Guy Sebastian reflects on "larger than life" golf buddy Shane Warne

It was typical Warnie. Always jovial. Always having a laugh with his mates.

"I was coming up to the 16^th [hole] and he stopped and folded his arms watching me and I was like, 'I am not slicing this off the tee'," Sebastian recalls.

"Of course I sliced it off the tee and he laughed and just walked off. That was the last time I saw him. We had dinner the night before with all the groups together, and once again he was just the life [of the party]. So it's very sad."

Warne, 52, died from a heart attack on March 4 while on holiday in Thailand. Sebastian was one of many entertainers who expressed their sorrow following the spin king's untimely death.

The pair became friends after Sebastian performed at several charity events for the Shane Warne Foundation.

"I've been with him at his club in Melbourne at the Crown and there were a few pretty loose nights there," Sebastian says.

"He was Warnie, he was larger than life. He was someone you never thought it would end so soon. He's such a boss too."

It never took much convincing from Warne to get Sebastian on the fairways. During the pandemic golf become an outlet.

"My escape recently has been golf for the last three years, it's been my obsession," he says. "It's pretty much the only exercise I do."

Sebastian plays off a handicap of 10 and has been developing ways to combine golf and music with his younger brother Chris, who won The Voice in 2020.

"We're doing this thing called Cartpool Karaoke, so we basically get around in the cart, play two holes sing a cover of something and then do two holes, sing, two holes, sing," he says.

"There's not a lot of golf content, but I watch a heap of golf content on YouTube and I wanted to do something for Aussie golfers, so that's coming along."

What's also finally coming along is Sebastian's national tour for his 2020 album T.R.U.T.H, which was postponed last November due to COVID. Absence has made the heart grow fonder for fans. A fifth show has been announced for Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne.

"People are just hungry to gather again and to be around live music and other people and not be fearful of gathering," he says. "I know it's going to be a pretty emotional time and a fun time as well."

Sebastian has also rolled out his personally-curated festival tour, called Higher Sounds. It'll also feature Linda and Vika, Jarryd James and Busby Marou.

"This is the first one I've put together myself and I'm also lucky enough to have some amazing guests on there," he says. "The brief was, I wanted to create something that was soulful and really occupy that soulful pop space.

"Obviously having people like Jarryd James and Busby Marou, who I respect so much, they're such a soulful duo. And then Vika and Linda, I've been watching them sing for other artists and alone for so many years and they're like the queens."

Guy Sebastian plays the Newcastle Entertainment Centre (April 22); WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong (April 23); Aware Super Theatre, Sydney (April 27, 29, 30, May 1, June 4); Convention & Exhibition Centre, Gold Coast (May 13); Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne (May 20, 21, 22, 24, 25) and Bendigo Stadium (June 2)

Higher Sounds comes to Mudgee Showground (October 1); Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley (October 22); City Oval, Ballarat (October 29); Roche Estate, Hunter Valley (November 5); Berry Showgrounds (November 12); Exhibition Park, Canberra (November 19) and The Crescent Parramatta (November 26).