Chanel Cole

Chanel Cole (born Chanel Cole Whalley on 13 November 1977 in Hamilton, New Zealand) is a musician from Bega, New South Wales. Her fame grew largely from her appearance as a finalist in the second series of Australian Idol (2004). She was eliminated from the competition on 25 October having reached fifth place, despite her stubborn refusal to be moulded or play for votes. Her quirky song choices and unique, jazz-influenced vocal style was a far cry from the traditionally inauthentic and melismic Idol contestant. This distinction, along with her individuality, quick comebacks and off-beat sense of humour, won her a loyal, cult following of fans, who for the most part did not fit into the program's target audience of female teenagers. Cole's eccentric hair accessories, which often included feathers, flowers and other ornaments , also added to her notoriety.

That Girl

Chanel Cole Whalley was born in Hamilton, New Zealand, to mother Mariana and father Brendan on November 13, 1977. Her unusual middle name was named after her dark, "black-as-coal" eyes. Three years after her birth, Whalley's parents divorced. She lived first with her mother and then with her father from the age of 7, where she attended a total of 12 different school in as many different towns. A self-professed "rebellious nerd", Whalley never settled happily into the school system. In addition to schoolwork, Chanel's father and stepmother ensured she had an extra-curricular education in music and during this time, she learned piano, singing, ballet, flute, guitar and had acting lessons. During this time, she enjoyed a seven-year stint with nationwide high-school level talent seach "the cokesmokefreerockquest" as MC and occasional judge. She completed grade twelve a year in advance, eventually graduating from Gisborne Girls High School in 1996. Soon after, Whalley became an infamous performer on the Gisborne pub circuit, singing under the moniker of "That Girl".

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Whalley left home at 17 and spent three dark years in England, plunging "headfirst into a trainwreck existence of heartbreak, music, theatre, alcohol, bad poetry, angst-ridden songwriting , poverty and semi-starvation". During this time, Whalley got her tongue pierced and had a purple and orange ouroboros tattooed on her stomach. Just before her 21st birthday, Whalley moved to Australia to "try my hand at normal life". However, the demise of a long-term relationship shortly after her 23rd birthday sent Whalley fleeing to Bega to be closer to her birth mother. She soon enrolled in the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute Of Technology, a jazz school, which she now says her time spent there was a "disaster". She passed the first year of the three-year qualification, a Bachelor of Jazz Studies, but chose to leave because the course "destroyed my confidence" and "didn't nurture me at all". The experience put Whalley off singing for a whole year. During this time, in between extended periods as waitress and retail assistant, Whalley was also a lead singer in a variety of pub covers bands, a sometime radio DJ on 2ZG and a corporate voice identity.

Related Topics:
England - Ouroboros - Australia - Bega

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In June 2003, Cole spoke in favour of New Zealand's anti-nuclear policy in an article titled "Children Of The Revolution", published by New Zealand listener. "Somebody has to be the voice of sanity," she said in the article, "and it looks like we are one of the few countries where independent opinion is truly that. I'm very proud of our refusal as a nation to be influenced by world heavy-weights like the US. We have integrity and a lovely stubborn streak that is proof against bully tactics. I have no answers to the problem. Nobody does. But at least I'm not claiming to know what's best for all, when there can be no clear solution."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2004, whilst working in the photo store Fletchers Fotographics and in desperate need for a record contract and career exposure, Cole auditioned for the reality television show, Australian Idol.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~