Maia Christine Anu (born on 15 March 1970) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress of Torres Strait Islander origin. She gained popularity with the cover song release of the Warumpi Band's song "My Island Home" in 1995. Anu has been nominated for many ARIA Awards, winning several, as well as five Deadly Awards, among others. In August 2024 she released a new album and single of the same name, Waku: Minaral a Minalay.
She started her career as a dancer, and has had an acting career in film, stage (including musical theatre), and television, as well as hosting the Weekend Evenings radio show on ABC Radio.
Early life and education
Maia Christine Anu, was born in Cairns, Queensland, on 15 March 1970. She did not know who her biological father was, and grew up with her Torres Strait Islander mother and stepfather all over Queensland. Her mother is from Saibai Island, and her stepfather was a respected songman on Saibai, He died in 1979 when Christine was 10 years old. and became a member of the Bangarra Dance Theatre and the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre troupes.
In 1995, Neil Murray won an Australasian Performing Right Association songwriting award for writing "My Island Home". Anu covered the song, which gained immediate popularity, causing her to be remembered as the principal singer of the song. She released her first album, Stylin' Up, which went platinum, At the ARIA Music Awards of 1996 the song won two of three awards for which it was nominated, including Best Female Artist and Best Indigenous Release. In that year she also won a Deadly Award for best female artist.
Baz Luhrmann asked her to sing on the song "Now Until the Break of Day" on his 1997 album Something for Everybody album. It was released as a single, with the video winning another ARIA award in 1999, and led to her being cast in Moulin Rouge!. In that year, she won the Female Artist of The Year Deadly Award.
In 2000, Anu released Come My Way which peaked at number 18 on the ARIA albums chart and went gold. In the same year, she sang the song "My Island Home" at the Sydney 2000 Olympics Closing Ceremony.
In 2003, Anu released her third studio album, 45 Degrees, and in 2005 released Acoustically. and in 2004 she won Single of the Year for "Talk About Love".
In February and March 2007, Anu toured New South Wales with a new stage show, Black is Blue, singing the songs of blues legends such as Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Marlene Cummins, and Ella Fitzgerald. Also that year she toured a children's show and released an associate album titled Chrissy's Island Family. The album gained an ARIA Award nomination.
On 26 September 2010, she released a new single, "Come Home", but it was not successful. In 2012 she released the album Rewind: The Aretha Franklin Songbook. and the following year released ReStylin' Up 20 Years.
Through 2023, Anu worked on her first album since 2015's live ReStylin' Up 20 Years. The project is using German ethnomusicologist Wolfgang Laade's recordings of Anu's grandfather, Nadi Anu, which are held by the Australian Institute Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander Studies. She has also hosted children's television programme Play School.
Anu appeared in an Australian production of the stage musical Little Shop of Horrors, which played to glowing reviews. Anu was offered a role in a Broadway production of this musical but had to decline due to commitments in recording her second album.
From October 2004 through 2005, she toured Australia in Intimate and Deadly, a cabaret-style stage show based on her life.
In 2012 she played the lead role of Australian sci-fi television series Outland, about a gay sci-fi fan club. Anu plays wheelchair-using Rae, the sole female member of the group.
On the 21 October 2024, it was announced she would be playing the role of Hermes in the touring Australian production of Hadestown.
Other TV
In 2004, she became a judge on Popstars Live, a television quest broadcast on the Seven Network at 6.30 pm on Sunday night in Australia along the lines of Australian Idol. The program failed to achieve a similar level of success, leading network executives to pressure the judges to offer harsher criticism of the contestants. Anu refused to offer harsher criticism, saying that she wished to be a role model, leading to her resignation as a judge in April 2004.
In 2009, Anu participated in Who Do You Think You Are.
In August 2020, Anu was revealed to be "the Goldfish" in the second season of The Masked Singer Australia and was the third contestant unmasked, placing 10th overall.
Anu also performed "Waltzing Matilda" at the 2003 AFL Grand Final and performed at the 2024 AFL Grand Final.
Radio
In December 2015, ABC announced that Anu would host the Evenings radio program on ABC Radio Sydney, ABC Radio Canberra and ABC Local Radio stations across New South Wales. Anu shared the role with Dominic Knight, then took over full-time in April 2016 after Knight's resignation. In the first half of 2016 the program suffered a dip in the ratings after she began hosting. In November 2016, ABC announced a national Evenings program on Friday and Saturday across ABC Local Radio, hosted by Anu. Chris Bath replaced Anu as host of Evenings from Monday to Thursday on ABC Radio Sydney, ABC Radio Canberra and ABC Local Radio stations across New South Wales.
