“Australian Idol” is seeking contestants for Season 9, with production kicking off in September.
This year, it appears Eureka Productions and broadcaster Channel 7 have upped the age limit for the series, with the terms and conditions revealing singing hopefuls need to be aged between 15 and 30 as of Oct. 1, 2023.
The singing competition caused frustration in some corners of the industry and wider public when it was revived but was only seeking those aged 28 and under last year.
Those seeking to enter this year’s singing battle need to be available for a minimum period of 40 days between Sept. 1 and March 31.
The initial audition process involves uploading a video, sending a link or singing over Zoom.
In the most recent season, the judging panel included Harry Connick Jnr., Meghan Trainor, Kyle Sandilands and Rolling Stone AU/NZ cover star, Amy Shark.
“Australian Idol” Season 8 was ultimately won by Royston Noell, who told Variety Australia he wants his music to do well on the charts, but he also has other metrics for measuring his own success.
“I want to be able to keep crawling up the ladder of the music business here in Australia, hopefully abroad [too], but I’m just really excited for the future and just really keen to get creative and create music because I have so much that I want to say and give to the world,” he said off the back of his win earlier this year.
He also wants to make sure he is visible, so others – whether they be First Nations people, or queer, or both – can feel seen, represented and inspired.
“I want them to be inspired and just know that we can do these things. They can have these dreams and we can go after them and they can come true, you know? I know from living in such a remote small place that all these big things seem like ‘Oh wow, we can’t do that ’cause we’re not from the city or anything like that, there’s no opportunities here’.
“But I’m a testament that if you wonk hard, it doesn’t matter where you come from. So I just want the kids to know that and just believe in themselves because there’s a lot of talent in communities in remote areas, but there’s a lot of doubt and shame business, in the Indigenous community, big shame. So I just really want to help inspire the communities and the young people.”