Stan Walker
Musician
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Stan grew up on a marae in Mount Maunganui. He moved back to Australia and in 2009, he auditioned for and won the seventh season of Australian Idol, performing his debut single Black Box for the first time. The song peaked at number two on the Australian Charts, number one on the New Zealand Charts and was certified double platinum in both countries. His debut studio album, Introducing... Stan Walker was released in 2009.
Stan had his stomach removed in September 2017 after discovering he inherited a rare cancer-causing gene mutation called CDH1 that has been responsible for the deaths of more than 25 of his family members. A feature-length documentary titled Stan was released in March 2018 which tells the raw story of Walker finding out he had stomach cancer and the lengthy treatment and recovery process.
In 2020, Stan began releasing new singles weekly. His memoir, Impossible: My Story by Stan Walker is due to be released 14 October and is a tale of a young Maori boy from Tauranga finding his place on the world stage while never forgetting who he is and where he came from.