Tag: Casey Donovan

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Amber Lawrence and Casey Donovan Join Forces for “Rise”

Amber Lawrence has enlisted the help of Casey Donovan for her latest single “Rise”. Country and soul music seem like strange bedfellows, but these two distinctive voices complement one another perfectly.

“Rise is a powerhouse song vocally, and the inspiring lyric of this song was best shared with two voices, so I couldn’t have dreamed up anyone better to sing with than the amazing Casey Donovan,” Amber gushed. “She’s an incredible singer, artist, and person, and I’m just so proud of the musical moment we’ve achieved together with ‘Rise’”

Amber had a massive 2022, playing more than 80 shows, including Carols by Candlelight, Gympie Music Muster, and supporting Tony Hadley. Her album Living for the Highlights, which this single comes from, was also the highest selling album by a female country artist. 2023 is also starting big, with Amber recognised as female artist of the year at the recent Golden Guitar Awards. She’s also scheduled a whole lot of shows, so there are no shortage of places to see her play.

11 February 2023 – The Cobargo Show @ Cobargo Showground, Cubago/Cobargo (with Catherine Britt)
3 March 2023 – Milton Show @ Milton Showground, Budawang Country/Milton
4 March 2023 – Country by the Bay, Bunurong Country/Frankston
10 March 2023 – Sandigo Hall, Wiradjuri Country/Sandigo (with Paul Costa)
11 March 2023 – Stock Route Country Music Festival @ Lazy River Estate, Tubbagah Country/Dubbo
19 March 2023 – Meatstock Melbourne, Naarm/Melbourne
25 March 2023 – Club Forbes, Wiradjuri Country/Forbes
26 March 2023 – Sunset Bash @ Penrith Panthers, Darug Country/Penrith
15 April 2023 – Meatstock Toowoomba, Jagera, Giabal and Jarowair Country/Toowomba
7 May 2023 – Meatstock Sydney, Eora/Sydney
10 May 2023 – Cardinia Cultural Centre, Naarm/Melbourne
11 June 2023 – The Oaks Hotel, Dharawal Country/The Oaks (with Luke O’Shea)
18 June 2023 – Camden Hotel, Benkennie/Camden (with Luke O’Shea)
5-12 August 2023 – Tunes in the Tropics, Fiji
23 September 2023 – Arco Bar, Bunurong Country/Heatherton
1-8 December 2023 – Cruisin’ Country

Image used with permission from Revolutions per Minute

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Casey Donovan Drops NYE Anthem “Shake It”

With the end of the year just a day away, Casey Donovan has dropped the ultimate party anthem. Once you hear “Shake It” once, I’m pretty sure you’ll add it to your NYE playlist. This is Casey’s first original single since she dropped her Eurovision entrant back in 2020, and it’s well and truly worth the wait.

A song this fun could only come with an equally entertaining music video. The clip, which stars some elite ballroom dancers, was filmed at the Revesby Community Centre, in the Bankstown LGA where Casey grew up.

“I’m proud of who I am and where I come from both heritage and the place, I grew up in,” Casey confirmed. “I will never mask or shy away from the suburbs, we all start from somewhere and everything and anything is possible”.

You can watch Casey debut this song tomorrow night at the ABC’s New Year’s Eve concert at the Sydney Opera House. She’ll be back there on January 26 for the network’s Australia Day concert. She’ll also appear on ABC’s Sydney World Pride concert at the Domain on February 24 and the Sydney World Pride First Nations Concert at the Opera House on March 2. Then on March 9 she’ll begin her starring run in & Juliet. It’s not even 2023, but already it’s shaping up to the be a big year for Casey Donovan!

Image used with permission from Karen-Lee Goody

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Casey Donovan Triumphs With “The Villain”

Casey Donovan continues her musical comeback with her impressive new single “The Villain.” It’s such a powerful piece of music which isn’t afraid to leave the singer-songwriter exposed. I love its vulnerability and her vocals, as always, are on point.

Casey lets us interpret “The Villain” in two equally poignant ways. On one level, the titular villain is an ex-lover, but it’s also the anxiety that keeps her and a quarter of all Australians imprisoned at some point in their lives.

“The Villain” is incredible stuff from one of Australia’s best talents.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Casey Donovan Back With “Lonely”

Casey Donovan reminded all of the nation why we voted her our Australian Idol all those years ago during her recent stint on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here. While the recent Coles ads might have been a misstep, it’s great to see her releasing quality music like her latest single “Lonely.”

This is music in its purest form, with its heart its sleeve and vocals and lyrics that don’t hide behind too much studio wizardry. It tells the story of a girl who desperately wants to be loved, yet fears she’ll always be lonely. Yes ladies, we’ve all been there.

Casey, it’s wonderful to have you back.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Cyndi Lauper @ State Theatre, Sydney – 31 March 2011

This review’s coming a little late by my standards, but I figured this is one of those articles best written once the high’s faded a little. If I’d sat down on Friday I’m not sure I could have written more than “I love Cyndi Lauper so much!” Even now I’m not really convinced I’ve got the necessary objectivity, but I’m going to try.

