Australian Idol is a television show that first captivated the nation during its run from 2003 to 2009, and was recently re-launched in January 2023. The show provides a platform for aspiring singers to showcase their talent, and the format of the show naturally captures audiences across the nation. The winners of Australian Idol typically become instant celebrities and are catapulted into the spotlight, with their music dominating the charts and their faces gracing the covers of magazines. The show's success can be attributed to its ability to connect with audiences and create a sense of excitement and anticipation as viewers tune in each week to see who will be crowned the next Australian Idol.
The cultural impact of Australian Idol can be seen in the way it influenced popular music in Australia. The winners of the show, such as Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noll, and Jessica Mauboy, went on to have successful music careers, with their songs topping the charts and winning numerous awards. The show not only gave these artists a platform to launch their careers, but it also introduced them to a wide audience who may not have otherwise discovered their music. Australian Idol has played a significant role in shaping the music industry in Australia.
Australian Idol also has a broader cultural impact. The show brings people from all walks of life together, as they gather around their televisions (or watch highlight clips online) each week to catch the performances and cheer on their favourite contestants. It creates a sense of community and sparks conversations among viewers about who should win and why. Australian Idol has become a topic of conversation at water coolers and dinner parties, as people debated the merits of each contestant and eagerly awaited the next episode. Just like in other countries with an "Idol" show, it's become a cultural phenomenon, with viewers becoming emotionally invested in the journey of the contestants and feeling a sense of pride when one of them is crowned the Australian Idol.
And, it inspires aspiring singers all over the country to practise their skills in hopes of being able to perform well enough for their own chance at becoming the next Australian Idol!
How Does Australian Idol Work?
The first season of Australian Idol premiered on 27 July 2003. The show ran for seven seasons before getting cancelled in 2009 due to low ratings. However, it’s been revived by Seven Network, with season eight premiering on 30 January 2023.
Season nine has just finished, with the last episode airing on 25 March 2024.
Season Nine: How the Idol Was Determined
Auditions for Australian Idol candidates are held in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin, Tamworth, Canberra and Hobart over the course of one week.
In the latest season, 9, there were even some cases where a singular judge travelled to remote areas to audition singers who couldn’t travel to a big city.
The entire audition process has differed a few times during Australian Idol’s nine seasons thus far. One thing that hasn’t changed is that, while many people audition, only a select few make it to the TV cut (typically the best and worst auditions).
Feeling inspired? Find singing lessons Perth so you can become an amazing singer, too!
Semi-Finalists
In season 9, instead of a Top 100 or Top 50 group of contestants who make it to the next round, the judges were extremely choosy, only picking the Top 30. To do this, they had the best candidates wait in a holding area to hear if they made the final cut.
Finding the Top 24
The Top 30 candidates then perform in groups for 2 rounds. In each round, 3 contestants are eliminated.
Cutting Down to the Top 21
When there are 24 candidates left, then the singers again perform solo, this time for a live audience in addition to the judges. Three candidates are eliminated.
Narrowing it Down to the Finalists: Top 12
The remaining Top 21 perform (again for a live audience) over the course of 3 days, in batches of 7. Each day, one contestant is given a Fast Pass to the Top 12, and three contestants are eliminated.
Finals Round 1: Eliminating to the Top 8
In this competitive final stretch of the show, singers perform solo for the audience and the judges over the course of 2 nights. Each night, the judges can grant one singer immunity. The rest of the singers are at the mercy of the public, who are able to vote over the next 24 hours for their favourite singers. The 2 contestants with the fewest votes after the voting period have one last chance to advance by competing on results night against each other in pairs. Of this face-off, the singer with the least votes is eliminated.
This process is repeated again to eliminate 2 more contestants and narrow the pool down to the top 8.
Two More Go: Top 6
Over the course of one night, all 8 remaining singers perform. The public again votes and the bottom four performers compete on results night, resulting in two eliminations.
