlin, Germany, opened in 2004. Koolhaas's design won the Architekturpreis Berlin in 2003 and the Mies van der Rohe Award for European Architecture in 2005.

Koolhaas's next landmark publications were a product of his position as professor at Harvard University, in the design school's "Project on the City"; firstly the 720-page Mutations,^[13] followed by The Harvard Design School Guide to Shopping (2002)^[14] and The Great Leap Forward (2002).^[15] All three books involved Koolhaas's students analysing what others would regard as "non-cities", sprawling conglomerates such as Lagos in Nigeria, west Africa, which the authors argue are highly functional despite a lack of infrastructure. The authors also examine the influence of shopping habits and the recent rapid growth of cities in China. Critics of the books have criticised Koolhaas for being cynical - as if Western capitalism and globalization demolish all cultural identity - highlighted in the notion expounded in the books that "In the end, there will be little else for us to do but shop". However, such cynicism can alternatively be read as a "realism" about the transformation of cultural life, where airports and even museums (due to finance problems) rely just as much on operating gift shops.

When it comes to transforming these observations into practice, Koolhaas mobilizes what he regards as the omnipotent forces of urbanism into unique design forms and connections organised along the lines of present day society. Koolhaas continuously incorporates his observations of the contemporary city within his design activities: calling such a condition the ‘culture of congestion’. Again, shopping is examined for "intellectual comfort", whilst the unregulated taste and densification of Chinese cities is analysed according to "performance", a criterion involving variables with debatable credibility: density, newness, shape, size, money etc. For example, in his design for the new CCTV headquarters in Beijing (2009), Koolhaas did not opt for the stereotypical skyscraper, often used to symbolise and landmark such government enterprises, but instead designed a series of volumes which not only tie together the numerous departments onto the nebulous site, but also introduced routes (again, the concept of cross-programming) for the general public through the site, allowing them some degree of access to the production procedure. Through his ruthlessly raw approach, Koolhaas hopes to extract the architect from the anxiety of a dead profession and resurrect a contemporary interpretation of the sublime, however fleeting it may be.

In 2003 Content, a 544-page magazine-style book designed by &&& Creative and published by Koolhaas, gives an overview of the last decade of OMA projects^[16] including his designs for the Prada shops, the Seattle Public Library, a plan to save Cambridge from Harvard by rechanneling the Charles River, Lagos' future as Earth's third-biggest town, as well as interviews with Martha Stewart and Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown.

AMO[link]

In the late nineties, while working on the design for the new headquarters for Universal (currently Vivendi), OMA was first exposed to the full pace of change that engulfed the world of media and with it the increasing importance of the virtual domain. It led Rem Koolhaas and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) to create a new company, AMO, exclusively dedicated to the investigation and performance in this realm. He is heading the think tank ever since with Reinier de Graaf.

Volume Magazine[link]

In 2005 Rem Koolhaas co-founded Volume Magazine together with Mark Wigley and Ole Bouman. Volume Magazine - the collaborative project by Archis (Amsterdam), AMO Rotterdam and C-lab (Columbia University NY) - is a dynamic experimental think tank devoted to the process of spatial and cultural reflexivity. It goes beyond architecture’s definition of ‘making buildings’ and reaches out for global views on architecture and design, broader attitudes to social structures, and creating environments to live in. The magazine stands for a journalism which detects and anticipates, is proactive and even pre-emptive - a journalism which uncovers potentialities, rather than covering done deals.

European Flag proposal[link]

European Flag proposal

Following the signing of Treaties of Nice in May 2001, which made Brussels the de facto capital of the European Union, the then President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi and the Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt invited Koolhaas to discuss the necessities and requirements of a European capital.

During these talks and as an impetus for further discussion, Koolhaas and his think-tank AMO – an independent part of OMA – suggested the development of a visual language. This idea inspired a series of drawings and drafts, including the "Barcode". The barcode seeks to unite the flags of the EU member countries into a single, colourful symbol. In the current European flag, there is a fixed number of stars. In the barcode however, new Member States of the EU can be added without space constraints. Originally, the barcode displayed 15 EU countries. In 2004, the symbol was adapted to include the ten new Member States.

Since the time of the first drafts of the barcode it has very rarely been officially used by commercial or political institutions. During the Austrian EU Presidency 2006 it was officially used for the first time. The logo has already been used for the EU information campaign which will also be continued during the Austrian EU Presidency. There was initially some uproar caused, as the stripes of the flag of Estonia were displayed incorrectly.

Architecture, fashion, and theatre[link]

Prada, Beverly Hills, USA

With his Prada projects, Koolhaas ventured into providing architecture for the fleeting world of fashion and with celebrity-studded cachet: not unlike Garnier's Opera, the central space of Koolhaas' Beverly Hills Prada store is occupied by a massive central staircase, ostensibly displaying select wares, but mainly the shoppers themselves. The notion of selling a brand rather than marketing clothes was further emphasised in the Prada store in New York, which had previously been owned by the Guggenheim: the museum signs were not removed during the outfitting of the new store, as if emphasizing the premises as a cultural institution.^[17]

Prior to his Prada project in New York, Koolhaas was behind another remodeling project on the other side of town. Koolhaas redesigned a 1929 bank and transformed it into a one-of-a-kind, 296 seat, performance space for Second Stage Theatre.

