Carl Riseley is a jazz-pop singer who rose to fame as a finalist on the television show Australian Idol in 2007 before mounting a major-label solo career with The Rise a year later. Born on December 21, 1982, in Sydney, he was a trumpeter in the Royal Australian Navy Band and spent time in Iraq before successfully auditioning for Australian Idol. During the fifth season of the show, he progressed all the way to the final three, along the way performing Michael Bublé's "Home," the Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love," Banjo Paterson's "Waltzing Matilda," Coldplay's "Clocks," Earth, Wind & Fire's "September," Harry Connick, Jr.'s "It's Alright with Me," the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love," George Benson's "Turn Your Love Around," Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual," John Lennon's "Jealous Guy," Little River Band's "Reminiscing," Harry Connick, Jr.'s "Just Kiss Me," Billy Paul's "Me and Mrs. Jones," James Morrison's "You Give Me Something," and Stevie Wonder's "For Once in My Life." Upon his elimination from the show on November 12, 2007, Riseley signed a recording contract with Universal Music Australia, which released his full-length album debut, The Rise, in 2008. A Top Five hit in his homeland, the album reflects his passion for big-band swing music and includes performances of well-known songs including "This Guy's in Love with You" (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David), "The Girl from Ipanema" (Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes), "Pure Imagination" (from the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory), "Lido Shuffle" (Boz Scaggs, David Paich), and "We've Only Just Begun" (Roger Nichols, Paul Williams; sung by the Carpenters). ~ Jason Birchmeier