The Audience Decides: Shaving Down the Competition to the Grand Finale Top 3
The remaining 6 performers each sang a song of their choice for the live audience. The judges didn’t give any votes; instead, the public was completely in control of deciding the three who would advance to the Grand Finale. On results night, the singers performed in pairs. After the performance, one singer went home based on the voting results. At the end of the night, three candidates remained.
The Grand Finale: Discovering the Next Australian Idol
On the penultimate night of Australian Idol season nine, the final three contestants each performed two songs for the audience. From 7 PM that night (Sunday 24 March) to 7 PM the next day, Australians could each vote up to 10 times per person for their favourite singer(s).
On Monday 25 March, the final votes were tallied just in time for the 7:30 live premiere of the final episode. Each singer performed one song before the performer in third place by votes was eliminated.
Then, the top two performed once more, before the Idol was announced.
Dylan Wright, the winner of season nine, then performed an original song called “Paper Heart” to celebrate his victory.
If you want to compete in Australian Idol or something similar, try singing lessons Sydney here on Superprof!
How to Vote for Australian Idol
The method by which viewers can vote for their favourite singers for season ten might differ from season nine, but it may also be the same! At this point, we just aren’t sure, since the network has not released any information about a possible season ten just yet.
In season nine, viewers were able to vote via text message by sending the name of the person they wanted to vote for. Each phone number could vote up to 10 times, meaning you could split your votes between the contestants as you like.
Voting was only open for certain periods of time (typically 24 hours) after the premiere of the episode.
The live, interactive voting system is one of the features that make Australian Idol unique! It’s exciting to have a real say in the outcome of a programme even though you aren’t there in person! And, you get to see what happens next immediately, since episodes air on consecutive days in real time.
Who Won Australian Idol 2024?
The ninth season of Australian Idol has just finished up as of 25 March 2024, resulting in Dylan Wright being crowned the next Australian Idol!
31-year-old Dylan Wright of Bangalow captured the hearts (and ears) of the judges and Australian Idol audiences with his charming smile, smooth and resonant voice, and skilful guitar. He was a fan of Australian Idol during its first season and always wanted to compete; it’s always a motivating and heartwarming story when people make their dreams come true!
Runner-up Amy Reeves, the 24-year-old from Broome, was a strong presence in the competition as well. Her incredible range of pitch and vocal styles combined with superb control and emotion made her a force to be reckoned with. It must have been difficult for fans to choose whether to vote for Amy or Dylan!
Who Won Australian Idol 2023?
The Australian Idol 2023 winner was Royston Sagigi-Baira aka Royston Noell. The Queensland Thanakwith and Wagadagam native was born a natural singer. It’s no wonder why he won the title of Australian Idol, with his strong vocal presence and soulful delivery.
On results night, after he won the title, he sang an original, inspiring song “Invincible.”
While he has yet to release an album or even very many singles, one thing is for sure: if Royston decides to go ahead with a musical career, he will have a lot of supporting fans who love hearing his amazing voice!
You could be the next winner when you learn to unleash your voice in singing lessons Brisbane!
All Winners of Australian Idol So Far
Here, you can find out all the winners of Australian Idol as of the end of season 9.
| Season | Year | Contestant | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003 | Guy Sebastian | Winner |
| 1 | 2003 | Shannon Noll | Runner-Up |
| 2 | 2004 | Casey Donovan | Winner |
| 2 | 2004 | Anthony Callea | Runner-Up |
| 3 | 2005 | Kate DeAraugo | Winner |
| 3 | 2005 | Emily Williams | Runner-Up |
| 4 | 2006 | Damien Leith | Winner |
| 4 | 2006 | Jessica Mauboy | Runner-Up |
| 5 | 2007 | Natalie Gauci | Winner |
| 5 | 2007 | Matt Corby | Runner-Up |
| 6 | 2008 | Wes Carr | Winner |
| 6 | 2008 | Luke Dickens | Runner-Up |
| 7 | 2009 | Stan Walker | Winner |
| 7 | 2009 | Hayley Warner | Runner-Up |
| 8 | 2023 | Royston Sagigi-Baira | Winner |
| 8 | 2023 | Phoebe Stewart | Runner-Up |
| 9 | 2024 | Dylan Wright | Winner |
| 9 | 2024 | Amy Reeves | Runner-Up |
Who Are The Australian Idol Judges?
