Guy Sebastian returns to New Zealand for his first gig there in more than a decade

Guy Sebastian is heading back to New Zealand for a one-off Auckland performance, his first Kiwi show in more than ten years. The Australian singer and former X-Factor judge is scheduled to play the Town Hall on February 13, in an all-ages concert. Sebastian told fans he was excited to return, saying the gap since his last New Zealand performance had been “way too long.” He said he had always valued the warmth of Kiwi audiences and their enthusiasm for soul and R&B, and was looking forward to bringing his band across the Tasman. The concert follows a busy run in Australia, where Sebastian toured his latest album, 100 Times Around the Sun. According to the article, the tour included 70 sold-out metropolitan and regional shows. He has also described the record as the best ballad album he has made, and performed its single “Maybe” on Herald NOW last year. The song earned him his fourth APRA award. Sebastian won the first season of Australian Idol in 2003. Looking back on the competition in an interview with Ryan Bridge, he said he had not expected to still be making music more than two decades later, though it had always been his dream. The final against Shannon Noll also helped draw public attention, he recalled, with the two singers representing different musical styles. The singer has accumulated more than 1.3 billion streams and sold over seven million units during his career, the article reports. New Zealand audiences may also remember him from his periods as an X-Factor Australia judge and mentor, his 2012 appearance at Christmas in the Park, and a 2014 tour that included stops around the country. Tickets for the Auckland show are on sale through Ticketmaster.