Christine Anu

She was born in 1970 in Cairns. Her mother's people were from Saibai Island, just off the south coast of Papua New Guinea. Her father came from Mabuiag Island, closer to the centre of Torres Strait. The family had found its way to Queensland decades earlier, when Christine's grandparents left the Torres Strait islands to set up the mission at Bamaga, near Cape York, with a dozen other families. Her grandfather worked up and down the far north Queensland coast on a trochus boat and eventually moved the family to Cairns. Christine's connection with her family heritage was the times her father pulled out his guitar, put down the mats on the veranda of the family home, and encouraged a family singalong, singing island songs. Otherwise Christine Anu grew up like any other child in Cairns. She watched Young Talent Time and wanted to be "Little" Tina Arena.

It was as a dancer that Anu first came to prominence. She studied at the National Aboriginal And Islander Skills Development Association and graduated with an associate diploma of dance in 1992, performing both in Australia and overseas with the Bangarra Dance Theatre and the Aboriginal and Island Dance Theatre. Dancing had meant a move away from her family in Cairns to urban Sydney.

The singing career started as a backup vocalist for songwriter Neil Murray's group The Rainmakers for a year, and then for her first singles, in December 1993 she fronted a dance-oriented remake of Paul Kelly's 'Last Train'. Paul Kelly sang backing vocals. Her second single 'Monkey And The Turtle' mixed urban dance sounds with a traditional islander fable she had an uncle translate. The B side was her first version of the Neil Murray song 'My Island Home', the song which has come Christine's trademark.

'My Island Home' became the feature song of Anu's third single release three months later, as a prelude to the release of the May 95 album 'Stylin' Up', produced by Not Drowning Waving's David Bridie. The single won Neil Murray a Song Of The Year Award. The album cast Christine in an urban pop diva role, and gave her her first hit with the dance floor celebrating 'Party'. Promoting her album the attractive singer/dancer found herself being asked to be a role model and spokesperson for aboriginal people.

It was another five years before Christine Anu released her second album. While she enjoyed the adoration of being a role model, she didn't enjoy the spotlight. She needed a change of pace and found it in 1997 by taking the coveted lead role in the smash hit musical 'Rent', but then turned down the chance to reprise the role on Broadway to play Arabia an exotic dancer in Baz Luhrmann's film, 'Moulin Rouge'.

The second album, 'Come On Down', again with contributions from Paul Kelly and David Bridie, built on the dance orientation of the first while at the same time taking her into the mainstream pop arena. For her performances during the 2000 Sydney Olympics ceremonies she chose to reprise 'My Island Home', a new version of which appeared on the new album.