Jessica Hillda Mauboy's father is of Timorese-Indonesian origin while her mother is of Indigenous Australian, Native American and English descent.
At 14, she won the Telstra 'Road to Tamworth' competition, with the grand prize being a single recording contract with Sony BMG. She then recorded a country version of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". Years later, during Australian Idol, this contract became a source of controversy, with certain media reports stating that already having a recording contract was against the rules of Idol. Grundy Television said Mauboy's experiences in Tamworth had no bearing on her involvement in Australian Idol and that she no longer had a contract with Sony, allowing her to participate in the competition.
Jessica cites Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson as her musical influences; naming Carey's hits "My All", "Anytime You Need A Friend", "Butterfly" and "Hero" as personal favourites.
In the summer of 2006, Jessica auditioned for the fourth season of Australian Idol in Alice Springs. She sang the Whitney Houston hit "I Have Nothing" and her powerful rendition impressed all three judges Mark Holden, Marcia Hines and Kyle Sandilands. Marcia stated that Mauboy was one of the most naturally blessed singers she had ever come across. She made it through to the theatre rounds with a unanimous "yes" and performed at the Kimberley Moon Experience. She came first runner-up in the finale.
On 10 December 2006, it was announced that Mauboy had secured a recording contract with Sony BMG, with company spokesman Denis Handlin stating that her debut album would be released in mid-2007.
On 24 December 2007, Mauboy performed "When a Child Is Born" and Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" at the annual 'Carols by Candlelight' event in Melbourne.
Rather than rushing through a debut album as most Idol contestants do, it was decided that while Jessica recorded her first studio album, she would release a live album containing performances from her appearances as a contestant on Australian Idol, in order to keep her in the mind of the public.
On 24 February 2007, Mauboy released The Journey, a live album containing her Idol performances. The album debuted and peaked at number four on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified gold for the sale of 35,000 copies.
On 26 September 2007, after much speculation, Mauboy was introduced to the public as the new member of The Young Divas - a group of four female contestants from Idol who cover old songs. Mauboy replaced one of the group's founding members, Ricki-Lee Coulter, who had featured on the group's debut album, but departed in June 2007 in order to concentrate on her solo career. The first Young Divas single to feature vocals from Mauboy, "Turn Me Loose", was released on 17 November 2007, and after debuting at number 21, the song peaked at number fifteen. The group's second studio album (and first with Mauboy) 'New Attitude' was released a week later on 24 November and debuted at #10. The album was quickly certified gold for sales of 35,000 copies.
On 28 March 2008, after six months of apparent inactivity, the Young Divas' record label, Sony BMG announced in The Daily Telegraph that due to the under performance of "Turn Me Loose", a second single would not be released from New Attitude. However, it was also stated that the group were not being dropped from the record label's line-up of artists and would continue to record music.
In early June 2008, Mauboy signed on to the Australian Government 'In2Oz' program, designed to promote closer ties with Indonesia. As a part of this program, she travelled to Indonesia for a week long trip performing around the country. She also performed on Indonesian Idol, singing "Crazy in Love" and "Sempurna" (Perfect) with former Indonesian Idol stars Mike, Judika and Lucky.
On 24 August 2008, following months of rumours, it was officially announced that after a year with the group, Mauboy had decided to quit the Young Divas in order to focus on her solo career. Founding member Paulini Curuenavuli had also decided to depart, leaving Kate DeAraugo and Emily Williams as the only remaining members of the group, though their manager David Champion stated that the Divas would undergo a third line-up change following the departures of Mauboy and Paulini, with a third album to be released later in the year.
Mauboy's debut solo single "Running Back", featuring American rapper Flo Rida, was released for download on 23 September 2008 and physical sales commenced on 11 October 2008. The single peaked at number 3, spent nineteen weeks on the singles chart and achieved double platinum status for sales of over 140,000 copies. It has also peaked at number 1 on the ARIA Urban Charts. The music video was filmed in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. Her debut studio album 'Been Waiting' was released on 22 November 2008 and debuted at number 16 peaking at number 11 on the ARIA Album Charts in its ninth week. It peaked at number 1 on the ARIA Urban Charts and was certified platinum for sales of over 70,000 copies. The album was released in Japan on April 22, 2009 and she will promote the album there later in the year. In March 2009, it was announced that Mauboy would release her debut album in the UK and would start promotion in June after signing a contract with the Ministry of Sound label. The deal made Mauboy only the second Australian Idol contestant ever to sign a UK record deal, after Ricki-Lee.
Mauboy's second single, "Burn" was released on December 6, 2008 and debuted at number 30 but after 7 weeks of rising up the ARIA singles chart it hit the number 1 spot, making it Mauboy's first number one single. It spent over twenty weeks on the chart and achieved platinum status. Like her first single, it too peaked at number 1 on the ARIA Urban Charts. The single made its debut on the Japan Hot 100 at number ninety-two on April 25, 2009.
On January 26, 2009 at the annual Australia Day concert Mauboy announced that the title track of her album "Been Waiting" would be her next single. The song was meant to make its debut on radio on February 16, 2009 but was pushed forward due to Burn being removed from most radio playlists in light of the devastating bush fires in Victoria. The single was officially released on 14 March 2009 and Mauboy performed it live on Funniest Home Videos on Saturday 4 April. The single peaked at number 12 on the official ARIA charts and at #6 on the ARIA Urban Charts.
