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Hi-5 is an Australian children's musical group formed in 1998 which is associated with the children's television series of the same name.
Origins of the groupIn 1998, television producer Helena Harris, creator of Bananas in Pajamas, created "Hi-5" when her two children outgrew Bananas. She and co-producer Posie Graeme-Evans decided the new show would be aimed at 2-8 year-olds, would include educational trends as fun and games, and would feature music and movement that would attract children's attention.
The auditions for the hosts and the eventual members that would make up the group were held in June 1998, with the first program broadcast in January 1999. Since then, the group has won five ARIA awards for "Best Children's Album" (in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004), won three consecutive Australian Logie Awards (the Australian awards for television performance and production recognition) for "Most Outstanding Children's Preschool Program" in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
Cast members Singers/Band Members- Kathleen de Leon Jones 1998 - early 2006
- Kellie Crawford 1998 - late 2008
- Nathan Foley 1998 - late 2008
- Charli Delaney 1998 - early 2008
- Tim Harding 1998 - early 2007
- Sun Park late 2006 - late 2008
- Stevie Nicholson late 2007 - present
- Casey Burgess mid 2008 - present
- Tim Maddren 2009 - present
- Lauren Brant 2009 - present
- Fely Irvine 2009 - present
- Hi-5 current members
- Stevie Nicholson replaced Tim Harding from 2007 - current
- Casey Burgess replaced Kellie Crawford (Hoggart) from 2008 - current
- Fely Irvine replaced Sun Park from 2009 - current
- Tim Maddren replaced Nathan Foley from 2009 - current
- Lauren Brant replaced Charli Delaney 2009 - current
- Hi-5 former member(s)
- Sun Park replace Kathleen de Leon Jones from 2006 - 2008 (completed 2 series/90 episodes)
- Hi-5 original cast
- Kellie Crawford 1998 - end 2008 (Completed 10 series/420 episodes)
- Nathan Foley 1998 - end 2008 (Completed 10 series/420 episodes)
- Charli Delaney 1998 - early 2008 (Completed 10 series/420 episodes)
- Tim Harding 1998 - 2007 (Completed 9 series/374 episodes)
- Kathleen de Leon Jones 1998 - 2006 (Completed 8 series/330 episodes)
Puppets - Voiced by Tim Harding 1998-2007 (Series 1-9)
- Voiced by Noni McCallum 2007- Current(Series 10)(Hi-5 Circus)
-Voiced by Natalie Duarte 2008 - current (series 11)(Playtime Tour)
- Chatterbox (a.k.a
. Chats)
- Voiced by Charli Delaney 1998-2002 (series 1-4)
- Voiced by Sophie Katinis 2003 (Series 5) (Hi-5 Live Come on and Party Concert)
- Voiced by Erin Marshall 2005-2006 (Series 7-8) (Live Space Magic Concert)
- Voiced by Noni McCallum 2006-2008 (Series 9-10) (Live Action Heroes, Live Circus Stageshow)
-Voiced by Natalie Duarte 2008 - current (series 11)(Playtime Tour)
Former members' reasons for leavingIn order, first to last:
- Kathleen de Leon Jones: left following the birth of her first child with former Savage Garden member Daniel Jones in 2007
- Tim Harding: left following a serious motorcycle accident in 2007 where he fractured both legs and suffered a serious spinal injury that required intensive care and reconstruction
- Charli Delaney : in February 2008 she left to pursue other interests in presenting work, and acting in film and television, in order to "challenge herself".
- Kellie Crawford : left to pursue other acting opportunities and to settle down for family, announced in October 2008 that her last show would be at Carols by Candlelight on 24 December 2008.
- Nathan Foley : left to concentrate on solo career. Announced in November 2008 that his last show would be at Carols by Candlelight on 24 December 2008.
- Sun Park : Quit as she wishes to settle down and get married and maybe have kids. She also noted that she felt she was only temporary replacement for Kathleen de Leon Jones. She announced in December 2008 that her last show would be at Carols by Candlelight on 24 December, 2008.
Live toursThe band tours annually and visits several countries in which they are popular. These include Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
Tour themes- 2000 ''It's A Party (series 2)
- 2001 Hi-5 Alive (series 3)
- 2002 Celebrate (series 4)
- 2002-2003 Hi-5 Alive (covering songs and acts from series 4)
- 2003-2004 Come On And Party (series 5)
- 2005-2006 Space Magic (series 6)
- 2006-2007 Live Action Hero (series 7)
- 2007-2008 Circus Stage Show Live (series 8 and 9)
- 2008 Party Street Tour (Live appearances in regional Australia only, series 8 and 9 reprised)
- 2008 Playtime Tour (Series 10) Australia Only . Official DVD Tour on sales.
- 2009 Series 11 Promo currently in the Philippines
- 2009 Hi-5 Surprise! Live Tour (series 11)
Christmas eve concertThere have been seven special Christmas Eve concerts, in which the cast sang at Carols by Candlelight. These concerts have been held annually since 2000.
DiscographyHi-5 has produced a number of CDs, at least five of which have gone platinum in Australia. In addition, there is a range of DVD's and videos (Region 4, PAL colour), as well as games and puzzles.
- Jump And Jive With Hi-5 (1999) - #33 Australia
- ''It's A Party (2000) - #4 Australia
- Boom Boom Beat (2001) - #3 Australia
- ''It's A Hi-5 Christmas (2001)
- Celebrate (2002) - #27 Australia
- Hi-5 Holiday (2003)
- Hi-5 Hits (and Gift Pack) (2003) - #26 Australia
- Hi-5 Christmas Gift Pack (2003)
- Hi-5 Holiday Limited Edition (Limited edition - 2004)
- Jingle Jangle Jingle With Hi-5 (2004)
- Making Music (2005)
- Hi-5 Christmas Gift Pack (Limited Edition 2005)
- Wish Upon A Star (2006) - #57 Australia
- WOW! (2007) - #30 - Australia
- Planet Earth (2008) - #25 - Australia
- All The Best (2008)
- Spin Me Round (2009)
Copyright Citations
This article is licensed under the GNU License
Click here for original article: Kathleen de Leon
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