Aug 23, 2016 - Karen Jacobsen is the common voice of Siri in Australia on 400. On millions of iPhones and GPS brands Garmin, Navman and TomTom,.
But as CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller reports, Jacobsen is now hoping to be not only be heard but seen, as she launches a music career. While she has anonymously been speaking to people for years, she now hopes to put a face to her famous voice. Jacobsen was chosen by GPS maker Garmin ten years ago for her calming accent, guiding drivers around the world. On a ride through midtown Manhattan, Miller told Jacobsen she hates it when she tells her she is 'Recalculating.' Asked why, Miller joked, 'Cause you sound condescending!' 'It's not meant to be condescending!' Jacobsen explained.
'It's meant to be reassuring and will get you back on track!' 'Right now, up to 25 million people are listening to me give them directions around the world,' Jacobsen said. 'They actually have the ability to go on to the device and pick Karen. How does that make you feel?' Miller asked. 'Awesome I feel very popular! I always wanted to be popular!'
Jacobsen joked. Those 25 million fans may not know her by face but her voice is instantly recognizable. Karen is now trying to 'relocate' from your GPS to your car radio by launching a music career. Some fans have navigated their way to her music online, but she's still waiting for that big hit. No matter what, her voice will still be the one most use to find their way home.
First published on November 15, 2010 © 2010 CBS. All rights reserved.
Contents. Early life and career Born in, Australia and writing songs from the age of seven, Jacobsen was inspired to be a professional singer by her idol. She graduated from the majoring in voice and piano, winning the Jazz Prize and completing her A.Mus.A. Singing with the and being awarded the Warana Young Performer of the Year, she moved to Sydney making her musical theatre debut in the original Australian cast of.
She performed regularly on Australian television including and I Do I Do and her speaking and singing voices have been used on thousands of commercials for television, radio and online. On 4 July 2000, she relocated to New York City, writing and recording songs, and releasing nine CDs on her independent label Kurly Queen.
Her songs have been on soundtracks for and the NBC show and she has shared the stage with,. She has written or recorded with Grammy Award winner, Tony Award winner, ARIA Award winner and Emmy Award nominee. International career In 2002, Jacobsen's speaking voice was chosen as one of the Australian English options for the text-to-speech system used in GPS units for, and and in telephone and computer software systems. Karen has been dubbed by ABC News and CBS News as 'The Dashboard Diva' and by the as 'Gadget Girl'.
She created the empowerment brand 'The GPS Girl' and in speaking engagements and performances shares the five directions for Recalculating, how to 'Recalculate' in Business and Life and 'The GPS Girl's Top Ten Directions for Life' and filmed the pilot of television show, 'Travel the World with The GPS Girl'. From 2011 to 2014, Jacobsen's voice was used as the original female Australian voice of the application on Apple iPhones, iPods and iPads. Jacobsen was President of the New York Chapter of the (2015) and performed on the main stage of the national conference singing The Star Spangled Banner and for the NSA Youth Convention in San Diego (2014). She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Speakers Association, as Secretary (2017/2018) She has appeared as Keynote Speaker and Concert Performer at the Global Speakers Summit in Vancouver in 2013, the World Meetings Forum in Cancun (2014), the World Contact Forum in Mexico City (2014), the Australian Asphalt Pavement Association conference (2015) Gold Coast, Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing conference (2015) Tasmania and at TEDxTraverseCity. Karen was the closing keynote speaker at Project Management Institute's Symposium in Singapore, and on corporate day at the Global Speakers Summit in Auckland, NZ (2018) Karen has performed her one-woman show at the piano at Off-Broadway theaters at The Triad, The and at The Public Theater, The Duplex.
Jacobsen has published two books, Recalculate - Directions for Driving Performance Success (2015) and The GPS Girl's Road Map for Your Future (2011). Her music and original songs have been recorded and released through Kurly Queen Records including By Request (1993), Strong Woman (1996), As I Am (2000), Being Brave (2002), Here In My Heart (2004), Kissing Someone Else (2007), Melting Moments, (Australia only 2009), Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun with Supa K with Supa K with Emmy Award-winning composer (2011), Take a Little Drive (2013), and her 9th studio album Destination Christmas (2015). On Christmas Eve 2015, Jacobsen performed Hark the Herald Angels Sing on the live telecast of the Vision Australia Carols by Candlelight at the in Melbourne, Australia. The 78th annual concert was attended by 12 000 people and viewed by over 2.7 million on the across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. Chosen to sing national anthems at major sporting events in both the United States and Australia, she performed Advance Australia Fair at the State of Origin Rugby League game in June, 2016 for a capacity crowd of 52,000 at Suncorp Stadium in Queensland.