In the week of 25 May 2009, fourth single "Because" was the number-one most added track on Australian radio. The single was released on June 12 and debuted on the ARIA Charts at number nine.
Her fifth single, "Up/Down", is expected to be released in September 2009 to coincide with her appearances supporting Beyoncé Knowles and Flo Rida on their Australian tours.
Also in 2009, Mauboy signed with cosmetic company Bloom to create a range of designer nail-polishes and in June performed at the Sydney launch of video game The Sims 3.
Jessica Mauboy's hit debut album "Been Waiting" is set for a Re-Release, it will contain a CD and DVD. It Is set to be called "Been Waiting - Deluxe Edition" The Double Disc Deluxe edition has been confirmed to come out on the 21st of August, 2009.
On The Radio
Jessica Mauboy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the radio
And they told the world just how you felt
It must have fallen out of a hole
In your old brown overcoat
They never said your name
But I knew just who they meant
And I wondered, too
If by chance you heard it for yourself
I never told a soul
Just how I've been feeling about you
But they said it really loud
They said it on the air
On the radio
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
On the radio
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
On the radio
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
On the radio
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Now, now
Don't it kinda strike you sad
When you hear our song
Things are not the same
Since we broke up last June
The only thing that I wanna hear
Is that you love me still
And that you think
You'll be comin' home real soon
Whoa, oh, oh, oh, oh
Yeah, you kinda made me feel proud
When I heard him say
You couldn't find the words to say it yourself
And now in my heart I know
I can say what I really feel
'Cause they said it really loud
They said it on the air
On the radio
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
On the radio
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
On the radio
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
On the radio
Whoa, oh
Oh, oh, on the radio
If you think that love isn't found on the radio
Then tune right in you made find the love you lost
'Cause now I'm sitting here
With the man I sent away long ago
Hefound it really loud
They said it really loud
On the radio
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
On the radio
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
On the radio
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
On the radio
Whoa, oh, oh, oh
On the radio
The lyrics to Jessica Mauboy's "On The Radio" tell a story of a person who hears a letter that was written to them by someone else being read on the radio. The letter professes love and reveals deep feelings that the person had never known about. The song is full of emotions of surprise, shock, pride, and longing for love. The person wonders if the one who wrote the letter heard it on the radio as well, and they express their desire to hear that they are loved and will come home soon. The lyrics also convey the idea that love can be found anywhere, even on the radio.
The use of a letter being read on the radio is a unique and creative approach to telling a story of love. The lyrics express the idea that sometimes it takes an external factor like the radio to bring out someone's true feelings, which could have gone unspoken for a long time. Jessica Mauboy's soulful vocals add depth and intensity to the emotions being conveyed. The song's catchy hook "On the radio" adds an upbeat and fun element to the overall emotional content of the song.
Overall, "On The Radio" is a well-written song that captures the universal desire for love and the unexpected ways it can be found. The lyrics are relatable and speak to the heart of what it means to be human.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone found a letter you wrote me
A letter you wrote to me was found by someone
On the radio
It was broadcasted on the radio
And they told the world just how you felt
The content of the letter was publicly shared
It must have fallen out of a hole
It probably fell out of your old brown overcoat
In your old brown overcoat
In a coat that you used to wear that was brown in color
They never said your name
Your name was not mentioned
But I knew just who they meant
I could tell that it was about you
I was so surprised and shocked
I was taken aback
And I wondered, too
I also contemplated
If by chance you heard it for yourself
I wondered if you had heard it too
I never told a soul
I kept it to myself
Just how I've been feeling about you
My true feelings for you were not shared
But they said it really loud
The message was conveyed clearly and loudly
They said it on the air
The message was broadcasted on the radio
Don't it kinda strike you sad
Doesn't it make you feel sad
When you hear our song
When you listen to our song
Things are not the same
The situation has changed
Since we broke up last June
Since our breakup in June
The only thing that I wanna hear
All I want to hear
Is that you love me still
Is that you still have feelings for me
And that you think
And that you believe
You'll be comin' home real soon
You will be returning home soon
Yeah, you kinda made me feel proud
I felt a sense of pride
When I heard him say
When I heard someone say
You couldn't find the words to say it yourself
You were unable to express your feelings yourself
And now in my heart I know
Now I am certain in my heart
I can say what I really feel
I can now express my true feelings
'Cause they said it really loud
Because the message was conveyed loudly and clearly
If you think that love isn't found on the radio
If you believe that love cannot be found through the radio
Then tune right in you made find the love you lost
Try tuning into the radio- you might find the love you lost
Now I'm sitting here
Presently, I am sitting here
With the man I sent away long ago
With the man that I sent away a long time ago
Hefound it really loud
He came across the message loudly and clearly
On the radio
On the radio
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DONNA SUMMER, DONNA A. SUMMER, GIORGIO MORODER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Faamoana Leilua
I absolutely have enjoyed seeing this young woman grow throughout this competition. A diva in the making..definitely have struck gold Australia in choosing this young woman in the finals..GO JESS
Udo Schilling
Definitely super diva voice! Go for it!
fico Fico
OMG her voice is a kind of kid's voice when she talks,,,but it change naturally to a mature commercial voice as soon as she singing...girl!! Amazing
PeterRay85
Love this song by Jesse
Jenny Nguyen
I totally agree. She's an absolute stunner.
Anh Quan Nguyen Do
doesnt matter much coz she'll get a record contract, and she'll ptob hav more rest thn Damien, so at least dats a good thing