Produced for the Seven Network by Eureka Productions, Australian Idol is ready to unearth a new generation of Australian artists when it premieres 7.30pm Monday, 30 January on Channel Seven and 7plus.
Judging the series will be Harry Connick Jr, Meghan Trainor, Kyle Sandilands and Amy Shark – who have left no stone unturned to help unearth the next Idol.
Idol judges: Kyle Sandilands, Meghan Trainor, Amy Shark, Harry Connick Jr
The series will begin with the Australian Idol team travelling across the country searching for the best voices, wherever they might be. Aspiring artists aged between 15 and 28 will showcase their talents during the judges’ audition rounds of the competition – covering Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, the Gold Coast and regional Australia.
From the thousands of contestants who audition, those lucky enough to score a Golden Ticket from the judges will automatically claim their coveted spot in the top 50.
The top 50 will perform for the judges to secure a place in the top 24. The top 24 will perform again as the judges narrow the field to the competition’s top 12 artists. The top 12 will feature in the live performance round of the competition, with Australian audiences voting each week to decide who will be crowned the next Australian Idol.
The winner will receive a recording contract with Sony Music and $100,000 in prize money.
A global success since 2001, the Idol franchise has launched the careers of many multi-award- winning artists including Aussies Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy, Matt Corby, Ricki-Lee Coulter, Anthony Callea, Stan Walker, Casey Donovan and Courtney Act.
International music icons Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Adam Lambert also launched their careers on the Idol stage.
Speaking to Mediaweek, Seven’s head of entertainment Majella Hay spoke about why Australian Idol is still such an attractive pathway for artists in a world where artists are frequently discovered through YouTube or TikTok.
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“Idol creates stars, and not just domestically in the Australian iteration of the show, but globally. You go through the list and you’re talking about people like Adam Lambert, Guy Sebastian, Jess Mauboy – we can go on and on.
“A lot of artists do start out on YouTube or TikTok, but what is incomparable is walking into a room and coming face to face with Meghan Trainor, and having her actually hear you sing, knowing your name, and giving you advice on whether you can cut it in this industry. Then they can take away the good bits, they can take away the constructive criticism. Singing in your bedroom isn’t going to give you that.”