Anthony Callea is the eldest child and first grandchild on both sides of the family. He has 16 cousins. His family were builders, dentists and lawyers. Anthony Callea started singing and performing at age five after telling his mother that he wanted to be a singer. His mother sent him to a performing arts school and began vocal training with Liana Scali, with whom he remained until the age of 18.
2004: Australian Idol He was selected for the final 30 in the television series
Australian Idol in 2004. Based on viewer votes, he did not make it through the first round of competition, but was invited back as a "Judge's Choice Wildcard", where his performance earned him a place in the final 12. The competition concluded in November 2004 with Callea finishing as runner-up to
Casey Donovan. Callea was immediately signed to
Sony/BMG Records, and released "
The Prayer" as his debut single in December 2004. It debuted on the
ARIA Singles Chart at number one and was certified four times
platinum, selling in excess of 280,000 copies. In 2010 ARIA named it as the second-highest selling single of the last decade. It debuted at No. 3 in the ARIA DVD Chart and was certified platinum. In 2006, wrote and recorded tracks for his second album overseas. Upon returning to Australia, Sony BMG insisted he record "
Live for Love", which was released in November 2006 as the lead single from his second album. In 2007, Callea was one of the professional voices on a
Seven Network's weekly musical competition program,
It Takes Two, in which celebrities from non-musical fields were teamed with professional singers to perform a duet each week. Callea was paired with radio DJ
Jo Stanley and finished in second place. In 2008, Callea again performed, this time with ironwoman
Candice Falzon. Callea and Falzon finished in fifth place. In September 2007, in his first musical production, Callea played a supporting role in
Dead Man Walking, the true story of Sister
Helen Prejean, an unconventional nun, who accompanies murderer Joe de Rocher to his death by execution. It explores the opposing desires for vengeance and forgiveness in this extreme situation, and the commitment required to love or to hate a fellow human being. In November 2007, Callea played the lead role
Mark Cohen in the Perth production of the rock musical
Rent. He starred alongside his now-partner,
Tim Campbell. In mid 2008, Callea took the role of
Boq in the Melbourne premiere of the
Broadway musical
Wicked. In November 2008, Callea flew to New York to record a musical theatre album, but lacked passion and decided against recording it. Shortly after, Callea was released from his contract with Sony BMG. In October 2011, Callea released the single "Oh Oh Oh Oh" independently. The song peaked at number 111 on the ARIA Charts. This was followed in February 2012 by the EP,
Last to Go.
2013–2014: Thirty, This Is Christmas & Ladies & Gentlemen: The Songs of George Michael In March 2013, Callea announced the release of his third studio album
Thirty on ABC Music. Upon announcement, Callea said "Turning thirty last December was an exciting time and I decided I needed to record an album that encapsulated the past thirty years for me. Both musically and emotionally, this album is a collection of inspirational songs that embrace the artists and music that have influenced me over the years. I have also wanted to record and release a couple of originals that I wrote a while back but have been waiting for the right time, so I am very excited to have them become part of the thirty album". In July 2013, Callea was cast as Johnny Casino in the Australian production of
Grease (musical). In November 2013, Callea released the
Christmas album,
This Is Christmas with duets with the National Boys Choir and husband
Tim Campbell. On 16 May 2014, Callea performed a one-off concert titled
Ladies & Gentlemen: The Songs of George Michael. This concert was recorded and released on CD and DVD on 1 August 2014. In June, Callea announced an extension of his
Ladies & Gentlemen: The Songs of George Michael concert, with dates in September and October 2014 in Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
2016–2018: Backbone & ARIA Number 1 Hits in Symphony In January 2016, Callea was revealed as a contestant on season 2 of ''
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Australia''. He placed fourth in the series. He also described his time in the jungle as one of the best experiences of his life and hoped that it brought more awareness to his chosen charity
Lifeline (crisis support service). In September 2016, Callea released his fifth studio album
Backbone, which debuted at number 1 on the
ARIA Charts. Callea promoted the album with a 5-date tour. In September 2017, Callea released his sixth studio album
ARIA Number 1 Hits in Symphony which also debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Charts. Late in 2017, Callea had written a song and was preparing to represent
Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018, before being advised this wouldn't be the case, days before
Jessica Mauboy was announced in December 2017. This was followed in 2020 with "Lonely" and "Shadows". In October 2020, Callea was announced as a competing celebrity contestant on the fifth season of
The Celebrity Apprentice Australia which aired in early 2021. Callea went on the show supporting the Children's Cancer Foundation, and raised $20k for them before he was "fired" in task 4. In 2021 Callea toured Australia on the
Together Again tour.
2022–present: Forty Love and Behind the Voice: Dietro la Voce On 30 September 2022, Callea released "Heaven" and announced the forthcoming release of the studio album,
Forty Love, which was released on 21 October 2022. Upon announcement, Callea said "This album celebrates my 40 years in this life, yeah I can't believe it either! It feels like nothing else I have ever released, it's entirely me expressed through music which I am so proud of. It celebrates and appreciates the love and happiness I am fortunate to have, whilst also taking stock of the unpredictability and highs and lows of life. It is my DNA carved and molded into music and lyrics and I truly hope it resonates with people for its stories and its pop melodies as we all navigate this thing called life!". The album peaked at number 5 on the
ARIA Charts. In April 2023, Callea released his autobiography
Behind the Voice: Dietro la Voce. • In 2006, Callea was the support act for the Australian leg of
Diana Ross's
I Love You 2006 tour. • In 2007, Callea was the support act for Westlife's Arena Tour. • In 2008, Callea was the support act for
Celine Dion's
Taking Chances world tour. • In February 2009, joined
Tina Arena to perform an impromptu performance of "The Prayer" at Melbourne's Grand Hyatt re-launch • In 2010, was a special guest of the Australian leg of
Whitney Houston's
Nothing but Love World Tour. • In January 2011, performed a one-off special concert for the Australian Flood Victims at Rally For Relief at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. • In 2013, supported
Mariah Carey on her first Australian shows in 14 years. • In 2013, performed "Go the Distance" at The Special Olympics 2013 Asia Pacific Opening Ceremony. • In 2022 Callea sang at
Shane Warne state memorial service. ==Personal life==