Stan Walker

Stan Walker is a pop singer from New Zealand with an R&B style who rose to fame as the winner of Australian Idol in 2009 and topped the charts shortly thereafter with his debut single, "Black Box." Born on October 23, 1990, in Melbourne, Australia, he grew up in New Zealand and is of Maori descent. Walker made his Australian Idol debut in the audition round of the seventh season, where he performed a version of John Legend's "Ordinary People." As he advanced from one round to the next in the weeks that followed, he proved himself a talented R&B singer and garnered heaps of praise from the judges, including guests Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Michael Bublé, and Pete Wentz. In the end, he beat out second-place runner-up Hayley Warner on November 22, 2009, and performed "Black Box" for the first time. Co-written by English hitmaker Wayne Hector, well known for his work with Westlife, along with Danish hitmakers Wayne Hector, Jonas Jeberg, and Cutfather, "Black Box" was released immediately as a digital download and shot to the top of the singles chart in New Zealand and number two in Australia. Reportedly recorded in just two days' time, the full-length debut Introducing... Stan Walker (2009) is primarily comprised of songs that Walker performed during Australian Idol; all except two are covers. Released in association with Sony Music in the midst of the holiday shopping season, Introducing... Stan Walker was a Top Five hit in both New Zealand and Australia.