Kandiah KamalesvaranAM (Tamil: கந்தையா கமலேஸ்வரன்; born 13 November 1934), better known by his stage name Kamahl, is a Malaysian-born Australian singer and recording artist. His highest-charting Australian single, "Sounds of Goodbye" (1969), reached the top 20 on the Kent Music Report singles chart. Another single, "The Elephant Song" (1975), peaked at number one in both the Netherlands and Belgium.
At his early public performances, from 1958, he shortened his name to Kamal. Successive masters of ceremonies announced him as "camel", so he changed its spelling to Kamahl.[1]Rupert Murdoch was an early important sponsor, and tipped Kamahl £10 at an Adelaide concert in December 1958 and encouraged him to move to Sydney.[1] Without asking, Murdoch arranged for Kamahl to perform a six-week season at the Australia Hotel in Sydney.[3] After that season, he boarded with the Murdochs for two years.[1] In 1966, Kamahl was a finalist in the Sydney Eisteddfod Sun Aria, singing Verdi's "Ella giammai m'amò" and Mussorgsky's "Farewell and Death of Boris".
His first album, A Voice to Remember, was released in Australia in October 1967. He released singles and albums in the United States, Canada, Britain, New Zealand, South America, India, Singapore, Malaysia and Germany (in German), as well as in the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia. From 1967 onwards in Australia, his records, tapes and CDs were primarily on the Philips label, but he also recorded on EMI, Mercury, Festival, Dino and Reader's Digest.
He has been in the Australian music industry over for fifty years and has made some memorable TV and film appearances, as well as concerts. He was one of the first people to appear in concert at the Sydney Opera House. He was a particularly popular guest on the variety show Hey Hey It's Saturday. In 2004, he appeared at the Big Day Out rock festival, and in 2003 he had cameos in the Australian films Harvie Krumpet and Fat Pizza.
In 2005, he has made appearances as a judge on The X-Factor and has a sponsorship deal with Coca-Cola. In September 2007, he appeared on The Chaser's War on Everything on ABC TV where he sang for a "newly-wed couple" who turned up uninvited at his door.
In early 2008, Kamahl reunited with his old school, Pembroke, then Kings College, and went on tour in the United States with the Pembroke Symphony Orchestra.
Kamahl has released albums through ABC Music, a compilation Christmas album entitled Peace On Earth (2012),[11] and a three-CD collection of favourites entitled Heart and Soul: For Lovers Of Life (2015).[12]
Television appearances
In 1988, Kamahl appeared in a television commercial for Dilmah tea.[13] In 2007, he made commercials for the Australian cable channel Fox8, advertising its WWE programming.[14]
In 2009, he criticised the Australian TV show Hey Hey It's Saturday for its treatment of him during his appearances. His feelings were revealed to the Australian public shortly after Harry Connick, Jr. complained of a "black faces" skit for the show's "Red Faces" segment.[15] In April 2021, the former compere Daryl Somers wrote a lengthy apology to Kamahl and to those who found the show's content offensive.[16]
Kamahl appeared in an episode of the Australian TV quiz show Spicks and Specks, first broadcast in September 2010.[17]
In 2012, Kamahl made appearances in Prime's show The Unbelievable Truth.[19] In May 2013, an Australian drama, Offspring, broadcast an episode which had Kamahl in a minor role as a medical specialist.[20]
Personal life
In 1967, Kamahl married an Indo-Fijian woman, Sahodra, of whom his family did not approve. "There was no way my parents would've given their blessing."[1] They have two children, Rajan, born in 1969, and Rani, born in 1971.[21] Rani had a brief singing career which reached its peak in the late 1990s.
In November 2021, Kamahl revealed that he and Sahodra had separated after 55 years of marriage.[22] He cited social media addiction as the cause of their separation, telling A Current Affair: "I'm Twittering day and night, and now, I'm paying a terrible price for it."[23] He remained an avid Twitter user in the aftermath of his divorce, with the vast majority of his tweets being criticism of Donald Trump, but has since deleted his account.
In 2023, Kamahl first came out against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and then changed his position to support it, leading Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to coin the phrase "Kamahl-mentum" referring to a person who "came out and said No and went away, spoke to people, read what it was about, read the question and decided that he would come out and declare his support for Yes." However, in September 2023 Kamahl changed his position once again and ultimately did not support the Voice. [24]
Intimidation charge
In May 2024, Kamahl was charged with "stalking and intimidation" in relation to text messages allegedly sent to an unnamed 38-year-old woman, with NSW Police seeking an apprehended violence order against him as a result. He told Nine News that he had agreed to lend her $2,000 for a business after they had met for dinner, and that she agreed to pay him back in $5 installments. Screenshots of the exchange shared by Nine show the transaction description for the first $5 reading "to the molestor [sic]", and the message "I just wanted you to know that your behaviour is unacceptable and you're lucky I haven't gone to the authorities", to which Kamahl replied "You are a liar, and a failure, and most of all, an ungrateful bitch. The best is yet to come." Kamahl told Nine that he was "responding to a situation without all of (his) faculties."[25] While stating that the "molestor" remark had inflamed the conflict, Nine, the ABC and The Guardian also explictly stated that Kamahl was not being charged with molestation and all emphasised they were not suggesting he was guilty of any such offence.[26]
The matter was heard before the Sutherland Local Court in June 2024, where Kamahl's lawyer Bobby Hill made a section 14 application under the Mental Health and Cognitive Impairment Forensic Provisions Act 2020[27] which would see the charge dismissed on mental health grounds. Hill told the ABC he wished to have the matter "diverted away from the criminal justice system into the hands of a medical professional... I think (Kamahl) has willingly stated that he was not taking medication at the time. He's an 89-year-old man. I'm sure his mental health and his totality of health is going to be a major feature of these proceedings." Kamahl will face court again in October 2024.[28]
Discography
In 1985, the Chicago Tribune reported Kamahl as having sold "more than 20 million records worldwide" and "76 gold and 14 platinum records".[29] In a 2007 press release, Kamahl's records were said to have achieved gold and platinum status over 80 times.[30] In 2018, Port News reported Kamahl as having recorded more than 30 albums and earned "more than 100 gold and platinum records".[31]
In May 2006, he received another Australian honour when he was included in "Our Entertainers of the 20th Century". The award was organised by the Variety Club of Australia, the top entertainers of the century included Kylie Minogue, Dame Joan Sutherland, Jack Thompson and Graham Kennedy.[40]
Mo Awards
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards, commonly known informally as the Mo Awards, were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia, from 1975 to 2016. Kamahl won three awards in that time.[41]
^ abcdKent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 163. ISBN0-646-11917-6.Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
^"Archived copy"(PDF). Billboard. 26 August 1978. p. 46. Archived(PDF) from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 13 November 2021 – via World Radio History.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)