Kate Ceberano AM

Biography

Kate Ceberano's career has moved between dance music, jazz, pop and musical theatre. Born in 1966, the daughter of Tino and Cherie Ceberano, she first reached a broad audience in 1984 with I'm Talking, whose album Bear Witness and singles including “Trust Me” and “Holy Word” put her voice at the centre of Australia's 1980s music scene.

Her solo work resisted a single formula. A live album with her septet explored jazz, while Brave and “Bedroom Eyes” established her as a solo pop performer. She collaborated with Wendy Matthews on You've Always Got the Blues, and later played Mary Magdalene opposite John Farnham in Jesus Christ Superstar. Her songwriting became increasingly prominent: Pash carried her writing credit on every track.

Festival leadership brought a different kind of satisfaction. Recalling her time as artistic director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in South Australia, Kate emphasized helping visiting performers find their way around the venue and celebrating their performances. Her account conveys the daily work of welcoming artists as well as appearing on stage herself.

Collaboration continued through Tryst with Paul Grabowsky and the orchestral project My Life Is a Symphony. Her illustrated memoir Unsung brought paintings, embroidery and lyrics into the same creative account.

Australia appointed her a Member of the Order of Australia in 2016. In June 2026, ARIA inducted her into its Hall of Fame, with Eddie Perfect presenting the honour at the special event in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Brave appeared in 1989. Her ARIA awards include Best Female Artist in 1989 and 1990 and Best Jazz Album for Tryst in 2019. She returned to the Adelaide Cabaret Festival as a co-artistic director in 2023. Her 2014 memoir with Tom Gilling is a separate publication from the later illustrated Unsung.

Family accounts connect her childhood with North Balwyn and Greythorn school in Melbourne and identify her brother Phil among the family’s musicians.