21st Century Office[link]

As of 16:18, Tuesday June 26, 2012 (UTC)

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2010)

At the moment Koolhaas' constructions sites are in China^{[citation needed]}: the massive Central China Television Headquarters Building in Beijing, China, and the new building for the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, the equivalent of the NASDAQ in China.

Recently^[when?] he has changed the organization of his office to a partnership. Partners next to him are Ellen van Loon, Reinier de Graaf, Shohei Shigematsu and managing partner Victor van der Chijs. The partner Ole Scheeren left OMA in March 2010 to start his own practice.

Koolhaas now heads offices in Europe (OMA*AMO Rotterdam), North America (OMA*AMO Architecture PC New York) and Asia (OMA Beijing).

OMA Rotterdam: the head office is working on a master plan for the White City area of London; a harbour redevelopment and contemporary art Museum in Riga, the Cordoba Congress Centre in Spain; the redevelopment of the Mercati Generali in Rome, an architectural centre, offices and housing in Copenhagen, the new head office of Rothschild Bank in London and multi-use towers in Rotterdam and The Hague. It is also working on various masterplans in the Netherlands and Belgium and shopping centres in Rotterdam and Ostrava. In addition the Rotterdam office has a number of activities in the Middle East including office and residential towers and master plans in Dubai, three master plans in Ras -Al-Khaimah and several public buildings in Qatar. With his Rotterdam office Koolhaas is also designing a science center for Hamburg’s Hafencity.

OMA New York: the office in Manhattan Koolhaas is leading by Shohei Shigematsu is now designing an extension of Cornell University (NY), 111 First Street, a high rise residential building and hotel in Jersey City (NJ) and a high end residential tower with CAA screening room at One Madison Park in NYC.

OMA Beijing: In Asia, Koolhaas is working with his team on the office’s largest project to date, the 575,000 m2 China Central Television Headquarters (CCTV) and Television Cultural Center (TVCC), currently under construction in Beijing and due for completion in 2008. (However, the TVCC was damaged by an enormous fire in 2009.) Other projects in development include the new Shenzhen Stock Exchange and a lush residential tower and residential masterplan in Singapore.

Quotes[link]

• Noting that architecture can no longer keep up with the world: "The areas of consensus shift unbelievably fast; the bubbles of certainty are constantly exploding. Any architectural project we do takes at least four or five years, so increasingly there is a discrepancy between the acceleration of culture and the continuing slowness of architecture." —interview in Iconeye, 2004^[18]
• Reference to the article 'Generic city', a critic to current mode of urbanization: "People can inhabit anything. And they can be miserable in anything and ecstatic in anything. More and more I think that architecture has nothing to do with it. Of course, that's both liberating and alarming. But the generic city, the general urban condition, is happening everywhere, and just the fact that it occurs in such enormous quantities must mean that it's habitable. Architecture can't do anything that the culture doesn't. We all complain that we are confronted by urban environments that are completely similar. We say we want to create beauty, identity, quality, singularity. And yet, maybe in truth these cities that we have are desired. Maybe their very characterlessness provides the best context for living." —interview in Wired 4.07, July 1996 ^[19]
• Asked if there is a certain contribution he aspires to make: "It's very simple and it has nothing to do with identifiable goals. It is to keep thinking about what architecture can be, in whatever form. That is an answer, isn't it? I think that S,M,L,XL has one beautiful ambiguity: it used the past to build a future and is very adamant about giving notice that this is not the end. That's how it felt to me, anyway. That is in itself evidence of a kind of discomfort with achievement measured in terms of identifiable entities, and an announcement that continuity of thinking in whatever form, around whatever subject, is the real ambition." —Interview with Jennifer Sigler in Index Magazine, 2000^[20]

Awards[link]

• Pritzker Prize (2000)
• Chevalier de Légion d'honneur (2001)
• Praemium Imperiale (2003)
• Royal Gold Medal (2004)
• Doctor honoris causa by the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (2007)
• Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale of Architecture for lifetime achievement (2010)

Selected projects[link]

McCormick Tribune Campus Center, Chicago, USA

Casa da Música, Porto, Portugal

• Lille Grand Palais (Lille, 1988)
• Netherlands Dance Theater (The Hague, 1988)
• Villa dall’Ava (Saint-Cloud, 1991)
• Nexus Housing (Fukuoka, 1991)
• Kunsthal (Rotterdam, 1993)
• Educatorium (Utrecht, 1993–1997)
• Maison à Bordeaux (Bordeaux, 1998)
• Second Stage Theatre (New York City, 1999)
• Guggenheim Hermitage Museum (Las Vegas, 1980, 2002?)
• McCormick Tribune Campus Center, IIT (Chicago, 1997–2003)
• Netherlands Embassy Berlin (2003)
• Retail design for Prada stores (New York: 2003, Los Angeles: 2004)
• Seattle Central Library (Seattle, 2004)
• The Children’s Centre, Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art (Seoul, 2004)^[21]
• Casa da Música (Porto, 2001–2005)
• Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, (London, 2006)
• Shenzhen Stock Exchange, (Shenzhen, 2006)
• Córdoba International Congress Center (Palacio del Sur), Córdoba, Spain
• Seoul National University Museum of Art (Seoul, 2003–2005) [1]
• Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre, (Dallas, Texas, 2004–2009)
• Milstein Hall, (Cornell, 2006–2009) [2]
• CCTV HQ (Beijing, 2004–2009)
• Riga Port City, (Riga, 2009)
• 23 East 22nd Street, (New York City, 2008–2010)^[22]
• Bryghusprojektet, (Copenhagen, 2008–2010)^[23]
• Torre Bicentenario (Bicentennial Tower), (Mexico City, 2007, unbuilt)^[24]
• New Court, St. Swithin's Lane (London, 2010)
• De Rotterdam, (Rotterdam, 2009–2013)
• Taipei Performing Arts Centre, (Taipei, 2012-2015)

