Black Box (song)
Encyclopedia
"Black Box" is the debut single by season seven
winner of Australian Idol
, Stan Walker
. It was released digitally
on 22 November 2009, as the lead single
from his debut studio album, Introducing... Stan Walker.
, saying that Australian Idol voters "decided one Sebastian just wasn't enough." At the 2010 New Zealand Music Awards
, "Black Box" won the award for the 'Highest Selling New Zealand Single'. It was also named the 'Radio Airplay Record of the Year' at the ceremony, after topping the New Zealand Radio Airplay Chart
for ten weeks. At the 2010 ARIA Music Awards
, "Black Box" was nominated for 'Most Popular Australian Single'.
, "Black Box" debuted at number five on 30 November 2009. The following week, it peaked at number one, where it remained for ten consecutive weeks. On 14 February 2010, "Black Box" was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), for selling 30,000 copies. In Australia, the song debuted and peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart
on 30 November 2009, selling 17,493 copies in its first week, and becoming the fastest-selling Sony Bandit.fm download ever. Eventually, "Black Box" was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA), for selling 140,000 copies.
for the song was directed by Gemma Lee and filmed in Sydney
on November 24, 2009. In an interview with Nova FM, Walker explained, "There might be a little bit of group dancing ... we'll see what happens. At first I was really nervous but I've warmed up now and I'm getting into it. I'm working on my look ... It's pretty cool – it's my first ever film clip. It's basically a house party that explains the lyrics. It talks about a relationship that has gone down but everything is still recorded in the black box. I really like it." The video premiered on YouTube
on 29 November 2009.
Walker performed "Black Box" on the New Zealand television show, Close Up
, on 6 December 2009, the day before the release of his album, Introducing... Stan Walker. He again performed the song at Barry Curtis Park
in Manukau City as part of celebrations of Waitangi Day
(6 February) in 2010.
Australian Idol (season 7)
The seventh and final season of the Australian Idol series began on 9 August 2009, to determine who would succeed Season 6 winner, Wes Carr. Beginning amid controversy, judge Kyle Sandilands was replaced by Sony Music record executive, Jay Dee Springbett. It was the first season where all four...
winner of Australian Idol
Australian Idol
Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
, Stan Walker
Stan Walker
Stan Walker , is an Australian recording artist and actor. In 2009, Walker was the winner on the seventh season of Australian Idol. He subsequently signed a recording contract with Sony Music Australia....
. It was released digitally
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on 22 November 2009, as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from his debut studio album, Introducing... Stan Walker.
Critical reception
Jade from MusicFix compared the song to all other Australian Idol winners' singles and wrote that the "black box" metaphor differentiates it from the others. She called the sound a "generic R&B beat" and continued by comparing Walker's voice to fellow Australian Idol winner Guy SebastianGuy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and...
, saying that Australian Idol voters "decided one Sebastian just wasn't enough." At the 2010 New Zealand Music Awards
2010 New Zealand Music Awards
The 2010 New Zealand Music Awards was the 45th holding of the annual ceremony featuring awards for musical artists based in or originating from New Zealand. Finalists for the three technical awards were announced on 16 August 2010 with winners announced on 1 September, the date on which finalists...
, "Black Box" won the award for the 'Highest Selling New Zealand Single'. It was also named the 'Radio Airplay Record of the Year' at the ceremony, after topping the New Zealand Radio Airplay Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
for ten weeks. At the 2010 ARIA Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards of 2010
The 24th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards are a series of award ceremonies which included the 2010 ARIA Artisan Awards, ARIA Hall of Fame Awards, ARIA Fine Arts Awards and ARIA Awards. The latter ceremony took place on 7 November at the Sydney Opera House and was...
, "Black Box" was nominated for 'Most Popular Australian Single'.
Chart performance
On the New Zealand Singles ChartRecording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
, "Black Box" debuted at number five on 30 November 2009. The following week, it peaked at number one, where it remained for ten consecutive weeks. On 14 February 2010, "Black Box" was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ), for selling 30,000 copies. In Australia, the song debuted and peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
on 30 November 2009, selling 17,493 copies in its first week, and becoming the fastest-selling Sony Bandit.fm download ever. Eventually, "Black Box" was certified double platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA), for selling 140,000 copies.
Music video and live performances
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was directed by Gemma Lee and filmed in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on November 24, 2009. In an interview with Nova FM, Walker explained, "There might be a little bit of group dancing ... we'll see what happens. At first I was really nervous but I've warmed up now and I'm getting into it. I'm working on my look ... It's pretty cool – it's my first ever film clip. It's basically a house party that explains the lyrics. It talks about a relationship that has gone down but everything is still recorded in the black box. I really like it." The video premiered on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
on 29 November 2009.
Walker performed "Black Box" on the New Zealand television show, Close Up
Close Up
Close Up is a half-hour long New Zealand current affairs programme produced by Television New Zealand. The programme airs at 7.00pm weeknights on TV ONE and is presented by Mark Sainsbury with Paul Henry as the back up supporting host.The show remains the country's most watched night news and...
, on 6 December 2009, the day before the release of his album, Introducing... Stan Walker. He again performed the song at Barry Curtis Park
Barry Curtis Park
Barry Curtis Park is a new park named after Barry Curtis in Flat Bush, Manukau City of which the first stage was opened in April 2009. At 94 hectares, it is one of New Zealand's largest parks, of a size as has not been established since the Auckland Domain in the 1840s.The park is currently only...
in Manukau City as part of celebrations of Waitangi Day
Waitangi Day
Waitangi Day commemorates a significant day in the history of New Zealand. It is a public holiday held each year on 6 February to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document, on that date in 1840.-History:...
(6 February) in 2010.
Weekly charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
2 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
1 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia | 2× Platinum |
| New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
2× Platinum |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| ARIA Singles Chart | 50 |
| Australian Artists Singles Chart | 9 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart New Zealand Top 50 Singles of 2009 This is a list of the Top 50 singles in 2009 in New Zealand, as listed by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand .-Chart:Songs in grey shading indicates a song of New Zealand origin. Smashproof's "Brother" was the longest-running song in 2009, peaked at number one in eleven weeks in a row... |
19 |
| Chart (2010) | Position |
| ARIA Singles Chart | 60 |
| Australian Artists Singles Chart | 4 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 22 November 2009 | Digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
Sony Music Australia |
| New Zealand | |||
| Australia | 25 November 2009 | CD single CD single A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s... |