Born on the Gold Coast in 1982, Riseley started out playing the cornet, and progressed to the trumpet when he was sixteen.
His singing career began in late 2003 when the Navy Rock Band were deployed on HMAS Tobruk to tour around Asia & Australia, but did not have a singer.
During his time with the Royal Australian Navy, Riseley was deployed in the Solomon Islands, and played for the troops in Iraq on New Year's Eve in 2004 and 2005.
He was sometimes criticised for remaining steadfastly within his style of swing, jazz and big band, but progressed until his elimination as one of the top three.
He was signed by Mercury Australia, and an album of cover versions, titled The Rise, was released on 26 April 2008, debuting and peaking at No.