Bibliography[link]

• Project Japan. Metabolism Talks... (2011) (with Hans Ulrich Obrist)^[25] ISBN 978-3-8365-2508-4
• Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto of Manhattan (1978)^[26] ISBN 978-1-885254-00-9
• S,M,L,XL (1995)^[27] ISBN 978-1-885254-86-3
• Serpentine Gallery: 24 Hour Interview Marathon (2007)^[28] ISBN 978-1-904563-69-3
• Living Vivre Leben (1998)^[29]
• Content (2004)^[30] ISBN 978-3-8228-3070-3
• Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2006; Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Köln, Germany 2008 ISBN 978-3-86560-393-7

Gallery[link]

• 

  McCormick Tribune Campus Center
  Rem Koolhaas
  Chicago, USA

• 

  CCTV Headquarters
  Rem Koolhaas (OMA)
  Beijing, China

• 

  Casa da Música
  Rem Koolhaas
  Porto, Portugal

• 

  Dutch Embassy
  Rem Koolhaas
  Berlin, Germany

• 

  Seattle Central Library
  Rem Koolhaas
  Seattle, USA

• 

  Kunsthal Rotterdam
  Rem Koolhaas (OMA)
  Rotterdam, Netherlands

• 

  Street toilet
  Rem Koolhaas (OMA) and Erwin Olaf
  Groningen, Netherlands

• 

  Bus stop
  Rem Koolhaas (1990)
  Groningen, Netherlands

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rem Koolhaas

• Office for Metropolitan Architecture
• OMA official Facebook page (updated daily)
• OMA official Vimeo channel
• OMA portfolio on Archello.com
• Rem Koolhaas at Harvard University
• Rem Koolhaas at the Internet Movie Database
• Rem Koolhaas lecture at the Canadian Centre for Architecture: June 8th, 2007
• On Starchitecture
• Koolhaas at Harvard's Ecological Urbanism
• Rem Koolhaas: A Kind of Architect (2008 Feature Documentary)

Guy Sebastian
Sebastian performing live in December 2011
Background information
Birth name	Guy Theodore Sebastian
Born	(1981-10-26) 26 October 1981 (age 30) Klang, Selangor, Malaysia
Origin	Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Genres	Soul, R&B, pop, gospel
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, producer, The X Factor judge
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano/keyboards, drums
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Sony (2003–present)
Associated acts	Steve Cropper, The MGs, David Ryan Harris, Planetshakers
Website	guysebastian.com.au

Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. Since 2010 he has been a judge on Australia's The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi-platinum albums, including a number one and two.^[1][2] He has also released 11 top 15 singles, including eight top tens, with five achieving number one.^[1] He has the most number one singles for an Australian male artist in Australian music history, and is equal third overall for all Australian acts.^[3] Four of his singles have reached multi-platinum certification, with "Angels Brought Me Here", "Who's That Girl" and "Don't Worry Be Happy" achieving 4× platinum.^[4][5][6] "Angels Brought Me Here" was the highest selling song in Australia last decade.^[7] With 30 platinum and two gold certifications and combined album and single sales of over 2.2 million in Australia, Sebastian has the highest certifications and sales of any Australian Idol contestant.^[2][6]

"Angels Brought Me Here" also reached number one in four Asian countries and New Zealand.^[8] Sebastian had a second number one in New Zealand with "Who's That Girl", two other top ten singles and a number three album, and gained four platinum and two gold certifications there.^[9][10][11] He has worked with a number of well-known American musicians. He co-wrote songs with Brian McKnight and Robin Thicke for his album Beautiful Life, which also included a duet with Mýa. The Memphis Album was recorded with members of the MGs including Steve Cropper, and they were his band on his 2008 Australian tour. Like It Like That has three tracks with John Mayer on guitar and backing vocals, and "Art of Love" featuring Jordin Sparks. "Who's That Girl" from his album Twenty Ten features US rapper Eve.

During his career Sebastian has received 14 ARIA Award nominations, including Single of the Year, Best Male Artist and Best Pop Release, and won Highest Selling Single ARIA Awards for "Angels Brought Me Here" and "Who's That Girl".^[12][13][14] "Who's That Girl" also won the 2011 APRA Urban Work of the Year Award. Other awards include the [V] Oz Artist of the Year Award, and Urban Music Awards for Best Male Artist and Best R&B Album. Sebastian has performed at many notable events, including performing for Pope Benedict XVI, Oprah Winfrey and Queen Elizabeth II.^[15][16][17] He has a strong commitment to charity, and is currently an ambassador for World Vision Australia, Golden Stave and the Australian Red Cross.^[18]

Early life and career beginnings[link]

