Israel Cruz
Musical artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Israel Cruz is an Australian singer-songwriter and record producer.[1] Cruz was born in Quezon City, Philippines and at the age of 3 moved to Melbourne, Australia with his family. He lives in Sydney, Australia with friends and has written and performed with Australian singer Stan Walker.[2]
Career
His single, "Party Up", was released as a digital download and an extended play.[3][4] It peaked at number 33 on the Australian Singles Chart, becoming Cruz's highest-charting single since 2004's "Old Skool Luv".[5] "Party Up" was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipping 35,000 copies.[6] Regarding the song's reception, Cruz stated in an interview with Dominic Di Francesco of Rhyme and Reason: "I feel like it’s been good. For me, it’s not about having a No.1 record. I focus on making good music that the people like. I’ve seen so many artists have so much more than me [with regards to] the deals that they get. But I haven’t needed a job since about 2004. I’ve learnt how to make money off music. I just love putting out records and I love the response "Party Up" has been getting. I feel like I'm always going to be the guy who makes these street anthems. One day, if it crosses over, thank God. But my thing is making music I like, putting it out and if the people love it – great!"[7]
On January 14, 2005, Cruz starred in a musical theatre-style show "Israel" at the National Theatre in Saint Kilda, Melbourne, Australia. The event featured Israel's original music as it told the story of his journey through the music industry. The show featured rappers KA$H and Vallerie, and dance crews Detour, Funkey Fresh, Platinum, Replay, Rewind and ViKiNGs [8].
Discography
Albums
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Chapter One |
|
| The Legacy |
|
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions |
Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [10][11] | ||||||||||||||
| 2004 | "Wake Up With You" | 44 | Chapter One | |||||||||||
| 2005 | "Old Skool Luv" (featuring Valerii & Kg) | 18 | ||||||||||||
| "Work Da Middle Pt. 2" (featuring Thara) | 59 | |||||||||||||
| "My Girl" | — | |||||||||||||
| 2007 | "Do It Again" | — | The Legacy | |||||||||||
| "Gemini" featuring Fabolous | — | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | "Freak Tonight" | 68 | ||||||||||||
| 2011 | "Party Up"[12] | 33 | TBA | |||||||||||
| 2012 | "Save My Life"[13] (featuring Elen Levon) | — | ||||||||||||
| "Body"[14] (featuring The Twins) | — | |||||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that failed to chart. | ||||||||||||||
Featured singles
Songwriting credits
- Elen Levon
- Jessica Mauboy
- "Been Waiting" (co-wrote, produced)[18]
- "What Happened to Us" (co-wrote, co-produced)[19]
- Ricki-Lee Coulter
- Stan Walker
- Scarlett Belle
- "Lover Boy" (also produced)[22]
- Tinchy Stryder
Awards and nominations
| Award | Category | About | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | ||||
| Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand 2006 | Best R&B Single – Work Da Middle | Himself | Nominated | |
| Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand 2006 | Best R&B Album – Chapter One | Himself | Nominated | |
| Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand 2006 | Best Video Clip – Work Da Middle | Himself | Nominated | |
| APRA Music Awards 2006 | Best Urban Music Songwriter | Himself | Nominated | |
| 2007 | ||||
| Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand 2007 | Best R&B Single | Himself | Winner | |
| Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand 2007 | Best Male Artist | Himself | Nominated | |
| APRA Music Awards 2007 | Best Urban Music Songwriter | Himself | Nominated | |
