Cosima De Vito

Cosima De Vito
Born	(1976-11-01) November 1, 1976 Hamilton Hill, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Occupation(s)	Vocalist, singer-songwriter
Years active	2003–present
Known for	"When the War Is Over" (2004 single), Australian Idol contestant

Cosima De Vito (born 1 November 1976), also simply known as Cosima, is an Australian vocalist specializing in pop and contemporary R&B, hailing from Perth, Western Australia. She rose to national attention with her 2004 rendition of the Australian classic "When the War Is Over", which secured the No. 1 position on the ARIA Singles Chart. Inspired by her grandfather, a skilled Italian tenor, Cosima began showcasing her talent early, winning her first talent competition at just nine years old. In 2003, she participated in the inaugural season of Australian Idol but withdrew during the semi-final stage due to throat nodules.

While competing on Australian Idol, Cosima released her cover of "When the War Is Over", becoming the first independent artist to attain platinum status while topping the ARIA charts. Following this success, she collaborated with Grammy and Golden Globe-winning songwriter Diane Warren in Los Angeles. Her debut album, titled Cosima, was launched on 11 October 2004, reaching No. 2 on the ARIA charts and earning gold certification; it also claimed the top spot on independent charts. She later produced her sophomore album, This Is Now, featuring several original compositions.

In addition to her recording endeavors, Cosima starred in a sold-out Australian tour of the musical "Hair" and appeared at prominent events such as the Prime Minister’s Parliament Gala Dinner and Channel 7’s Carols by Candlelight. Recognized as best new artist by Pop Republic magazine, she debuted the single “Right Here, Right Now” in 2012 with a live television performance. Her rendition of "O Holy Night" became highly requested during that year’s Christmas season.

Cosima has toured extensively across Australia with her band, performing at various festivals and significant sporting occasions including the Melbourne Cup and State Of Origin matches. On 5 November 2013, commemorating over ten years in the music industry, she released the single “Beyond The Horizon” and received another nomination for female artist of the year. This song is part of her evolving album “Power of Love,” which came out in 2017 and reflects her personal experiences, including her marriage to Gus De Romanis in July 2015.

Early years

Born on 1 November 1976 in Hamilton Hill, Perth, Cosima De Vito is the daughter of Carlo De Vito, an Italian-born house painter and contractor, and Maria, who works alongside him in their family business. Her grandfather was an Italian tenor known for Neapolitan folk songs and opera performances. In 2006, her younger brother Modesto joined their family painting enterprise; she also has a younger sister named Sarina. Cosima won a talent competition at age nine and credits vocal influences such as Whitney Houston, Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner, and Karen Carpenter. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Murdoch University, majoring in finance and banking. In 2001, she recorded a demo in Nashville but was unable to secure a recording contract due to insufficient fan support in Australia. By 2003, she was employed as an office administrator at a publicity firm based in Perth.

2003: Australian Idol

In May 2003, De Vito auditioned for the debut season of Australian Idol performing Celine Dion's "I Surrender". After relocating to Sydney, she competed from July through November as a judges' wildcard entrant. Although finishing third overall, she withdrew from the competition after developing throat nodules that caused vocal loss following her performance of "River Deep – Mountain High". Judge Ian Dickson remarked that she had potential to win the contest. Acting on medical advice, she underwent speech therapy while fellow contestants Shannon Noll and Guy Sebastian advanced to the grand final.

Opera singer Juliette Hughes commented that De Vito’s vocal fatigue was common among contestants who were encouraged to sing powerfully without proper technique, risking vocal injury.