Guy Sebastian was born in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia on 26 October 1981. His father Ivan was also born in Malaysia and is of Sri Lankan descent, while his mother Nellie has an English and Portuguese background and was raised in India. They met while Ivan was studying geology in India and a year later they married. The family migrated to Australia in 1988, living in Melbourne for several years before eventually moving to Adelaide due to Ivan's work as a geologist.^[19] As a child Sebastian took violin lessons, and although he had no formal training in other musical instruments also plays guitar, drums and piano. He attended Paradise Community Church, which is a Pentecostal Assemblies of God church and one of the largest churches in Australia, becoming one of their main worship singers. He also sang with the then Paradise Community Church Youth Conference Planetshakers, performing both lead and backup vocals for their 2002 and 2003 conferences and albums. Sebastian continued his association with Paradise Church after winning Australian Idol, recording on two of their albums, Adore in 2004 and Set Me Free in 2005.^[19][20] After leaving school Sebastian began studies in Medical Radiation, but left to pursue a career in music. He taught vocals at Temple Christian College and other high schools while also working as a recording engineer and studying Music Technology at the Elder School Of Music.^[20] In May 2003 Sebastian successfully auditioned for Australian Idol, singing Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky". He progressed through the Idol series establishing a strong fanbase and praise from the judges, who often made reference to his afro hairstyle which became a focal point of his image.^[19] He was declared the winner on 19 November 2003, and gained a recording contract with BMG, which later merged with Sony.

Recording career[link]

[edit] 2003–2007: Just as I Am, Beautiful Life and Closer to the Sun

Sebastian performing at the Australian Gospel Music Festival, April 2004

Following his Idol win Sebastian was required to record his debut album in six days, but despite this time restriction the album included three songs co-written by him.^[21] He then travelled to the UK to compete in World Idol. Although he impressed the judges, with several suggesting he could win the competition, he finished seventh.^[22] His winner's single "Angels Brought Me Here" debuted at number one and was the highest selling single in Australia in 2003, reaching 4× platinum certification.^[1][23][24] In 2010 it was named the highest selling song of the previous decade, ahead of Anthony Callea's "The Prayer".^[7] "Angels Brought Me Here" sold in excess of 303,000 copies while still in the ARIA Top 50, which at the time was the highest sales ever recorded for an Australian artist single, a record Sebastian held until 2011^[2][25] His debut album Just As I Am was released in December 2003 and also achieved number one. Its first week sales of 163,711 units are the second highest one week sales in Australian chart history, the highest for an Australian act.^[26][27] It eventually reached sales of 480,000, just short of 7× platinum, and is the highest selling album ever released by an Australian Idol contestant.^[7][28][29]

"Angels Brought Me Here" also reached number one in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and New Zealand.^[8][30] Just As I Am reached number three and double platinum certification in New Zealand, with "Angels Brought Me Here" achieving platinum certification there.^[9][10] The second single "All I Need Is You" reached number one and platinum in Australia, and peaked at number five in New Zealand.^[1][9][31] In early 2004 Sebastian appeared at the Asian MTV Awards, was a guest judge on New Zealand Idol and performed on Indonesian Idol.^[30] After a promotional trip to Malaysia in April he travelled to Europe and the US to write for his next album, performing on American Idol while in the US.^[8] His second album Beautiful Life had a more R&B edge to it and included "Forever with You", a duet with American R&B singer Mýa. It also contained songs he co-wrote with Robin Thicke and Brian McKnight.^[30] The first single "Out with My Baby" debuted at number one in October 2004, and gained platinum certification.^[1][31] Sebastian performed at the 2004 ARIA Music Awards where he received the award for the Highest Selling Single for "Angels Brought Me Here", and the Channel V Oz Artist of the Year Award.^[32] He was also nominated for Highest Selling Album for Just As I Am.^[33] Beautiful Life peaked at number two and was also certified platinum.^[1][34] Sebastian embarked on a national tour in November, with a second stage from March to June 2005.^[35] Two further singles were released from the album, "Kryptonite" which peaked at number fifteen, and "Oh Oh" at number eleven.^[1]

In 2005 Sebastian received awards for Favourite Video, Favourite Music Artist, and Favourite Aussie at the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards, and a MTV Video Music Award for "Out With My Baby".^[36][37] He also received a Highest Selling Album ARIA Award nomination for Beautiful Life, and was named as a state finalist in the Young Australian of the Year Awards.^[38][39] His third album Closer to the Sun was mainly co-written with Australian musicians, and was a mix of genres including pop, R&B, soul, pop-rock and jazz. The lead single "Taller, Stronger, Better" debuted at number three in August 2006, and achieved gold certification.^[40] The album peaked at number four and was certified platinum.^[1][41] The second single "Elevator Love" reached number 11 and gold certification.^[1][40] The video featured Jennifer Hawkins as his love interest.^[42] Sebastian received an award for most played Urban work for "Oh Oh" at the 2006 APRA Music Awards.^[43] "Oh Oh" was also awarded Best Video and Sebastian named Best Male Artist at the Urban Music Awards, and for the second year in succession he received the Fav Aussie award at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.^[44][45] In early 2007 it was announced he would be recording an album of soul classics in Memphis, Tennessee with Stax musicians who played on and wrote some of the original songs. Closer to the Sun third single "Cover On My Heart" was released in August, peaking at number thirty two on the Aria chart.^[1] Closer to the Sun was awarded Best Album at the 2007 Urban Music Awards, and Most Popular Album at the Dolly Teen Choice Awards.^[46][47]

