Multi-platinum recording artist Stan Walker is one of the four judges for The X Factor NZ, coming to TV3 in 2013.
Stan Walker’s career was launched with a bang when he won the seventh and last season of Australian Idol in 2009. Before that, he was working in a Queensland menswear shop and singing in church. As a 12-year-old, he was inspired by Guy Sebastian’s 2003 Australian Idol win and at 19 he wowed the judges and the public with his versatile talent and engaging presence to take out the recording contract prize.
Stan is signed to Sony Music as a recording artist and EMI Publishing as songwriter. He has sold more than 80,000 albums in New Zealand, with triple platinum sales of his debut album ‘Introducing’ and platinum sales of 'From The Inside Out'. He has a total of five gold singles, plus one platinum and one double-platinum in New Zealand to date.
The album, 'Introducing' also went platinum in Australia, debuting at No 3 in the album charts and ‘From the Inside Out debuted at No 2 in Australia. His debut single, ‘Black Box’ hit No 2 in Australia and No 1 on New Zealand singles charts.
He has won five New Zealand Music Awards: Highest Selling NZ Single (2010), International Achievement Award (2010), NZ On Air Airplay Record of the Year (2010 & 2011) and the Vodafone People’s Choice Award (2010). He also won the Waiata Maori Award for radio airplay record of the year. In Australia, he has had four Aria Award nominations and two Nickelodeon Australian Kids Choice Award nominations. He is currently in the running for Song of the Year at the Arias.
His song ‘Stand Up’ featured on the Australasian release of the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. He has recorded and toured with Jessica Mauboy, recently seen in Australian box office hit The Sapphires. He has also recorded with Young Sid, Kayo, and co-written with DNZ. In May 2012, he was support act for Nicki Minaj on the Australian leg of her Pink Friday Tour.
Stan will also make his acting debut in February 2013, playing the lead role of Turei, co-starring with Temuera Morrision, in the upcoming local feature film Mt Zion. Stan’s new single ‘Take It Easy’, taken from the Mt Zion soundtrack album, will be released in November.
Born in Melbourne of Tuhoe and Ngati Ranginui descent, he grew up in Mount Maunganui and Queensland. Proudly Maori, he says, "I’m Maori and I will always represent my culture."