Maia Christine Anu, known professionally as Christine Anu, was born on March 15, 1970, in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. She is a singer and actress of Torres Strait Islander origin who began her career as a dancer. Anu's early musical steps included performing with the Bangarra Dance Theatre and singing backup vocals for the Rainmakers. Her breakthrough came in 1995 when she covered "My Island Home" by the Warumpi Band, which became an immediate hit and established her as a prominent singer. Anu released her debut album Stylin' Up that same year, which went platinum. The album included the single "Come On", which peaked at number 94 on the ARIA Charts. In 1996, she won two ARIA Awards for Best Female Artist and Best Indigenous Release. Anu collaborated with Baz Luhrmann on his 1997 album Something for Everybody, contributing vocals to "Now Until The Break Of Day". She also performed at the Sydney 2000 Olympics Closing Ceremony, singing "My Island Home" and won ARIA Awards in 2000 for Best Female Artist and Engineer of the Year. Anu released several albums including Come My Way (2000), 45 Degrees (2003), and Acoustically (2005). She also ventured into acting, appearing in films such as Moulin Rouge! (2001) and The Matrix Reloaded (2003). In 2024, Anu released her album Waku: Minaral a Minalay, which included contributions from her daughter Zipporah.