[edit] 2007-2008 The Memphis Album and Tour

Sebastian and Steve Cropper on stage during The Memphis Tour

Sebastian recorded his tribute album of soul classics at Ardent Studios, Memphis in August 2007, with Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, and Steve Potts (a.k.a. The MGs), with Lester Snell on keyboards. Cropper also co- produced the album with Sebastian, which was recorded on analogue tape live in the studio.^[48] Sebastian wrote about his time in Memphis in a series of blogs for Australian newspapers, "I started recording four days ago with the band members from Booker T and the MGs. And in the four days, we cut 15 tracks. It's been such a great experience to watch these guys work. I mean, they are mostly in their late 60s and have such a wealth of experience."^[49] Cropper later spoke on AllMemphisMusic, an online Memphis radio station, "This kid came into Memphis, and just blew everybody’s socks off.[...] he just took us by storm."^[50] Shortly after Sebastian's return to Australia it was announced that The MGs would tour Australia with him in early 2008.^[51] The Memphis Album debuted at number three in November 2007, and was the seventh highest selling Australian artist album of the year.^[1][52] The critically acclaimed album reached double platinum certification in 2008.^[53][54] The Memphis Flyer, a weekly alternative newspaper serving the Memphis area wrote a series of articles about Sebastian recording with The MGs.^[55] AllMemphisMusic, which specialises in playing music originating from Memphis, began playing The Memphis Album songs in late December 2007. They also had two special programs featuring songs from the album and interviews with some of the people involved in recording it.^[56]

	"Gimme Some Lovin'" noicon Excerpt of live performance by Sebastian & the MGs during The Memphis Tour
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The MGs came to Australia in February 2008 to be Sebastian's backing band for his national tour. He spoke on radio about what it felt like fronting the MGs, "There were so many moments when I just had to take a step back and think 'This is unbelievable'. Like the history that is behind me, and I'm singing these songs. You know they start playing Dock Of The Bay, and the guys that played it are on the stage. You know the guy who wrote the song with Otis Redding is playing guitar."^[57] Cropper later spoke on AllMemphisMusic, "hearing him singing our music, which was born and raised and produced and recorded in Memphis Tennessee.[...] It just filled our hearts."^[58] One of the Melbourne concerts was filmed for a live DVD/CD titled The Memphis Tour.^[59] Sebastian was nominated for a Helpmann Award for Best Performance In An Australian Contemporary Concert for The Memphis Tour, and was awarded two Australian Club Entertainment Awards, best Original Music Performer and Outstanding Club Performer Of The Year.^[60][61] The Memphis Album received a nomination for Highest Selling Album at the 2008 ARIA Awards, his third album to be nominated in this ARIA Awards category.^[62] He travelled to the US several times after The Memphis Tour to write for his fifth album, spending time with Cropper in Nashville on these trips.^[63][64]

[edit] 2009–2010: Like It Like That

In 2008 Sebastian was signed to release an album in the US, and in November he returned to America to work on his new album. He recorded songs with John Mayer's band, and John Mayer himself played guitar and sang backing vocals on three of the tracks.^[65] He moved to New York in early 2009 to prepare for the release of the US album which was a mix of Mempis soul covers and original songs.^[66] He performed showcases at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin Texas, and a residency at the Drom in New York.^[67][68][69] His song "Like it Like That" was chosen as the theme song for the NBC network's summer promotional campaign.^[70][71] The US release was then delayed due to restructuring of Victor Records, but it was later reaffirmed the album would be released in 2010.^[72] "Like It like That", the title track of Sebastian's fifth album, was released in Australia in August 2009 and reached number one, his fourth number one single.^[1] It was the highest selling Australian artist song in 2009, reaching triple platinum certification.^[4][73] Like it Like That, an original soul album with all songs written or co-written by Sebastian, was released in October 2009. It reached number six and was certified platinum.^[1][74]

"Art of Love", a duet with Jordin Sparks was released as the second single.^[75] It peaked at number eight and reached platinum certification.^[1][4] It also charted at number seven in New Zealand, gaining gold certification there.^[9][11] Two further singles, "All to Myself" and "Never Hold You Down", did not chart in the ARIA top 50.^[76][77] Sebastian toured in Australia during February 2010 and again in June and July.^[78][79] The US album, now identical to the Australian album, was released in June 2010. He was chosen as a judge on the 2010 series of Australia's The X-Factor, and to fulfil commitments to X-Factor and also the release of his album in America Sebastian divided his time between Australia and the US during the show.^[80] He toured the US West Coast between July and September, including guest performances singing "Art of Love" with Sparks at three of her Battlefield Tour concerts, and also played support for Chicago at a concert in Oregon.^[81][82][83] Sebastian was nominated for six ARIA Music Awards for Like It Like That. He received nominations for Best Pop Release, Best Male Artist, Most Popular Australian Album and Most Popular Australian Artist, with "Like It Like That" and "Art of Love" receiving nominations for Most Popular Single.^[12][13]

