Stan Walker is a 35-year-old New Zealand singer and actor who turns 36 on 23 October 2026. He was born in Melbourne, grew up in Mount Maunganui and won Australian Idol in 2009. He has been married to Lou Tyson, also known as Lou Walker, since August 2021, and the couple are raising a young family.
His birthday lands six days after the biggest night of his year. Walker’s A Symphonic Experience at The Trusts Arena on 17 October is his first headline show in New Zealand in six years, and it sold out in under ten days. He has said his family is the reason he is back on stage. Here is what he has shared about them, and the career that got him here.
Who is Stan Walker’s wife?
Stan Walker’s wife is Lou Tyson, who often goes by Lou Walker. The couple announced their engagement in December 2020. They married in August 2021, and fans found out through the music video for his song “Matemateaone”, which showed the wedding.
The ceremony was small, with both sets of parents and close friends and whānau. Because much of Walker’s family lives in Australia, they watched it online, Rova reported at the time. Lou was walked down the aisle by her son.
Is Stan Walker still married?
Yes. Walker spoke about his marriage and family in a July 2026 interview. “I think mostly being a father, and being a husband has been the biggest drive,” he told 1News, “and it’s added to my purpose and made my purpose so much bigger.”
Does Stan Walker have children?
Yes. Walker became a stepdad to Lou’s son, who was part of the family before the wedding. On Christmas Day 2021 the couple announced they were expecting their first baby together. Walker wrote: “Ending the year with a new beginning… We can’t wait to meet you our pēpi.” Their daughter was born in 2022, around the release of his album All In.
The couple have since spoken about their daughters, plural, but they keep the details of their younger children’s lives mostly private. Their names and exact ages have not been published in the interviews we could check, so we have not listed them here. What Walker has made public is that his kids will join him on stage at the Auckland show. “I’m going to have my kids on stage with me,” he told Rolling Stone Australia.
How old is Stan Walker?
Stan Walker is 35 as of October 2026. He was born Stan Roto Walker on 23 October 1990 in Melbourne, Australia, and turns 36 on 23 October 2026. He was 19 when he won Australian Idol.
Where is Stan Walker from?
He was born in Melbourne but grew up on a marae in Mount Maunganui, near Tauranga. His family later moved to Coolangatta on Queensland’s Gold Coast, which is how a Kiwi teenager ended up auditioning for Australian Idol. He has lived and worked on both sides of the Tasman since, and he records and performs in English and te reo Māori.
Stan Walker’s parents and family
Walker’s parents are Ross and April Walker, and he is one of five children. His brother Russ Walker is also a musician. Walker wrote about a hard childhood in his memoir Impossible: My Story, published in October 2020, and has spoken since about forgiving his father.
His father, Taiaho Ross Walker, died in late May 2024. Two days later Walker accepted an award at the Aotearoa Music Awards and dedicated it to him: “I want to dedicate this award to my pāpā… my dad was the biggest cloud chaser.”
What happened to Stan Walker?
In 2017 Walker had his stomach removed after learning he carried a hereditary gene linked to stomach cancer. He told the story himself in a first-person piece for Stuff in 2018.
“Our family has an aggressive CDH1 hereditary mutation, which means about an 80 per cent chance of getting stomach cancer,” he wrote for Stuff. “So, I had my stomach removed on September 14, 2017.” He said doctors then found 13 spots of cancer in the removed stomach. That same month he told 1News: “I don’t have cancer any more.”
In July 2026 he said he was “doing really good” and had put on weight getting ready for the symphonic show. “I’m very grateful that my body can reproduce things that an organ used to do,” he said.
Stan Walker’s career timeline
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2009 | Wins Australian Idol season 7 at the Sydney Opera House, the first person of New Zealand descent to win; debut single “Black Box” goes to No. 1 in NZ |
| 2010 | Second album From the Inside Out reaches No. 1 in NZ |
| 2013 | Lead role as Turei in the film Mt. Zion; judge on The X Factor NZ (again in 2015) |
| 2014 | “Aotearoa” with Ria Hall, Troy Kingi and Maisey Rika reaches No. 2; “Holding You” with Ginny Blackmore goes to No. 1 |
| 2015 | Plays Benjy in the dance film Born to Dance |
| 2016 | Plays Ron in Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople |
| 2018 | Documentary Stan screens on Three |
| 2020 | Memoir Impossible: My Story published |
| 2021 | Te Arohanui, an album in te reo Māori; marries Lou Tyson |
| 2022 | Seventh album All In reaches No. 3 in NZ |
| 2023 | “I Am” written for Ava DuVernay’s film Origin |
| 2024 | Te Manu Mātārae award at the Aotearoa Music Awards |
| 2025 | Best Māori Artist and the Mana Reo award at the Aotearoa Music Awards for “Māori ki te Ao” |
| 2026 | Releases “One Life” with Nauti, headlines the NRL All Stars in Hamilton in February and announces A Symphonic Experience |
His film work also includes the role of Rhys Stewart in Chasing Comets (2018) and the voice of Leo in the animated series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (2024).
Frequently asked questions
When did Stan Walker win Australian Idol?
He won season 7 of Australian Idol at the grand final on 22 November 2009 at the Sydney Opera House.
What is Stan Walker's most famous song?
“Black Box”, his 2009 debut single, is his best-known hit and was a No. 1 in New Zealand. “Holding You” with Ginny Blackmore also reached No. 1.
Who is Stan Walker's brother?
His brother Russ Walker is a musician. Walker is one of five children of Ross and April Walker.
What movies has Stan Walker been in?
Mt. Zion (2013), Born to Dance (2015), Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016), The Stolen (2017) and Chasing Comets (2018).
Is Stan Walker from Tauranga?
He was born in Melbourne but grew up in Mount Maunganui, which is part of Tauranga, before his family moved to Queensland.
