Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson reveals Guy Sebastian’s massive record royalties after winning Australian Idol
Ex-Australian Idol judge Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson reveals the staggering amount of royalties Guy Sebastian received at the age of 21 after winning the talent show and releasing his successful debut album
Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson has revealed that he was the one who presented pop singer Guy Sebastian with his first major royalty check, which was worth a whopping $1 million.
Dicko, 60, a former Australian Idol judge, shared the story of the pop hero’s early success on Monday’s episode of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
The eye-popping profit came after Sebastian’s debut album hit the Australian charts soon after its release in December 2003.
The beloved singer was just 21 years old at the time and had just won Australian Idol, Dicko said, adding that the star’s debut album – Just As I Am – was “a huge success.”
He said it was the fastest selling album of all time, even beating John Farnham’s Whispering Jack.
Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson says he was the one who presented pop singer Guy Sebastian with his first major royalty check, worth a whopping $1 million. Pictured: Guy Sebastian shortly after being announced as the winner of Australian Idol in 2003
“We went out and took him for a bowl of pasta,” Dicko continued.
And after lunch we handed him an envelope. He said, “What is this?” We said it’s your first royalty check for all the records you’ve sold. And he pulled out the check and it said, “Guy Sebastian, a million dollars.”
Dicko added: “Never done before and never done since, but it was a special moment to give him.”
Sebastian later told Dicko that he would spend some of the money to buy a ‘tinny’ – a small boat made of aluminum – so he could take his brothers fishing.
Dicko, 60, a former Australian Idol judge, shared the story of the pop star’s massive success on Monday’s episode of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here (pictured)
Sebastian’s debut record reportedly sold over 480,000 copies.
It comes after Dicko opened up about being “hooked” on fame and was embarrassed when his TV career ended in the late 2000s.
Speak against Jess Rowe’s big talk show last monthTthe retired British music executive, 60, admitted to feeling “hollow” after quitting Idol and “the phone stopped ringing”, and would spend hours “scouring the internet” for articles about himself.
“It absolutely shocked me to the bone because I didn’t realize how addicted I had become to fame. I was embarrassed,” he told podcast host Jessica Rowe.
After moving from Sydney, Australia’s media capital, to rural Queensland in 2016, he was in doubt as to whether or not he would land a ‘normal’ job.
It comes after Dicko opened up about being “hooked” on fame and embarrassed when his TV career ended in the late 2000s. In the photo: Dicko on Australian Idol
Dicko was a judge on Australian Idol from 2003 to 2004 alongside Mark Holden and Marcia Hines before defecting to rival Channel Seven from 2005 to 2006.
There, the British-born TV presenter hosted Australian Celebrity Survivor and season two of My Kitchen Rules, as well as taking part in Dancing with the Stars.
He returned to the Idol panel in 2007, with the addition of Kyle Sandilands as a judge, until the show’s cancellation in 2009.
He made a brief return to TV in 2021 as a contestant on the miniature golf show Holey Moley.
‘Idol’ judges in the early Naughties: Dickson (right) with Marcia Hines and Kyle Sandilands