[edit] 2010–present: Twenty Ten and Armageddon

Sebastian released a retrospective album titled Twenty Ten in November 2010. The album reached number four on the ARIA Album Chart, Sebastian's sixth consecutive top ten album.^[84] Twenty Ten spent twelve weeks in the top ten, achieved platinum certification and was the fifth highest selling Australian artist album of 2010.^[74][85] It also reached number twenty four on the New Zealand Charts.^[9] The album was a two disc release. The first disc had 18 songs from his previous albums and two new tracks, with the second disc containing acoustic versions of ten of the songs. "Who's That Girl" featuring US rapper Eve, was released as the lead single.^[86] The dance-driven electro R&B song was a departure from Sebastian's previous pop, R&B and soul releases. Eve performed the song with Sebastian on The X Factor Grand Final.^[87] "Who's That Girl" reached number one, Sebastian's fifth number one single.^[1] He is the only Australian male artist in Australian music history to achieve five number one singles, and is in equal third overall with Olivia Newton-John for all Australian acts.^[3] "Who's That Girl" reached 4× platinum certification in 2011, the fourth Australian artist single in Australian chart history to achieve that accreditation level, with Sebastian's debut single "Angels Brought Me Here" being the first.^[5][88] "Who's That Girl" also reached number one and platinum in New Zealand.^[11] With the release of Twenty Ten Sebastian had completed the terms of his original contract with Sony, but re-signed with them for another long term contract.^[89]

Lionel Richie and Sebastian performing "All Night Long"

Sebastian supported Boyzone on their 2011 UK tour, and Lionel Ritchie on his Australian and New Zealand tour.^[90][91] They re-recorded Richie's 1983 single "All Night Long" to raise money for Australian and New Zealand flood and earthquake relief. The track was produced by RedOne.^[92] Richie and Sebastian performed the song together at most of the concerts on the Australian leg of the tour.^[93] It peaked at number twelve in New Zealand and number twenty six in Australia.^[1][9] Sebastian received the 2011 Australian Club Enterainment Award for best Original Music Performer, and a Mo Award for Rock Performer of the Year.^[94][95] He also won the Highest Selling Single ARIA Award for "Who's That Girl", and received nominations for Single of the Year, Best Pop Release and Most Popular Australian Artist.^[14][96]

"Don't Worry Be Happy", the lead single of Sebastian's seventh album, was released in November 2011. It peaked at number five and has now reached 4× platinum certification.^[1][6] It is a pop song he wrote after encountering an angry motorist in Los Angeles.^[97] In December Sebastian held a launch in Sydney where he showcased some of his new songs.^[98] He returned to the US in early 2012 to complete work on the album, which is titled Armageddon. Although no release date for the album has been given as yet, a 20 date national tour during June and July has been announced.^[99] The second single "Gold", an uptempo soul track, was released digitally on 11 May and will be released as a physical cd on 1 June.^[6]

Discography[link]

Artistry[link]

Musical style and influences[link]

	"Be Mine" Live performance of jazz influenced song from Closer to the Sun. Written by Sebastian, Carl Dimataga & Fitzgerald Scott "Like It Like That" noicon The soul/pop title track from Like it Like That. Written by Sebastian & David Ryan Harris "Bring Yourself" noicon Live performance of soul ballad from Like It Like That. Written by Sebastian
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Sebastian cites a number of musicians as his musical influences, including Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Chicago, and Boyz II Men.^[100] From 2003 power ballad "Angels Brought Me Here" through to his fifth album Like it Like That which touched on 60's soul/pop reminiscent of the late Sam Cooke, his music has crossed many genres. His tracks have also included pop, R&B, funk, smokey soul, gospel, jazz, pop-rock, Memphis soul covers and electro R&B, and he has stated an interest in recording gospel , dance and Bollywood albums.^[8][101] While Sebastian's first three albums showed elements of soul, it was The Memphis Album which consolidated his reputation as a soul musician. Reviewers almost unanimously agreed he had captured the spirit and essence of the Memphis soul classics.^[53]

It was the critical and public reception for The Memphis Album which gave Sebastian the confidence to stay with the soul genre for his fifth album Like It Like That. In an interview with The Age he said he was told early in his career, "If you self-indulge and just do what you're into, you're going to corner your market. Soul music isn't big here." but "the most comfortable I've ever felt in the studio was during The Memphis Album. And the success of that prompted me to make a record like this one. Because I realised that this isn't obscure music."^[102] The Daily Telegraph music editor Kathy McCabe said: "Sometimes it takes four records, with a detour into "concepts" covers territory to find where you fit. Sebastian has found his niche with Like It Like That, which expertly balances the line between radio friendly pop and classic soul".^[103] Paul Cashmere from Undercover wrote: "By covering the classics on the The Memphis Album Guy Sebastian discovered Guy Sebastian.[...] If The Memphis Album was Guy’s initiation into becoming a Soul Man then Like It Like That is the graduation."^[104]

Songwriting and production[link]

"Receive the Power" noicon Written by Sebastian and Gary Pinto this gospel song was chosen as the World Youth Day anthem in 2008. "Art of Love" noicon Written by Sebastian and Adam Reily and featuring the vocals of Jordin Sparks, this R&B song was shortlisted for the APRA song of the year in 2010 "Who's That Girl" noicon Written and performed by Sebastian and Eve this electro R&B song won the APRA Award for "Urban Work of the Year" and was nominated for the ARIA "Best Pop Release" and "Single of the Year".

