Sheldon Riley

Sheldon Hernandez (born 14 March 1999), known by his stage name Sheldon Riley, is an Australian singer. He is scheduled to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 with his song "Not the Same".[1]

Sheldon Riley
Birth nameSheldon Hernandez
Born (1999-03-14) 14 March 1999
Sydney, Australia
Occupation(s)Singer
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2016–present
Associated actsBoy George, Delta Goodrem, Iggy Azalea

Early life

Riley was born in Sydney to an Australian mother and Filipino father.[2] He grew up in the Gold Coast.[3]

Career

2016–2020: The X Factor, The Voice, and America's Got Talent

In 2016, Riley, who then performed under his full name Sheldon Hernandez, auditioned for the eighth season of The X Factor Australia with the songs "Circle of Life" by Elton John and "Ordinary People" by John Legend.[4] He originally participated in the 14-21s category, which was mentored by Adam Lambert, and was eliminated as a solo artist at the bootcamp stage of the competition. Riley returned to The X Factor after the mentor of the groups category, Iggy Azalea, selected him to be a part of a new boy band of eliminated solo artists.[3] The band was called "Time and Place" and its members, in addition to Sheldon Hernandez, included Sami Afuni, Matthew McNaught, and Leon Kroeber. The group was selected as one of Iggy Azalea's three acts moving on to the live shows following the three-chair challenge. They were eliminated in the first week of the live shows.

In 2018, Riley appeared in the seventh season of The Voice Australia. He auditioned with the song "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" by Culture Club.[5] All of the four judges turned their chairs and Riley chose Boy George to be his coach. Riley made it to the grand finale of the show and finished in third place.

Immediately following the grand finale, Sheldon released "Fire" via Universal Music Australia.[6][7]

In 2019, Riley returned to The Voice to compete in its eighth season as an all-star contestant.[8] Riley auditioned with "Frozen" by Madonna and received chair turns from both eligible coaches. He chose Delta Goodrem as his coach. He was eliminated in the semi-final of the show.

In 2020, Riley competed in the fifteenth season of America's Got Talent. He auditioned with the song "Idontwannabeyouanymore" by Billie Eilish.[9] He was eliminated in the third quarter-final of the season.

2021–present: Eurovision Song Contest

On 26 November 2021, he was announced as one of the participants in the Eurovision – Australia Decides.[10] Later, it was announced that his song for the contest was called "Not the Same", which released on 15 February 2022. He won the show with 100 points and is scheduled to represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 in Turin.[11][1]

Personal life

Riley is openly gay.[2] He was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome at age six.[12] He currently lives in Melbourne.[3]

Discography

Singles
List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
AUS
Indi[13]
"Fire"[6] 2018 — Non-album singles
"More Than I"[12] 2020 —
"Left Broken"[12] 2021 —
"Again" —
"Not the Same"[12] 2022 3

References
  1. Farren, Neil (26 February 2022). "Australia: Sheldon Riley to Eurovision 2022". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  2. Alfonso-Gregorio, Nikki (11 January 2022). "Sheldon Riley of The Voice Australia: 'I get to be the person I've always wanted to be'". Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  3. Olsen, Cooper (26 November 2021). "Australia Decides 2022: Getting to know Sheldon Riley". aussievision. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  4. "What AGT didn't tell you about Sheldon Riley | America's Got Talent". EPIC Top Trending. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  5. "The Voice Australia: Season 7, Blind Auditions 2". Reality Recaps. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  6. "Get behind the beautiful Sheldon Riley from The Voice Australia and download his song 'Fire'". Facebook. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  7. "Fire - Single by Sheldon Riley". Apple Music. 18 June 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  8. "The Voice Australia 2019: The All-Star artists returning in Season 8". celebrity.nine.com.au. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  9. Keegan, Kayla (19 July 2020). "Twitter Recognized 'AGT' Contestant Sheldon Riley From His Past on 'The Voice' Immediately". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  10. Granger, Anthony (26 November 2021). "Australia: Three More Artists for Eurovision Australia Decides 2022 Revealed". Eurovoix. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  11. Tang, Isabella (26 February 2022). "Sheldon Riley wins Australia Decides 2022 with "Not the Same"". ESCXTRA.com. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  12. "Sheldon Riley heads to Eurovision with 'Not the Same'". OutInPerth. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  13. "Singles Chart (Independent Labels) 7 March 2022". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
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