Israel Cruz

Israel Cruz is an Australian singer-songwriter and record producer.^[1] Cruz was born in Quezon City, Philippines and at the age of 3 moved to Melbourne, Australia with his family. He lives in Sydney, Australia with friends and has written and performed with Australian singer Stan Walker.^[2]

Israel Cruz
Israel Cruz in April 2011
Background information
Birth name	Israel Cruz
Born	Quezon City, Philippines
Origin	Sydney, Australia
Genres	Pop, dance, R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer
Instrument	Vocals
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Nufirm Records

Career

His single, "Party Up", was released as a digital download and an extended play.^[3][4] It peaked at number 33 on the Australian Singles Chart, becoming Cruz's highest-charting single since 2004's "Old Skool Luv".^[5] "Party Up" was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipping 35,000 copies.^[6] Regarding the song's reception, Cruz stated in an interview with Dominic Di Francesco of Rhyme and Reason: "I feel like it’s been good. For me, it’s not about having a No.1 record. I focus on making good music that the people like. I’ve seen so many artists have so much more than me [with regards to] the deals that they get. But I haven’t needed a job since about 2004. I’ve learnt how to make money off music. I just love putting out records and I love the response "Party Up" has been getting. I feel like I'm always going to be the guy who makes these street anthems. One day, if it crosses over, thank God. But my thing is making music I like, putting it out and if the people love it – great!"^[7]

Discography

Albums

Title	Details
Chapter One	Released: 2 September 2005[citation needed] Formats: CD
The Legacy	Released: 3 July 2009[8] Formats: CD, digital download Label: Nufirm

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions	Certifications	Album
		AUS [9][10]
2004	"Wake Up With You"	44		Chapter One
2005	"Old Skool Luv" (featuring Valerii & Kg)	18
	"Work Da Middle Pt. 2" (featuring Thara)	59
	"My Girl"	—
2007	"Do It Again"	—		The Legacy
	"Gemini" featuring Fabolous	—
2009	"Freak Tonight"	68
2011	"Party Up"[11]	33	ARIA: Gold[10]	TBA
2012	"Save My Life"[12] (featuring Elen Levon)	—
	"Body"[13] (featuring The Twins)	—
"—" denotes releases that failed to chart.

Featured singles

Year	Title	Album
2011	"Naughty"[14] (Elen Levon featuring Israel Cruz)	Non-album single
2012	"Hey Girl"[15] (Dean Cassidy featuring Israel Cruz)	Non-album single

Songwriting credits

• Elen Levon
  • "Naughty" (produced, featured)^[16]
• Jessica Mauboy
  • "Been Waiting" (co-wrote, produced)^[17]
  • "What Happened to Us" (co-wrote, co-produced)^[18]
• Ricki-Lee Coulter
  • "Wiggle It" (co-wrote, produced)^[19]
• Stan Walker
  • "All I Need" (co-wrote, produced)^[20]
  • "One Thing" (co-wrote, produced)^[20]
• Scarlett Belle
  • "Lover Boy" (also produced)^[21]
• Tinchy Stryder
  • "Famous" (also produced)^[22]

Awards and nominations

Award	Category	About	Result
2006
Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand 2006	Best R&B Single – Work Da Middle	Himself	Nominated
Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand 2006	Best R&B Album – Chapter One	Himself	Nominated
Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand 2006	Best Video Clip – Work Da Middle	Himself	Nominated
APRA Music Awards 2006	Best Urban Music Songwriter	Himself	Nominated
2007
Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand 2007	Best R&B Single	Himself	Winner
Urban Music Awards Australia and New Zealand 2007	Best Male Artist	Himself	Nominated
APRA Music Awards 2007	Best Urban Music Songwriter	Himself	Nominated