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Sebastian began writing songs before entering Australian Idol. "All I Need Is You", the second single from his debut album Just As I Am was written when he was a teenager, and fine-tuned during his time on Idol.^[19] He also wrote gospel songs for his church during his teenage years. One of them, "Adore", was included in their 2004 album Paradise Live: Adore.^[105] Sebastian wrote or co-wrote most of the songs on his albums Beautiful Life and Closer to the Sun, and all the tracks on his fifth album Like it Like That. In an article in The Daily Telegraph Kathy McCabe said of his songwriting skills, "Sebastian has matured into a genuine hitmaker, his gift with melody so finely-honed he can pretty much punch out a catchy number in his sleep."^[106] Jamie Horne wrote in The Border Mail, "The inaugural winner’s longevity[...] can be attributed to the fact that he’s an accomplished musician and songwriter" and AllMusic reviewer Jon O'brien said, "it's a testament to his vocal abilities and songwriting skills that, unlike many of his fellow winners, he's remained popular enough to see out his rather ambitious Sony contract[...] a subtle and natural progression with each album, explains why he's managed to survive once the show's publicity machine died down."^[107][108]

In 2008 "Receive the Power", a gospel song written by Sebastian and Gary Pinto, was chosen as the official anthem for the Roman Catholic Church's XXIII World Youth Day.^[109] "Art of Love", co-written by Adam Reilly, was shortlisted for the APRA Song of the Year in 2010.^[110] "All to Myself", written with Carl Dimatago, and "Who's That Girl" were shortlised for the 2011 APRA Song of the Year, with "Who's That Girl" winning the APRA Award for Urban Work of the Year.^[111][112] "Don't Worry Be Happy" was shortlisted for the 2012 APRA Song of the Year.^[113] Sebastian has a world-wide, long term publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing.^[114] He also has an interest in production and co-produced The Memphis Album with Steve Cropper. He has his own recording studio, Cooper Lane Studio, where he produces and engineers some of his music, and which is also used by other musicians.^[115] He produced a song called "Think Of Me" for 2009 Australian Idol Stan Walker's debut album, as well as playing most of the musical instruments on the track.^[116]

Other ventures[link]

[edit] It Takes Two 2006

Between May and August 2006 Sebastian appeared as a mentor on the inaugural It Takes Two, in which performers from non-musical fields are teamed with professional singers to perform a duet each week. Sebastian's partner was three-time Australian Olympic swimmer Sarah Ryan and they finished second.^[117]

[edit] The X Factor

Sebastian, along with Natalie Imbruglia, Ronan Keating and Kyle Sandilands was a judge on the Australian series of The X Factor, screened on Channel 7 in 2010.^[18] The X Factor is a talent competition where the judges also mentor the contestants. The contestants are selected by all the judges at the auditions, and the chosen acts are divided into four categories, Under 25 Boys, Under 25 Girls, Over 25s and Groups. Each judge is given a category and has to reduce their acts to three. The three acts from each category then compete in the live shows with continuing help from their mentors. Sebastian was given Groups, and was assisted in choosing his final three acts by Rai Thistlethwayte, lead singer of Thirsty Merc, Snoop Dogg and Usher.^[118] Sebastian returned as a judge in 2011. He had the Under 25 Boys and was assisted in choosing his final three by Wynter Gordon and Beyoncé. Reece Mastin who was in his group was the 2011 winner.^[119]

Notable performances[link]

Australian Philharmonic Orchestra Concerts, May 2007: Sebastian was the guest vocalist at three concerts with the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra. These concerts were conducted by English conductor Gavin Sutherland, and were at the Sydney Opera House and Hamer Hall in Melbourne. The Australian Philharmonic Orchestra has been presenting concerts with a blend of popular classical and contemporary music for over 30 years. Artists they have performed with in the past include Luciano Pavarotti, Jose Carreras, Sir Cliff Richards and Ray Charles. In the 2007 concert series "Guy & the Australian Philharmonic Orchestra", Sebastian performed his own original songs and also songs which helped shape his musical development with the 60 piece orchestra and a 40 voice choir.^[120]

World Youth Day, July 2008: "Receive the Power" a song written by Sebastian and Gary Pinto was chosen as official anthem for the Roman Catholic Church's XXIII World Youth Day (WYD08) held in Sydney in 2008.^[109] The song also features the vocals of Paulini Curuenavuli.^[121] "Receive the Power" was released in English and also an international version with the chorus in English and verses in Italian, Spanish and French. It was used extensively throughout the six days of World Youth Day in July 2008, and also in the television coverage which went around the world. Sebastian and Curuenavuli performed both the English and International versions at the final Mass at Randwick Race Course on 20 July which was attended by 400,000 people.^[8][122] They also performed "Receive the Power" at the Pope's Farewell.^[15][123]

Guy Sebastian and Olivia Newton John performing "Summer Nights" at the Olivia Newton-John & Friends Concert

Olivia Newton-John & Friends Concert, September 2008: This concert was held at the State Theatre in Sydney to raised funds for Newton-John's Cancer and Wellness Centre Appeal. Sebastian was chosen to sing a duet with Newton-John. They sang her iconic hit from Grease, "Summer Nights".^[124]

Oscar Haven - Los Angeles, February 2009: Sebastian was a headline act at an Oscar Haven party hosted by Stardust Pictures and Jamie Kennedy.^[125] "Haven is held during Oscar week and invitees include Film Academy nominees as well as actors and insiders from film, television and music industries."^[126]