After a break, Anu restarted presenting Weekend Evenings in January 2023. , Anu presents Weekend Evenings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, along with Sirine Demachkie.
Personal life
Anu is a mother of a son, Kuiam, and daughter,<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE the number of children. The "3rd child" does not exist, see http://onwiththeshow.com.au/christine-anu-sings-aretha/ --See WP:PRIVACY - only post names of children if notable for other reasons, and no DOBs ---> Zipporah Corser Anu. Zipporah's father is actor Rodger Corser, and she is also musically talented. He is not the father of either of her children. In June 2016, Anu announced that she and Deutrom were separating after six years of marriage, and they later divorced.
She revealed in 2012 that she had struggled with weight gain, after suffering from depression, and appeared on the Nine Network's reality show Excess Baggage.
In February 2020, Anu pleaded guilty in the Rockhampton Magistrates Court to mid-range drunk driving, after having been pulled over by police in Rockhampton on New Year's Eve. She was fined A$650 and had her driver's license suspended for three months.
|-
| 1998
| Wildside
|
| TV guest appearance
|-
| 2001
| Moulin Rouge!
| Dancer
|
|-
| 2004
| Play School
|
|
|-
|2005
|The Alice
|Valerie
|Episodes 1.11 and 1.13
|-
|2005
|Blinky Bill's White Christmas
|
|
|-
|2007
|East West 101
|Fiona Baker
|Episode "Death at the Station"
|-
| 2007
| Toasted TV
|
|
|-
| 2009
| Who Do You Think You Are?
| Herself
| Episode "Christine Anu" aired 18 October 2009
|-
| 2012
| Outland
| Rae
| Lead role
|-
| 2012
| Excess Baggage
| Herself
| Celebrity contestant
|-
| 2013
| Dance Academy
| Summer
| Episode "Travelling Light"
|-
|2015
|Ready for This
|Vee
|
|-
|2017
| Kiki and Kitty
| Mum
| 5 episodes
|-
|2018-2020
| Black Comedy
| Herself
| 4 episodes
|-
| 2020
| The Masked Singer (Australia)
| Goldfish
| Contestant (10th Place)
|}
Theatre and stage performances
The following list includes selected stage performances by Anu.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ List of theatre shows featuring Christine Anu
|- style="background:#b0c4de; text-align:center;"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1994
|Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom
|
|Stage musical
|-
| 1996-97
| Little Shop of Horrors
| Crystal
| David Atkins musical
|-
| 1998–99
| Rent
| Mimi
| Stage musical
|-
|2002-03
|Kissing Frogs
|
|
|-
|2010
|The Sapphires
|
|
|-
|2011
|Rainbow's End
|Gladys Banks
|Stage play. 2009 Parramatta production and 2011 national tour.
|-
| 2013
| South Pacific
| Bloody Mary
| Stage musical
|-
| 2014
| Parramatta Girls
|
|Stage play
|-
|2016
|Hairspray
|Motormouth Maybelle
|Arena production
|-
|2025
| Hadestown
| Mrs. Hermes
| Stage musical
|}
Awards and nominations
At the 2025 NAIDOC Awards Anu was presented with the Creative Talent Award.
ARIA Awards
The ARIA Music Awards are a set of annual ceremonies presented by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of the music of Australia. They commenced in 1987.
ARIA Awards won by Anu include:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
| Christine Anu
| Diversity in Music Award
|
|-
| Christine Anu
| Artistic Excellence Award
|
Deadly Awards
The Deadly Awards, (commonly known simply as The Deadlys), was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. They ran from 1996 to 2013.
|-
| 1996
| Herself
| Female Artist of the Year
|
|-
| 1998
| Herself
| Female Artist of the Year
|
|-
| 2000
| "Sunshine on a Rainy Day"
| Single of the Year
|
|-
| 2003
| Herself
| Female Artist of the Year
|
|-
| 2004
| "Talk About Love"
| Single of the Year
|
|-
Green Room Awards
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Work
! Result
|-
| 1999
| Best Female Actor in a Leading Roles (Music Theatre)
| Rent
|
|}
National Indigenous Music Awards
The National Indigenous Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises the achievements of Indigenous Australians in music.
!
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="1"| 2024
| "Waku: Minaral a Minalay"
| Song of the Year
|
| rowspan="1"|
|}
Queensland Music Awards
The Queensland Music Awards (previously known as Q Song Awards) are annual awards celebrating Queensland, Australia's emerging artists. They commenced in 2006.
!
|-
| 2025
| herself
| Lifetime Achievement Award
|
|
|}
References
External links
- Christine Anu on AusStage
- Interview with Christine Anu (2004)
- Waiting for Zipporah (Christine Anu) at National Portrait Gallery (Australia)