Timothy Ugbedo Omaji (born 9 September 1987), better known by his stage name Timomatic, is a Nigerian-born Australian singer-songwriter and dancer. Omaji rose to fame as a contestant on So You Think You Can Dance (Australia) in 2009 and placed seventh in the competition. In 2011, he appeared as a contestant on the fifth season of Australia's Got Talent and was placed third. This led to his most recent rise in fame by sparking the now infamous Facebook page "Timomatic was robbed on Australia's Got Talent",[2] a Facebook page dedicated to the victimisation that Tim was forced to undergo on 'Australia's Got Talent'. Later that year, Omaji signed with Sony Music Australia and released his first single, "Set It Off", in November 2011, which peaked at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified four times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association.
Early life
Timothy Ugbedo Omaji[3][4] was born in Kaduna, Nigeria, on 9 September 1987.[5] He emigrated to Australia with his family when he was 10 months old. His father was an academic and was sent to different positions around Australia.[5] Omaji has an older brother and sister, and a younger sister.[6] He came from a musical family, with his father often playing guitar and the rest of his family displaying their passion for singing and dancing.[5] At the age of nine, Omaji formed a band with his family and he was the percussionist for that band.[5] During the intermission of their shows, Omaji would go on stage mimicking Michael Jackson's singing and dancing skills.[5] His parents have now moved back to Nigeria.[6] He spent part of his life in Darwin, Northern Territory where he taught a break dancing class. He left Darwin in 2003 and moved to Canberra.[7]
At the age of 15, he was nicknamed "Timomatic" by his friends, because of his hip-hop dancing skills.[5] He also secured a part-time position as artistic director and choreographer of dance company Kulture Break in Canberra.[8] He represented Kulture Break in overseas performances, including the United States, China and Singapore.[9] Timomatic finished Year 12 at Narrabundah College and then spent six months at University of Canberra before dropping out.[9] In 2008, he attended music school JMC Academy for a year and got a diploma in entertainment, majoring in vocal training.[5] Omaji stated: "I did this because I wanted to get my vocals and music up to scratch; that was me paying attention and focusing on my music."[5]
Career
2009–12: Reality shows, Welcome and Timomatic
Timomatic in concert, 2011
In 2009, Omaji appeared as a finalist on the second season of So You Think You Can Dance Australia and reached the top eight.[8] In 2010, he went on to play the role of Tyrone Jackson in the Australian version of Fame the Musical.[10][11] Omaji later withdrew from his role in the musical due to a back injury.[12] This led to him focussing more on producing music.[12] Omaji then began writing songs with DJ Poet, the official DJ for The Black Eyed Peas.[12] In 2011, Omaji appeared as a contestant on the fifth season of Australia's Got Talent.[13] He chose to audition for the show to prove that he was more than just a dancer, and chose Australia's Got Talent over The X Factor because it gave him full control over what he did, from music to styling.[3] Omaji placed third in the competition, with Jack Vidgen announced as the winner.[13]
On 12 January 2012, it was announced that Omaji had signed a global publishing deal with EMI.[24] His second single "If Looks Could Kill" was released on 23 March 2012.[25] It peaked at number eight on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified double platinum, denoting sales of 140,000 copies.[20][21] In May 2012, Omaji was a supporting act for Nicki Minaj's Australian leg of her Pink Friday Tour.[26] His third single "Can You Feel It" was released on 22 June 2012.[27] It peaked at number 18 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified platinum, denoting sales of 70,000 copies.[20][21] In August 2012, Omaji was a supporting act, alongside Havana Brown and Taio Cruz, for Pitbull's Australian leg of his Planet Pit World Tour.[28] His self-titled second album was released on 24 August 2012, which debuted at number three on the ARIA Albums Chart.[20][29] On 3 October 2012, Omaji received his first ARIA Music Award nomination for Song of the Year for "Set It Off".[30] Omaji received more international exposure at the Miss Universe 2012 beauty pageant, where he performed in front of a huge global audience.[31]
2013–2016: Subsequent releases, return to Australia's Got Talent, and name change
Omaji's fifth single "Parachute" was released on 5 June 2013,[32] after he debuted it at the first 2013 State of Origin game.[33] "Parachute" peaked at number 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified two times platinum.[20][34] In New Zealand, it peaked at number 22 and spent five weeks in the top 40.[22] In August 2013, Omaji returned for the seventh season of Australia's Got Talent, this time as a judge alongside Dawn French, Geri Halliwell, Kyle Sandilands and host Julia Morris.[35][36] His sixth single "Waterfalls" was released on 13 September 2013, and peaked at number 26 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[20][37] Omaji's first extended play, The Rain Remixes, was released on 11 October 2013, featuring five versions of "Waterfalls" and one of "Parachute".[38] On 12 November 2013, Omaji released his seventh single "Everything Is Allowed",[39] after premiering it on the Australia's Got Talent series final. In September 2014, Omaji won Male Artist of the Year at the Afro-Australia Music and Movie Awards.[40][41] In October 2014, Omaji released his eighth single "Delilah", featuring American rapper Pusha T,[42] and it failed to chart.
In January 2015, he changed his name from Timomatic to his birth name Tim Omaji.[43][44] Omaji was the supporting act for Jessie J's Australian tour in March 2015.[45] His ninth single "Something Bout You" was released on 6 March 2015, and was his first single released under the name Tim Omaji.[46] Omaji's tenth single "Go to Work" was released on 30 October 2015.[47]
In 2017, returned to releasing music under his stage name Timomatic. On 1 April 2017, Timomatic released "Swave", followed by "Do Want You Want" in July. In December, Timomatic released his second EP Stamina.
From October and November 2018, Timomatic will play Sam Onatou in the Australian season of MADIBA The Musical – A Celebration of the Life of Nelson Mandela.[49]
On 1 December 2021, Timomatic surprise released the album Bittersweet posting on Facebook "This project has been a labor of love. From R&B to Afrofusion, come vibe with me".[50]
On the 4 August 2022, Timomatic played at the Melbourne University law ball to a wild reception. Omaji also appeared in the Australian production of Moulin Rouge in 2022 under the name Tim Omaji.[51]
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