Nic Cester

Born in Melbourne, Nic Cester gained prominence as the lead singer and guitarist of Australian rock band Jet, which he launched in 2001 alongside brother Chris. Jet’s catchy, tuneful sound, initially linked to the early-2000s garage-rock surge, landed the group a contract with Elektra and yielded the 2003 debut album Get Born. Powered by Cester’s Beatles-shaped songwriting, the band reached broad international audiences and scored hits with “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” “Look What You’ve Done,” and “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is.” Cester also united with musicians from Powderfinger and Grinspoon to form the Australian supergroup the Wrights, honoring Easybeats founder Stevie Wright in its name. Jet sustained its run with the later albums Shine On (2006) and Shaka Rock (2009), the former certified platinum and the latter gold. After the band’s 2012 dissolution, Cester lived in Germany and Milan before settling in Como, Italy. During 2017 Jet reunited for tours with Bruce Springsteen while Cester stepped forward as a solo artist; collaborating with producer Jim Abbiss (Adele, Arctic Monkeys), he completed the eclectic debut Sugar Rush, issued that November by Australian label Bloodlines.