Now entering his 16th year on Australian television, John Foreman’s infectious personality and limitless talents have inspired a generation of Australians to learn more about music theory, arrangement, composition and production. Thanks to this amiable Idol personality, viewers know that there’s more than one way to build a career in the spotlight.
After winning the inaugural Nescafe Big Break, John released his Just Jivin’ album (BMG) in 1991 and instantly justified his selection for the Big Break award when the jazz record received APRA and Aria Award nominations. Demand for John’s performances kept the amiable character busy with music festivals in Canada, the USA, Ireland, in addition to gigs in London and the world renowned Cotton Club in New York.
Obviously, John loved the big events, both live and television, because his focus remained on the role of musical director, including 12 eventful years with Bert Newton on Good Morning Australia. Off air, his growing reputation was attracting interest from major artists and events. He was a special international guest artist at the 1995 Montreal International Jazz Festival, and was personally selected by Shirley Bassey on both her 1997 and 1999 Australian concert tours.
With a passion for major extravaganzas, John must have experienced one of his proudest moments when The Flame was selected from over 4,000 submissions to become the anthem for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and was sung by Tina Arena at the opening ceremony. John continued to write great anthems and Melbourne Girl was performed by Vanessa Amorosi as part of the handover ceremony at the closing of the 2002 Commonwealth Games.
As the musical director of Carols By Candlelight, the Logie Awards (2003 and 2004) and The School Spectacular, John’s slick musical presentations have set a new benchmark, but the high-profile music identity also excels in the studio, working with the likes of Guy Sebastian and Shannon Noll, and in 2004 with Marcia Hines on her album Hinesight - Songs of the Journey. More recently John produced Idol finalist Anthony Callea’s record breaking single The Prayer.
In 2005 John released his first book, titled John Foreman Your Guide to Unlocking the Australian Music Industry and capped off a brilliant year by hosting Network Ten’s The Big Night In with John Foreman and judging Song for the Socceroos, a seven part television series, which uncovered the new sporting anthem for the World Cup Socceroos. John also produced the winning single.
In his spare time, John is the national ambassador for the Malcom Sargent Cancer Fund for Kids, which raises money for families of kids with cancer.
John is much more than a musical director; his charm and wit guarantee that this music icon will be a familiar face on Australian televisions for many years to come.