Timeline of De Vito's performances on the show:

Week #	Song performed	Original artist	Theme (if applicable)	Outcome
Top 40	"My Heart Will Go On"	Celine Dion	Semi-final Group 2	Selected as Wildcard Finalist
Wildcard	"Predictable"	Delta Goodrem	Wildcard round	Advanced to Top 12
Top 12	"Hot Stuff"	Donna Summer	1970s hits	Safe
Top 10	"I Wanna Dance with Somebody"	Whitney Houston	Number One Hits	Safe
Top 8	"When the War Is Over"	Cold Chisel	Australian Hits	Safe
Top 6	"What's Love Got to Do with It?"	Tina Turner	1980s hits	Safe
Top 5	"I Believe I Can Fly" "Respect"	R. Kelly Otis Redding	Soul, R&B genres	Bottom two contestants
Top 4	"L-O-V-E" "Smile"	Nat King Cole Charlie Chaplin	Big Band style	Safe
Top 3	"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" "River Deep – Mountain High"	Dusty Springfield Ike & Tina Turner	1960s hits	Withdrew from competition

2004: Cosima

Following her recovery from throat nodules, Cosima De Vito faced difficulties securing a contract with record labels, prompting her to launch her own imprint, CDV Records, with financial backing from her family. After local record companies declined to sign her, her managers Constantine Nellis and Ted Gardner took on her career. For her independent debut album Cosima, she teamed up with songwriter Diane Warren in Los Angeles, who described her as a "younger, edgier Celine Dion."

On 9 August 2004, Cosima released a double A-side single featuring "When the War Is Over" and "One Night Without You." This release entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number one, surpassing competitors such as Paulini and Missy Higgins, and was certified platinum by December for shipping 70,000 copies. To maintain consistency within the album, an earlier version of "When the War Is Over" was replaced.

Her self-titled debut album was released on 11 October 2004, debuting at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart and topping the Independent charts. It achieved gold status for 35,000 shipments but quickly dropped out of the Top 50 rankings.

Throughout 2004, Cosima made appearances on television programs including Dancing with the Stars, Kerri-Anne, and Good Morning Australia. She also performed at the 30th Anniversary Gala Dinner honoring Prime Minister John Howard. Her follow-up single, "Now That You Can't Have Me," launched in December but only reached number 42 despite initial video popularity; it struggled due to limited distribution and radio airplay.

On 23 December, Cosima ended her professional relationship with managers Nellis and Gardner amid a dispute over A$500,000 they claimed she owed them. Plans to release a third single titled "Cost of Love" were abandoned because of ongoing legal conflicts; although additional production was completed, the single was never issued.

2005–2008: This Is Now

By March 2005, Cosima De Vito had signed a management contract with Dorry Kordahi of DK Management. However, negotiations with her former managers broke down, leading to legal proceedings beginning in November 2007 concerning allegations of contract breaches and lost income; De Vito countered these claims by accusing them of inadequate career management. Since early 2005, she had been developing her second studio album, This Is Now, which was eventually released on 29 September 2007. The album featured several deeply personal compositions penned by De Vito herself, marking a clear expression of her artistic identity; Johann Huang from Mediasearch highlighted that the strongest tracks were those co-written by her. One such self-composed song, "Forever Young," was dedicated to her mother.

In October 2005, De Vito previewed new material while supporting UK soul artist Roachford during his Australian tour. In March 2006 she appeared on Channel Ten's celebrity quiz program Australia's Brainiest Musician, and mid-year completed a national tour alongside Greek singer Demis Roussos. She also performed at Sydney’s Ferragosto Festival and participated in the Soul Divas show. In September 2006 she was featured on 2Day FM’s The Kyle and Jackie O Show. Remarkably, her debut single "When the War Is Over" re-entered the Australian Independent Charts at number 11 in October 2006—over two years after originally topping the ARIA Charts. In November that year she headlined the opening ceremony of the NBL All Star Game in Adelaide performing songs from her upcoming album as well as the national anthem broadcast via FOX Sports.

