Born on March 20, 1986, in South Africa, Dean Geyer relocated to Melbourne with his immediate family at age 15. The move prompted his first composition, “Change,” which addressed the disruption of leaving behind most of his extended relatives. After finishing high school he pursued modeling and played guitar in a covers band. For his Australian Idol 2006 audition he delivered Marc Cohn’s “Walking in Memphis” and followed it with his own “Nice to Meet You.” Although the judges consistently favored him during that season, viewers voted him out on the November 13 episode, leaving him in third place overall. SonyBMG then offered him a recording contract, just as it did for that year’s winner Jessica Mauboy. Shortly after exiting the show he began work on his debut album, Rush, which appeared in 2007.
