Concert review: Jessica Mauboy & Stan Walker

Australian songstress, Jessica Mauboy. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

Australian Idol alumni Stan Walker and Jessica Mauboy teamed up last night to perform a free iHeartRadio concert at The Civic, in Auckland and together they brought the house down.

Jessica Mauboy's musical career took off after she was named runner up on Australian Idol in 2006. Coming second hasn't held her back one bit. Over the past seven years she has made a name for herself, releasing three albums, appearing on The Ellen Show, starring in the 2012 Aussi film The Sapphires and just last week she took home an ARIA award for Best Female artist.

Stan Walker is no stranger to the lime light either. The X Factor judge not only hosted this year's New Zealand Music Awards, but also picked up an award of his own for his single Take It Easy.

Homegrown pop-star, Stan Walker. Photo / Duncan Brown

Walker and Mauboy make a perfect duo. Both singers possess amazing, powerhouse voices that complement each other and both exude a genuine love for performing live. Also, their endearing goofiness gives a sense of who they are, beyond their pop star image.

Stan Walker took the crowd through a number of his hits, from Black Box to Bulletproof.

Backed up by dancers, Walker busted out some impressive moves and even gave the audience a hilarious tutorial on how to grind during slow jam With You, declaring, "Not that Miley Cyrus twerking, that's disgusting!"

As well as keeping the audience entertained with his quips, Walker also had a heartfelt message. Introducing Bully, the singer took a moment to share a message of hope and solidarity for victims of bullying.

He encouraged everyone in the room to show kindness and love to one another, especially in a time where bullying is driving so many young people to take their own lives. The powerful message gave a new weight to the words of the song, making the ballad incredibly moving.

Not to mention his Te Reo Maori cover of Crowded House's Don't Dream It's Over, dedicated to Beyonce when he opened for her New Zealand concerts, which was simply beautiful.

Jessica Mauboy had her own story to tell after bursting onto the stage performing her opening song

Running Back

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Mauboy shared about her past, growing up as a "bush baby" in Darwin, Australia. She also talked about her journey through Idol and where it has taken her since. Blowing everyone away, Mauboy performed her original audition song I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston, turning the song into a full on gospel ballad, as she got swept up in the moment.

Covering a variety of R&B, pop and dance in her songs, Mauboy worked the crowd hard till everyone was on their feet for her club hit Pop A Bottle.

The Aussie singer then welcomed Stan Walker back on stage, and the two fought it out in a spectacular riff battle. The pair shared a playful energy as they went into their final duet Galaxy, which was truly entrancing.

Had the night ended with Stan Walker everyone would have gone home satisfied, but bringing Jessica Mauboy into the mix was like the delicious icing on top of this free concert cake.