How rock star Shaun Diviney from Short Stack swapped the stage for a real estate agency

For Shaun Diviney, weekends used to mean packed gigs, hairspray and screaming teenage fans.

And there were occasional gold record presentations and Rolling Stone cover shoots thrown in.

Now, the 29-year-old’s weekends are spent showing house hunters around properties on the New South Wales Central Coast.

Some younger home buyers will take a second glance and wonder why this humble real estate agent looks so familiar  – and for some, it will click.

This guy in the suit and tie was once the heart-throb front-man of cult pop-punk band Short Stack, who took the music scene by storm a decade ago with their uniform of black clothes, eye makeup and backcombed hair.

Short Stack (pictured) were catapulted to the dizzying heights of cult-status heartthrob when the band’s music rose the the top of charts and they collected thousands of fans in the process 

The pair, and their young son, reside on the Central Coast, a region famous for its beaches and laidback locals

The pair, and their young son, reside on the Central Coast, a region famous for its beaches and laidback locals

More than a decade since the band's inception, the roar of a teenage crowd is a distant whisper for Diviney, who has now opted to carve out a career in real estate

More than a decade since the band’s inception, the roar of a teenage crowd is a distant whisper for Diviney, who has now opted to carve out a career in real estate

But more than a decade since the band’s inception and three years since its demise, the roar of a teenage crowd is a distant whisper for Diviney, who has taken up a career in real estate. 

‘After the band ended I just wanted a break to do something else and this was something I had sort of always been interested in. I always used to say to all of my friends ”I just really want a desk job”,’ he told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘And I just really took a liking to it and enjoy it.’ 

In an age of downloads and streaming, its harder than ever to maintain a paying career in music, and many stars have to consider a similar career change.

Trading hairspray-laden tresses for tailored suits and home inspections, Diviney found post-fame work as a sales associate near his hometown of Budgewoi, 90 minutes north of Sydney.

On his professional profile, which makes no mention of his former life as a teen idol, Diviney lists his credentials in real estate – a career he began in 2015.

‘I ensure all of my clients walk away knowing they received the best possible service and results,’ he writes, before revealing he ‘considers his lifelong home paradise’.

His portfolio extends across the Central Coast, a region famous for its beaches and laid back locals just an hour from Sydney.

According to Diviney, ‘it’s a lifestyle he’s proud to market to his clients’, but his music career isn’t something he can leave completely in the past, especially with younger clientele. 

‘People recognise me through the job all the time – it’s so embarrassing! I’ll go into an appointment trying to sell a million dollar property and the people’s kids will be like ‘are you the dude from that band?”’ he said.  

But the perks of his career swap are evident on Instagram, where Diviney recently boasted of several multi-million dollar property sales. 

But Diviney appears to have kept busy since Short Stack called it quits for the final time in 2015, marrying his longtime love Brooke Leishman the following year

But Diviney appears to have kept busy since Short Stack called it quits for the final time in 2015, marrying his longtime love Brooke Leishman the following year

Fronted by their lead-singer Shaun Diviney with Andy Clemmensen on bass and Bradie Webb on drums, Short Stack fast gained a following for their pop-punk sound and uniform of black clothing, eye makeup and backcombed hair

Fronted by their lead-singer Shaun Diviney with Andy Clemmensen on bass and Bradie Webb on drums, Short Stack fast gained a following for their pop-punk sound and uniform of black clothing, eye makeup and backcombed hair

Trading hairspray-laden tresses for tailored suits and home inspections, the 29-year-old found post-fame work as a Sales Associate near his hometown of Budgewoi, 90 minutes north of Sydney

Trading hairspray-laden tresses for tailored suits and home inspections, the 29-year-old found post-fame work as a Sales Associate near his hometown of Budgewoi, 90 minutes north of Sydney

And in January this year, he claims to have set ‘two suburb records in one day’.

In fact, it was in the lush coastal region that Diviney first formed Short Stack with two schoolmates in 2005.

Those friends, Andy Clemmensen and Bradie Webb, would soon complete the three-piece, playing bass and drums respectively. 

With most of their influence originating on MySpace, the group were among the first to forge a connection with their fans through social media, years before it became commonplace. 

What followed was a career spanning more than nine years, which saw the band rack up two Gold-certified albums and a Platinum selling, number 1 EP in 2010. 

But even then, the group took advantage of their wealth, investing in property from an early age. 

‘We started renovating places from a really young age and we hung around people in bands who were in their 30s and they just pissed away all the money they made and lived a bit fast and I just thought ‘I don’t really want to do that’,’ he said. 

But the perks of the career swap are also evident on Instagram, where Diviney recently boasted of several multi-million dollar property sales to add to his portfolio 

But the perks of the career swap are also evident on Instagram, where Diviney recently boasted of several multi-million dollar property sales to add to his portfolio 

What followed was a career spanning more than nine years, which saw the band rack up two Gold-certified albums and a Platinum selling, number 1 EP in 2010

What followed was a career spanning more than nine years, which saw the band rack up two Gold-certified albums and a Platinum selling, number 1 EP in 2010

‘The main reason I wanted to do it was that the band was travelling so much and it was seven months of the year.’

‘That’s really appealing when you’re younger like 19 or 20 but when you get older you just want to be at home with your family and the thought of being away from home.’

However, at the height their success the group disbanded in 2012, a move which shocked their legions of loyal fans. 

Two years later, armed with a stripped-back sound, the group returned to the music scene with the the promise of a new album.   

But they called it quits for good in 2015, and Diviney embarked on his new life.  

‘Really it comes down to what makes you happy and now it’s all about the more time I can spend at home with my family and doing things I enjoy like surfing and going to the beach.’      

‘I definitely see myself doing real estate long term. I could see myself doing music again one day but we don’t have any plans for it for the moment.’ 

He married long-time love Brooke Leishman two years ago and the pair welcomed a son, Atticus, early in 2018. 

The young family resides on the Central Coast. 

The rockstar-turned-real estate agent said on his business' website that he 'considers his lifelong home paradise'

The rockstar-turned-real estate agent said on his business’ website that he ‘considers his lifelong home paradise’

With most of their influence originating on MySpace, the group were among the first to forge a connection with their fans through social media, years before it became commonplace

With most of their influence originating on MySpace, the group were among the first to forge a connection with their fans through social media, years before it became commonplace

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