9th Annual NON-COMMvention - Philadelphia, May 2009: Sebastian performed with Steve Cropper and David Ryan Harris at the 9th Annual NON-COMMvention.^[127] The event is the premier annual conference for North America's non-commercial Triple A radio.^[128]

Australian launch of Michael Jackson's This Is It DVD, March 2010: Sebastian and Delta Goodrem were chosen by the Jackson estate to perform at the Australian launch of This Is It.^[129] They performed "Earth Song". The invitation only event was attended by the film's director Kenny Ortega and Jackson's brother Jackie Jackson^[130]

Oprah Winfrey's official welcome to Sydney and wrap up party, December 2010: Sebastian was the guest performer at an event at Sydney's Botanical Gardens to officially welcome Oprah Winfrey and her American audience members to Australia.^[131] Winfrey was in Australia to record two of her shows at the Sydney Opera House.^[132] Sebastian sang for Winfrey a second time when she requested he perform at her private crew wrap up party.^[16][133]

G'Day USA, January 2011 and 2012: G'Day USA is an annual two week program designed to showcase Australian business capabilities, and is the largest foreign country promotion held in the US.^[134] Sebastian and the The Qantas Choir were the entertainers at the 2011 Black Tie Gala in Los Angeles. Sebastian performed his own songs and also a medley of Bee Gees songs prior to Barry Gibb being honoured for excellence in Music at the event.^[135] During G'Day USA 2012 he performed at the American Australian Association Black Tie Gala in New York and the Australian American Chamber of Commerce Gala in Houston Texas.^[136][137]

Grammy week - Los Angeles, February 2011: During Grammy week each year there are many events leading up to the Grammy Awards night.^[138] Sebastian was invited to perform at two of these events in 2011. He performed at the The Black Eyed Peas Peapod Benefit Concert which was attended by musicians, DJ’s, philanthropists, Hollywood celebrities and industry executives.^[139] He also performed at the Roots Pre Grammy Jam Session. The Roots are a Grammy Award winning hip hop and neo soul American band. During Grammy week they hold a jam session and invite other musicians to perform with them. Their 2011 jam session was hosted by Jimmy Fallon and other performers included Sara Bareilles, Lalah Hathaway, Booker T. Jones and Chaka Khan.^[140]

CHOGM 2011 Opening Ceremony, October 2011 - Perth: Sebastian performed "Agents of Change", a song written by him especially for the event, at the opening ceremony of the biannual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Western Australia. In attendance at the ceremony were Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Julia Gillard, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth and heads of government from all 53 Commonwealth nations.^[17]

Charitable work[link]

World Vision Australia Magazine. Dec 2005

Throughout his career Sebastian has had a strong commitment to charity. He has been an ambassador for the Ronald Mcdonald House charities, and is currently an ambassador for the Australian Red Cross and Golden Stave, which is the Australian music and entertainment industry's charity fund raising organisation.^[18][141] He is also an ambassador for World Vision Australia, and in 2005 he travelled to Uganda to film a World Vision documentary "An Idol in Africa" for a Network Ten television special.^[142][143] Sebastian has continued his work with World Vision, supporting the Child Rescue program and the 40 Hour Famine. He has also been involved in the Make Poverty History coalition of which World Vision is a part.^[144] In 2008 he was presented with the Extreme Inspiration Award at the Dolly Teen Choice Awards for his continuing support of World Vision.^[145] Sebastian is also strongly committed to the Sony Foundation, which raises funds to help young Australians facing homelessness, severe illness, disability and isolation.^[146] In 2009 the Sony CEO Denis Handlin said: "Every time I’ve asked Guy to get involved with the Sony Foundation through charity he’s been completely proactive. Guy’s been such a great ambassador for that, and a lot of it is under the radar but it just tells you so much about what a decent human being he is."^[147]

Sebastian contributes to many other charitable projects. In 2005 he was the guest performer on the annual Indian Pacific Outback Christmas Journey which raises money for the Royal Flying Doctor's Service.^[148] In 2008 he performed a series of 11 concerts with the Australian Army Band to raise funds for Legacy.^[149] Legacy is a voluntary organisation which supports the families of deceased veterans.^[150] The concerts were held in theatre venues around Australia and the funds raised went to the local Legacy branch in the area each concert was held.^[151] Sebastian regularly performs at other fundraising events including Brisbane radio station B105's Christmas appeal for the Royal Children's Hospital,^[152] and Perth’s annual Telethon.^[153] He also donates his time to annual Christmas carol events such as Carols in the Domain, Vision Australia's Carols By Candlelight, and Brisbane's Carols in the City.^{[154][155][156]} His songs are frequently featured on charity cds including the Salvation Army Christmas fundraising CDs, The Spirit Of Christmas albums.^[157][158] Sebastian also makes unofficial appearances at hospitals several times a year.^[159]

Personal life[link]

In late 2007 after eight years of courtship Sebastian and girlfriend Jules Egan became engaged. They were married in Manly, Sydney on 17 May 2008.^[160] Their first child, Hudson James, was born on 3 March 2012.^[161]

Tours[link]

See also[link]

• List of awards and nominations received by Guy Sebastian
• List of best-selling singles in Australia
• List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart

References[link]