Christine Anu

Christine Anu, is a multi-ARIA award winner and her signature tune My Island Home will resonate in the hearts of Australians for all time!

From very humble beginnings in the Torres Strait in far North Queensland, Christine has worked hard at establishing a successful and varied career in singing, dancing and acting.

Studying dance at NAISDA in Sydney, Christine was quickly spotted by Neil Murray as a talent with more to offer than just dance and was asked to perform backing vocals with his band Neil Murray and the Rainmakers, slowly Neil gave more and more verses of his composition My Island Home to her until finally she was ready to take full control of a song destined for her voice and soul.

A solo singing career was the new focus and Christine was soon offered a record deal with Mushroom Records. She accepted. Whilst developing material for her album she joined the Bangarra Dance Company and also performed in the musical Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets Of Doom at The Enmore Theatre. Soon afterwards, Christine made her recording debut on the Paul Kelly single Last Train.

The release of her debut album Stylin Up set the country on fire, and produced many hit singles, including My Island Home, Party, Monkey and the Turtle and Wanem Time. She won an ARIA Award for the album and cemented her place as a major player in the Australian music industry. Touring the album, Christine played all over Australia, and was recorded for a bonus CD release live at the Metro in Sydney. The ABC also recorded it and it was used as part of a documentary on her career and heritage called Salt Water Soul which aired nationally on ABC TV.

Christine then made a deeper foray into the land of theatre and film, appearing in her first feature film Dating the Enemy, and in David Atkins' production of Little Shop of Horrors at The Enmore Theatre, in the role of Crystal.

In 1996 Christine gave birth to her main man Kuiam, named after a famous Torres Strait Island Head Hunter.

Baz Luhrmann invited her to sing on his internationally released album Something for Everybody, the duet she recorded with Opera star David Hobson Now Until The Break Of Day was a national hit.

Her lead guest appearance in WILDSIDE for Ben Gannon/ABC TV displayed Christine's major talent as an actress and won great acclaim.

Then, Christine won the highly-sought role of Mimi in the musical RENT. The reviews were sensational. So outstanding was Christine's performance that the producers asked her to repeat the role for a season on Broadway.

Instead, Christine decided it was time for a new album. She went back in the studio and recorded her second album Come My Way. Hit singles from this album include Sunshine On A Rainy Day, Jump To Love and Coz I'm Free a song inspired by Cathy Freeman. The release aligned with her appearance at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympics Games in Sydney.

Next, Christine went straight into rehearsal for her second feature film, playing the role of Arabia for Baz Luhrmann in Moulin Rouge. On completion, Michael Chugg sent Christine out on a national tour, to promote her new Album Come My Way. A role in The Matrix Reloaded was to follow.

In 2002 Christine had a baby daughter Zipporah. Full of inspiration after having Zippy, she went straight back to the recording studio and the release of her third Album "45 Degrees" quickly followed. This album produced the hit single "Talk About Love".

Returning to stage in the role of Gloria in Kissing Frogs Christine found herself on a national regional tour of the show.

Last September, long-time friend and godfather to Zippy, David Hawkins, offered to devise and direct a show around Christine's life and career. Intimate and Deadly opened at Kabarett Voltaire at The Seymour Centre to critical acclaim.

The season was extended and since then has played the famous Spiegeltent at the Victorian Arts Centre Melbourne, The Clarendon Guest House in Katoomba and a return season in Sydney at the Sydney Opera House Studio which was recorded for DVD and CD release. Intimate and Deadly also played at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and The Queensland Music Festival.

More recently, Christine released her first acoustic album Acoustically as part of the Liberation Blue Acoustic Series. Acoustically is the most honest and direct album from this incredibly versatile performer and showcases her platinum classics, including fiery acoustic versions of Monkey and the Turtle, Wanem Time and a stunning reaffirmation of Island Home. New material includes Last To G, a tender song dedicated to a friend lost in Bali, and Ocean of Regret, a Neil Murray composition originally demoed for her landmark debut Stylin Up

Christine's career covers all facets of show-business and she has appeared on all our major TV shows including Rove, The Panel, GMA, Sunrise, and her efforts have been well-acknowledged in the industry. Her many awards include four DEADLY AWARDS, APRA AWARD: Song of the Year for My Island Home, ARIA AWARD: Best Female Artist Stylin Up, ARIA AWARD: Best Indigenous Artist Stylin Up, ARIA AWARD: Best Video for Bazmark Now Until The Break Of Day, GREEN ROOM AWARD: Best Actress in a musical for Mimi in Rent and both Stylin Up and Come My Way went platinum.