The panel of Australian Idol Judges has changed a few times over the years.
Australian Idol Judges 2024
Marcia Hines
Kyle Sandilands
Amy Shark
Guy Sebastian (Guest)
Australian Idol Judges 2023
Marcia Hines (Guest)
Kyle Sandilands
Amy Shark
Meaghan Trainor
Harry Connick Jr
Australian Idol Judges 2009
Marcia Hines
Ian Dickson
Kyle Sandilands (Auditions)
Jay Dee Springbett (Live shows)
Australian Idol Judges 2008
Marcia Hines
Ian Dickson
Kyle Sandilands
Australian Idol Judges 2007
Marcia Hines
Mark Holden
Ian Dickson
Kyle Sandilands
Australian Idol Judges 2005 - 2006
Marcia Hines
Mark Holden
Kyle Sandilands
Australian Idol Judges 2003 - 2004
Marcia Hines
Mark Holden
Ian Dickson
Who Hosts Australian Idol?
Just like the judges, there have been a handful of different Australian Idol hosts over the seasons as well.
2003 - 2007
Andrew G (Osher Günsberg)
James Mathison
2008
Andrew G
James Mathison
Ricki-Lee Coulter (Backstage)
2009
James Mathison
Ricki-Lee Coulter
2023-Current
Ricki-Lee Coulter
Scott Tweedie
How to Audition for Australian Idol
Are you feeling inspired, like Dylan Wright was when he watched Guy Sebastian and Shannon Noll compete in season one? You could pursue your dreams just like all the other contestants who enter Australian Idol in hopes of winning (or at least having a life-changing experience!).
Auditions for Australian Idol have historically taken place across several major cities (as mentioned before):
- Sydney
- Melbourne
- Perth
- Brisbane
- Adelaide
- Darwin
- Tamworth
- Canberra
- Hobart
Contestants can learn more about auditions and the requirements for the audition process on Idolssa.net.
There are three ways to audition to be on the show (which means you will be called in to audition in person for the televised auditions):
- Upload a video of you singing on the official audition website
- Post a link of you singing from another site, like YouTube
- Sing to the Australian Idol team over Zoom
Finding a Voice Coach
What will you need in order to prepare for auditions for a possible season ten of Australian Idol?
Well, if auditions follow the same pattern as they have had in the past two years, you have until the end of January 2025 to hone your skills!
The number one thing you could do to prep for Australian Idol is find an effective voice teacher who can help you fine-tune your natural talents and develop more techniques to help you not only sound your best but protect your voice in the long run as well.
Easily find a singing coach for singing lessons no matter where you’re located in Australia with virtual classes on Superprof!
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
I’ve always practised singing and makes me happy and I sing every day at school and sing anywhere and everywhere
Hi Kaylee! Great to hear that singing brings you such joy! Keep sharing your music wherever you go – the world needs more of that happiness.
I have more like a question an it would be as I do suffer major anxiety my partner would be needing to be present on stage would that be possible?
Hello Renee! The best way to find out would be to check with the Australian Idol team when you apply. Many shows do accommodate support people for medical needs – We’d recommend noting your anxiety and support person requirement in your application so they can let you know their specific policies.
I want to enter my son his amazing like his uncle and arnt but my son is incredible wrights his own music well they all do we r a music family you really need to meet him he is on every site gose to the music studio and has released five songs he is just one of five boys I have my boys are my world and I want his dreams to come true as a mother dose for her kids or family we have all had a hard life I mean really hard life more my son (max)Maximus saxton (Sacco) his age 20 years old
Hello Kristie! Thanks for sharing about your son Maximus! Having five released songs and studio experience is impressive! If He’s interested in auditioning for Australian Idol, he can submit his application through the official channels mentioned in our article above.