On Australia Day (26 January) 2007, De Vito was the headline act at a concert held at South Juniors Football Club and performed the national anthem before an audience of 40,000 at the Australia vs England cricket final. The lead single from This Is Now, titled "Keep It Natural," was released on 2 June; it introduced a more rock-oriented sound and was co-written with Trevor Steel from The Escape Club. This track gained traction particularly within Australian gay nightclub scenes. De Vito debuted "Keep It Natural" during halftime at an NBL game in February. Although the album did not enter the ARIA charts, "Keep It Natural" reached number 30 on the ARIA Club Charts, number three on the ARIA Physical Singles Chart, and held number four for eight weeks on the Australian Independent Charts. The second single from the album, "Movin' On," released in October failed to chart despite favorable reviews. She promoted these singles through appearances on programs such as Kerri-Anne, Channel Nine’s Today Show, and The Morning Show. Additionally, De Vito was a frequent guest on the Susie Show where she performed "Never Be a Woman in Chains" and embraced her Italian heritage through various segments.

In May 2007, De Vito received positive critical attention for portraying Mother Nature in Perth’s production of the rock musical Hair, sharing the stage with Rob Mills and Nikki Webster. The show was directed by Chris Kabay with Simon Holt from Yellow Glass Theatre serving as musical director; reviewers praised her commanding presence and vocal performance. In October that year she launched her album officially as headliner at the Sleaze Ball event.

De Vito produced a music video for "Movin' On," which premiered across Australian music television programs and was included on Joy FM’s compilation Album Volume 5 alongside fellow Australian Idol alumni Marcia Hines and Ricki Lee Coulter. In March 2008 she headlined Sydney’s Gay Fair Day event. The album This Is Now contained tracks such as "Never Be a Woman in Chains" and "Left Waiting," written by The Veronicas. She also took part in World AIDS Day observances in Melbourne and created an intimate video documentary preceding a live performance at Brisbane's The Beat Megaclub intended for DVD release; this project involved collaboration with Christian Bowman and Shane Tyler Greaves from Stage Addiction. In August De Vito appeared as a guest on Channel Nine’s This Is Your Life episode honoring fellow contestant Shannon Noll, alongside winner Guy Sebastian, revealing that her decision to withdraw from Australian Idol had enabled Noll to advance to compete against Sebastian in the grand final.

2009–present: subsequent developments

By April 2009, Cosima De Vito had become a sponsor of Girls with a Purpose, an initiative by the Lifehouse Project aimed at supporting girls aged 13 to 18 with challenges such as body image concerns and managing stress. The following month, she was unsuccessful in a legal dispute against her former managers, Nellis and Gardner, which resulted in an order to pay $30,000 along with $7,000 to cover legal expenses. Supreme Court Justice Nigel Rein, presiding over CN Presents Pty Ltd v De Vito [2009] NSWSC 388, determined that De Vito was liable to compensate Nellis despite limited professional engagement, dismissing her claim of $500,000 for breach of contract or lost royalties. In June, De Vito openly spoke about the emotional and financial difficulties faced during this period and admitted her dependence on her managers due to lack of experience.

Between late 2009 and early 2010, she presented a solo show titled Tribute to the Divas, performing songs originally by Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Shirley Bassey, Whitney Houston, and Celine Dion. Additionally, she has showcased Italian-language songs at various festivals.

On 10 October 2012, De Vito released the single "Right Here Right Now," produced by the DJ duo Tho$e Deejayz. This was followed on 1 December 2012 by her rendition of O Holy Night. To commemorate the tenth anniversary of her Australian Idol participation, she issued a cover of Donna Summer’s "Hot Stuff" on 5 November 2013.

In 2023, De Vito re-entered the music scene through a collaboration with Greg Gould on a cover version of "I Want to Spend My Lifetime Loving You."

Albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Certifications (sales threshold)
		AUS
Cosima	Released: 11 October 2004 Label: CDV	2	ARIA: Gold
This Is Now	Released: 29 September 2007 Label: Independent	—
The symbol "—" indicates albums that did not chart or were not released in that territory.