In November 2017, Jacobsen performed an arrangement of “America, the Beautiful” with the Chamber Singers at HPU's annual Veterans Day Celebration. Jacobsen serves as 's Global Artist in Residence, working with and mentoring students. Charitable Traveling to Lusaka, Zambia in 2006 to meet her sponsored child, Jacobsen raised awareness of the benefits of child sponsorship as an advocate for. She started a group called To Zambia With Love to support the work of Children International and encouraged others to sponsor children. In 2010, she was invited to become an Ambassador for speaking for a number of Professional Women's Groups in New York and at events in Brisbane, Australia.
In 2014 and 2015 she was the keynote speaker for EYO, an event for young women. In 2015 she partnered with Careflight (now ) Helicopters and Mackay CQ Rescue in Queensland, Australia speaking and singing at a series of events to raise awareness and funds for their lifesaving work. In 2018 Karen narrated the Audio Book of the eLit International Award-winning book Broken to Brilliant - Breaking Free to be You After Domestic Violence, with anonymous stories from ten women. Funds raised from sales support programs for survivors mentoring survivors creating a new chapter in their lives. The official launch was in Brisbane in March, 2018. Awards.
Kauai Music Festival Song Contest, Runner Up 2004. Dallas Songwriting Contest, Singer Songwriter Category 1st Place 2002 Family Jacobsen has a son who, she says, recognised her voice as that of Siri, saying 'I wonder if he thinks everyone's mummy is in their iPhone.'
References. ^ Appel, Greg. ABC Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. From the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
From the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
From the original on 1 June 2014. Retrieved 16 March 2011. 11 November 2010. From the original on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2011. 26 July 2007.
From the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011. 14 July 2010.
From the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2011. Jennifer Merin (19 January 2005). 'Property Tales'. Manhattan Media'. Pp. volume 17, issue 51.
She's also established her own publishing company, Kurly Queen. 19 March 2009. Archived from on 17 July 2011.
Retrieved 16 March 2011. From the original on 1 April 2010.
Retrieved 16 March 2011. Jess Perriam (3 March 2010).
From the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2011. Hinchliffe, Mark (2 March 2010). Courier Mail. From the original on 31 March 2012.
Retrieved 16 March 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011. Finan, Kristin (19 February 2009). From the original on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2011. David Moye Contributor (12 July 2010). Archived from on 22 July 2010.
Retrieved 16 March 2011. 21 November 2010.
Retrieved 16 March 2011. From the original on 6 May 2016.
Retrieved 16 March 2011. From the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015. From the original on 21 April 2015. Iceberg Events.
12 September 2009. From the original on 27 February 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011. 21 January 2010. From the original on 7 April 2016. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
16 November 2010. Archived from on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011. Feiler, Bruce (25 June 2010). The New York Times. From the original on 12 June 2017.
McCabe, Kathy (21 August 2009). The Daily Telegraph. From the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2011. To Zambia With Love.
Archived from on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
From the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2016. From the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2018. CS1 maint: Archived copy as title.
From the original on 27 December 2015. From the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2015. From the original on 28 October 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015. Archived from on 5 January 2016.
Retrieved 10 October 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
From the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018. CS1 maint: Archived copy as title. From the original on 27 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018. CS1 maint: Archived copy as title.
Retrieved 10 October 2015. From the original on 4 March 2016.
Retrieved 10 October 2015. NY Daily News. From the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2015. From the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2015. From the original on 14 October 2012.
Retrieved 10 October 2015. From the original on 4 March 2016. From the original on 27 December 2015.
From the original on 16 August 2016. From the original on 27 December 2015. From the original on 5 January 2016. The Daily Mercury. From the original on 5 January 2016.
From the original on 30 December 2015. Te Koha, Nui (20 November 2015). 22 June 2016. From the original on 25 June 2016. From the original on 25 June 2016. High Point University.
From the original on 2 December 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2017. From the original on 3 July 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2015. Peekskill-Cortlandt, NY Patch. From the original on 4 March 2016.
Retrieved 10 October 2015. From the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
![Australian Australian](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125499113/607922462.jpg)
![Garmin australian karen handel Garmin australian karen handel](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125499113/143512302.jpg)
From the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018. CS1 maint: Archived copy as title External links. – 360documentaries.