Iota (singer)

iOTA (born 7 May 1968 as Sean Hape in Pinjarra) is a New Zealand-Australian singer-songwriter and actor. As a musician he has issued six studio albums and was nominated for Best Independent Release for "The Hip Bone Connection" (1999) at the ARIA Music Awards of 2000. He has won four Helpmann Awards: Best Male Actor in a Musical in 2007 for Hedwig in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" (2006 Australian cast) and Best Cabaret Performer, Best New Australian Work and Best Original Score for his work in "Smoke and Mirrors" in 2010.
Personal life.
iOTA has stated that his parents met in New Zealand; his father is Māori and his mother English. He grew up in Pinjarra, Western Australia, where his father worked at an alumina refinery.
At high school, iOTA took drama and music as electives, so he could "slack off for two hours"; he formed his first band, which was short-lived, at the age of 16.
iOTA moved out of home at age 17, into a [[Mobile home|caravan]] and lived for several years on the [[Unemployment benefits|dole]], while playing with a [[hard rock]] band called Loose Goose. He worked as a mechanic's apprentice before his career as an entertainer took off.
Loose Goose moved to Sydney, when iOTA was 23.
iOTA changed his name by [[deed poll]] when he was 26. iOTA has cited three reasons for this: wanting to begin a new identity as an entertainer, being openly gay, and being a recovering alcoholic.
Music.
iOTA's first album "The Hip Bone Connection" was released in 1999 and earned an [[ARIA Awards|ARIA]] nomination for [[ARIA Award for Best Independent Release|Best Independent Release]] in 2000. Following the release of the album, iOTA was labelled as an acoustic/blues/roots musician, a label he does not like. His second, "Big Grandfather", was considered less accessible, more atmospheric and was not as successful as his first. His third, "La Caravana", "is about the nomadic life of a musician". His fourth and most recent is "Beauty Queen of the Sea" and uses a full electric band, moving towards rock and away from his previous roots label.
In November 2019 it was announced that iOTA would be a participant in [[Eurovision - Australia Decides]]; in an attempt to represent [[Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2020]]. He competed with the song, "Life" and finished 9th.
Acting.
As an actor, iOTA has performed on stage in Australia as an angel in [[Sydney Dance Company]]'s "Berlin", as Frank-N-Furter in "[[The Rocky Horror Show]]", as Hedwig in "[[Hedwig and the Angry Inch (musical)|Hedwig and the Angry Inch]]", and in the original productions "Smoke & Mirrors" and "B-Girl".
His acting has won him [[Helpmann Awards]] for [[Helpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Musical|Best Male Actor in a Musical]] (for "Hedwig and the Angry Inch") in 2007, and [[Helpmann Award for Best Cabaret Performer|Best Cabaret Performer]] (for "Smoke & Mirrors") in 2011. He also received Helpmann Awards for [[Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work|Best New Australian Work]] and [[Helpmann Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]] for "Smoke & Mirrors."
He appeared in [[George Miller (filmmaker)|George Miller]]'s 2015 film "[[Mad Max: Fury Road]]" (the fourth in the "[[Mad Max (franchise)|Mad Max]]" series) as the Doof Warrior, a guitarist whose guitar is also a flamethrower. He has said he learned to act by necessity: "In the country, poofters are there to be bashed, or ridiculed. So I put on a mask, and became tough and rowdy: the long hair, the slouching, the spitting, lots of drinking piss."
iOTA can be seen in Baz Luhrmann's 2013 film "[[The Great Gatsby (2013 film)|The Great Gatsby]]" as Trimalcio the orchestra leader.
He is one of two singers for the character of Walter Walrus on the animated [[Netflix]] series "[[Beat Bugs]]", along with [[Daniel Johns]].
References.
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian male singers]]
[[Category:Australian songwriters]]
[[Category:Australian male musical theatre actors]]
[[Category:Helpmann Award winners]]
[[Category:Gay actors]]
[[Category:Gay musicians]]
[[Category:LGBT singers]]
[[Category:LGBT songwriters]]
[[Category:LGBT musicians from Australia]]
[[Category:People from Pinjarra, Western Australia]]
[[Category:Musicians from Western Australia]]
[[Category:Australian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Australian people of Māori descent]]
[[Category:New Zealand people of Māori descent]]
[[Category:People of New Zealand descent]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Western Australia]]
[[Category:Australian male film actors]]