Ben Lummis
| Ben Lummis | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Benjamin Lummis |
| Born | 1 June 1978 |
| Origin | Wellington, New Zealand |
| Genres |
Pop R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Singer fitness instructor |
| Instruments | Singing |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels |
Sony BMG (2004) Soul'd Out(2007 – present) |
| Associated acts | Rosita Vai, Matthew Saunoa |
| Website | Official Site |
| Ben Lummis discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 1 |
| Music videos | 3 |
| Singles | 2 |
| B-sides | 1 |
| Other charted songs | 1 |
| Collaborations | 1 |
| Tours | 1 |
Sony BMG (2004)
Ben Lummis (born Benjamin Lummis on 1 June 1978) is a New Zealand R&B/Pop recording artist who rose to musical fame as the winner of the First season of New Zealand Idol in 2004. He is of Māori (Ngati Porou) and Pākehā (European) and Tongan descent. He is very close to his family, and has five sibling
Lummis auditioned for the first season of New Zealand Idol in early 2004, and after passing through the theatre rounds, he qualified for the semi-finals, where the public voted him through to the Top 10. Lummis's first few weeks in the Top 10 were shaky, as he landed in the bottom 3 contestants on three separate occasions. However, from the top 6 onwards, he was never in the bottom three again, and on 10 May 2004, he was crowned as the first New Zealand Idol, defeating Michael Murphy, who had never been in the bottom three throughout the entire competition. Ben is one of only two Idol winners worldwide to land in the Bottom 3 in the first week of their season's finals. The other is 2005 Canadian Idol Melissa O'Neil.
Immediately after his victory, Lummis signed a recording contract with music giant Sony BMG and released his debut single "They Can't Take That Away", which debuted at number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart. It held the position for seven weeks and was certified 4xPlatinum, selling 40,000 copies. Lummis completed a nationwide New Zealand Idol Live! tour with his fellow finalists, and then on 15 June 2004, just four weeks after his Idol victory, Lummis released his debut album, One Road. Although the album sold 45,000 copies and was certified 3xPlatinum, it was badly received by the music industry. Paul Ellis, the album's producer and New Zealand Idol judge later described it as "the worst-sounding album of my entire career".
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Wikipedia