Hayley Jensen

Hayley Jensen (born 7 January 1983) is an Australian singer and songwriter who became well known after appearing on the second series (2004) of Australian Idol. She was the fourth finalist, leaving the show on 1 November. She spent three years as the lead vocalist of alternative rock band Seasons, and is currently the lead vocalist of dance-rock outfit Silver Cities.

Hayley was born in Albury, New South Wales, but has lived in Canberra for most of her life. She spent time working at Magpies Sports Club during university and was discovered while singing karaoke at the club. Before entering the Australian Idol competition, she studied Jazz vocals at the ANU whilst completing year 11–12, and then went on to study Economics and Management at the University of Canberra.

In 2004, Jensen audition for Australian Idol. She did not progress from her hometown of Canberra, but travelled to Sydney to try again and was successful. Hayley was selected for a spot in the Final 12 and continued in the competition for a number of weeks, eventually placing 4th.

After Australian Idol, Hayley formed her own record label (White Dove Music), released a solo album (Note To Self) and released a number of singles, music videos and toured the country. She performed for Coalition Forces in Iraq, for the Prime Minister on a number of occasions, and at all major entertainment centres around Australia.

In March 2010, Jensen co-founded alternative pop/rock band Seasons with drummer Peter Wright and guitarist Sam Young. The band released their debut EP "A Moment of Clarity" on 15 April 2011.

In late 2012, Seasons changed their name to Silver Cities, and released their first single, 'Lights'. They toured as a supporting act for Evermore on their 'Hero' National Tour. In November 2013, Hayley and her band received an award for their single 'Lights' at the 2013 Australian Independent Music Awards.

Hayley auditioned for the third season of the Australian version of The Voice. She performed the song Freefallin in the episode broadcast on 7 May 2014. Coaches Will.i.am and Kylie Minogue pressed their buttons on time, but Joel Madden pressed too late attracting a lot of national media attention after he fell on the ground when his chair unexpectedly turned around. Hayley chose to join Kylie Minogue's team.

In 2015, Jensen joined Casey Donovan, Doug Williams and Darren Mapes, in a concert celebrating the songs and life of Burt Bacharach.

2016 saw Hayley return to country music with her new ukulele laden single "The One" released on Friday 15 January. Hayley was nominated as a Toyota Star Maker Finalist at the Tamworth Country Music Festival 2016 where she performed at the iconic Tamworth Town Hall on Sunday 17 January together with 9 other finalists from across Australia.

Albums

• Note to Self (16 September 2007)

Extended Plays

• Past Tense & Present Peace (February 2017)

Singles

• "Alive" – August 2006 – No. 68 Australia (#2 A.I.R., No. 20 Australian Singles)
• "Stronger" – 16 June 2007 (#11 A.I.R) – #DNC ARIA Top 100 – (#7 Hitseekers Chart)
• "Waste Away" – 2008 (Radio Single)
• "The One" – January 2016
• "I'll Always Love You'" – June 2016

Others

• "Australian Idol 2 Top 10: The Final 10" (2004) – No. 20 Australia.

• "The ARIA Report issue 865" (PDF). ARIA. 20 September 2006. Retrieved 29 November 2016.