On Thursday night I made a pilgrimage to Sydney’s State Theatre to see one of my idols, Cyndi Lauper. Like many women of a certain age, I’ve been dazzled by Cyndi for as long as I can remember. In a musical landscape that is so often beige and homogenised, she’s always been a rainbow of color, fierce and fabulous. My expectations for her live show were sky high, but I’m thrilled to say she met every one.

But before she graced us with her presence it was Casey Donovan’s turn to charm us. I’ve been a fan of Casey’s since her Australian Idol days, and I was thrilled to see she’s only gotten better. Accompanied by a single acoustic guitar she delivered a stunning stripped back mix of covers and original material. Casey’s always been a master at delivering a song, but I’m thrilled to see her stage presence now matching her delivery. She’s come a long way from the quiet teen that wowed us in Idol. She bantered easily with the crowd between songs, charming us even more with her confidence. I was desperate to see Cyndi, but also disappointed to see her all too short set end.


I couldn’t be upset for too long though, because I was finally going to see Cyndi. The years certainly have not wearied this 80s icon. She bounced around the stage, dancing with wild abandon, a compelling figure with a shock of peroxide hair clad in black leather. From the first few songs we realised this show would be packed with songs from her Memphis Blues CD. I’m often put out when it seems an artist only wants to spruik their new material, but here it made perfect sense. I’ve never seen a supporting band as good as Cyndi’s. These guys are blues masters every one of them, and I wanted to hear the tunes that would show off that talent. Special mention must go to Charlie Musselwhite who blew my mind on harmonica.

Cyndi still played those songs we were desperate to hear though. It couldn’t be a Cyndi Lauper concert without a cheeky singalong in “She Bop,” a raucous extended version of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” or poignant moments with “All Through the Night,” “Time After Time” and “True Colors.”

The mix of classic blues and retro pop was unusual, but that’s just what Cyndi’s always been. She’s a true musical artist who’s always rebelliously marched to the beat of her own drum. And in Sydney she performed her pants off, dancing about and jumping off the stage several times to be a bit closer to her adoring fans. How she could sing so flawlessly while delivering such an energetic show I’ll never know, but she did that too. She might be an 80s icon, but with this Memphis Blues album Cyndi’s shown her star certainly isn’t fading. It was incredible to bask in a little of that light for a while. Thank you Cyndi Lauper for one of the most enjoyable concerts I’ve ever witnessed.

Image source: own photos

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Casey Donovan Still Big, Beautiful, and Sexy

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - OCTOBER 15: Casey Donmovan arrives at the 2009 Deadly Awards at Sydney Opera House on October 15, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Gaye Gerard/Getty Images)

When most of my female peers were gunning for Anthony Callea to take out the Australian Idol crown in 2004, I had my money on Casey Donovan. She’d moved me all season with her performances that were honest and mature beyond her years, and I was thrilled to see her take out the title.

Needless to say, I wasn’t so happy with the way she struggled to get the industry support of previous winner Guy Sebastian, or need I say it, Mr Callea. I’m proud though that Casey has kept the dream alive and found her feet as an independent artist. She’s wrapped up a critically acclaimed tour with the musical The Sapphires, which saw her perform at the Daegu International Musical Festival in South Korea.

She’s also preparing to embark on her Big, Beautiful & Sexy tour next month to coincide with the saucy single of the same name, which will get a digital release on August 7. Tour dates have been announced for New South Wales and Queensland with more expected to follow soon.

Until then, these are the places you can see the incredible Casey Donovan.

7 August 2010 – Rooty Hill RSL, Rooty Hill
20 August 2010 – Slide, Darlinghurst
21 August 2010 – Wentworthville Leagues Club, Wentworthville
28 August 2010 – Lizotte’s, Kincumber
29 August 2010 – Lizotte’s, Newcastle
16 September 2010 – QUT Festival Theatre @ Brisbane Powerhouse, Brisbane

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Casey Goes Bald

Good on Casey Donovan! While most female stars spend thousands painstakingly styling their hair, Casey’s preparing to shave hers off!

The former Australian Idol winner will go bald next month as part of the World’s Greatest Shave.

I’ve always thought the hair dying option was a bit of a cop-out, so I really admire Casey’s gutsy move. Apparently she was inspired to raise cash for The Leukemia Foundation because she has friends suffering the disease.

You can sponsor Casey through the World’s Greatest Shave icon on her MySpace page.

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

Casey Donovan Launches Career Comeback

We’ve all read the news stories claiming the latest Australian Idol winner Natalie Gauci hasn’t met public expectations. A number two single and top ten album sounds like a success to me, but in failing to hit the number one spot poor Nat’s already been written off by many. Perhaps she can take heart knowing how another “fallen Idol,” Casey Donovan, has landed on her feet.

Casey’s Idol journey in 2004 was spookily similar to Natalie’s. Through consistent performances she won over the public, taking the crown over her more fancied pretty boy rival Anthony Callea. Despite strong debuts, Casey’s career quickly faded while Anthony’s soared.

The fickle public all but forgot about her. Casey used this time out of the spotlight to her advantage, honing her performance skills at some low-key gigs and crafting a fine collection of songs.

These tracks are featured on Eye to Eye, her first independent release. Copies are available through Casey’s MySpace page, which also includes snippets of the EP’s songs. She may not have the backing of a major label anymore, but with songs this good who needs it?