It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload, the podcast last weep Aline. Welcome back to TV Reload. My name is Benjamin Norris and this is your podcast to get all the inside goss on the popular TV shows you may be watching from around the world. Undeniably, our TV sets are a major part of our home entertainment and very little is note about how our favorite
shows get made. Each episode, I find guests that want to dive just that little bit deeper into the shows they're currently making, so you can hear all their exclusive stories and gain access to the biggest names in Australian television. I want to thank you for downloading or subscribing to this podcast. I love hearing your feedback, so make sure you leave a comment on your chosen podcast platform and I will make sure you feel as included in the
production of this show as I possibly can. We had our top six performers cut down to our final three this week. My first guest is Anya Alchemy, a young blues singer songwriter from the Depths of the Dandidong Rages Victoria. We will talk about the pressure of the show and why anyafeld a little cross with the judges comments this week, and you will also talk about Royston and why she thinks he should win. I'll also find out why she's
ruled out any more singing competition shows. We will then bring Amali Diamond into the podcast and equally get her inside story on the Idle journey. Amali was the early favorite to win, with an amazing voice for her age. The popular teenager from New South Wales took to the competition like a duck to water. We will talk about the pressures of being the early favorite and how that impacted her time on the show. Amali will also revere
how she really felt during that shock elimination. I'll also chat to Amali about her parents' support during her time on the show and what they really thought of her auditioning. Then we'll bring Ben Sheehey into the podcast and equally gets some interesting perspectives on his time in the competition. Ben Sheehey is a composer and a musician based in North Brisbane, Queensland, and while he wasn't exactly what audience has expected, he's certainly left an impression on anyone that
heard him sing. I will talk to Ben about how comfortable he was trying to fit into the Australian idol mold. Ben will also share why he thinks audiences were so supportive of him during his time on the show, and while he wasn't exactly what audience has expected, he's certainly left an impression on anyone that heard him sing. I'll also talk to Ben about how he discovered his voice
and where he discovered he could sing big songs. Plus, we will get some exclusives on the new series, including some behind the scenes secrets from all three guests, which I'm sure you will love. However, let's bring Anya into the podcast first and stick around for Amali and Ben, who'll be coming straight up? Hi Bear, how are you?
Hi? Good?
How are you well? Very excited to follow you in this competition this year. You were definitely one of the standouts as far as my friends were concerned.
Oh that's so nice.
Thanks for coming on the podcast and unpacking the series.
Thank you excited.
Do you think that they should have stuck with the single eliminations this year or do you feel happy with the fact that we would do doing two and now three?
Well, I think for TV it made sense to create more drama by like halving the numbers and having two people go, but possibly to the public, it felt rushed and it felt like you didn't get to see enough of people or learn enough about people. So I think there's like two sides of it. I would have liked there to be more themes and more weeks, so probably I would have liked it to be like one person a week.
But that's just me in some ways, though. Is it good that you actually have like a couple of compadres for you, that there's two other people leaving at the same time. Do you think that had you left by yourself would seem more stark?
Yeah?
Absolutely, Yeah, that's so true because like that support when you go back, it's not like people like, oh, are you okay. It's like there's two other people that are experiencing the exact same things as you, So it's not like people are talking down to you in a sense, you know, because they don't know how to deal with you going home.
I could imagine that if I was you, and I don't know you, but I feel like I do. I feel like you would then be looking after the other two, like I feel like you would have been there to be moral support for them.
Yeah, I mean, Ben is like cool as a cucumber, so nothing really knocks him around. And I think Ben and I both kind of you or going home, so we were just like high fiving ready to get it over with Amali. I think it was really hard, you know, she was a favorite and she's so young, and that was still a surprise to me, like are you one of the favorites was going to go home? But that was I think that was half of me to see her face and all of that. But yeah, there's definitely
a lot of support. I feel like a little mother, hen so I'm like trying to gather my little babies and make sure they're okay. But she'll be fun.
You know.
I love Australian Idol because I actually feel like, yes, it's a singing show, but also it's always been a show where we've gained big personalities in Australia. Although this series, I don't necessarily know if everyone we got to know, Like for you, you're quite easily accessible, like your emotions are on your face and I kind of feel like
I know you. But do you feel like we could have had more interactions with you to find out a little bit more about your personality or even have more time on stage to actually answer questions.
Absolutely, I think I knew that I wasn't going to win from the start because they hadn't given me that
kind of exposure and they had with everyone else. And even even on the last step with the episode that I went home last night, they played a snippet of everyone else singing but me, like still, and I'm like, so from day dot I just wasn't getting the coverage that everyone else was getting, and it like they were keeping me in but then crapping over me, you know, crapping on me on TV and whatever, and so it was just like, why still.
Keeping me in just to do this?
And a lot of people still don't know who I am now because they just haven't shown that. So I think it's really hard, Like I've got a massive personality and a lot of that was just edited out, and it's so hard because I'm like quirky and different and loud and opinionated, and all of that was just I feel like, minimized.
But I can see that. I mean, I read people quite well and I could see your personality shine. I just feel like for the wider audience, you know, we might have been stolen from some of those things. But I will say to you, I loved that you showed your feelings with the judges, and I know that you didn't say things back to them, but I could see your face reacting to them. I mean, this is my
question to you. You looked a little unhappy what was said this week, and I wondered whether or not that's because they're talking to you about the arrangements, which really, you guys have no control over. So is that a very fair critique?
That's exactly right, like whatever. Like at the start, it was a lot easier to make arrangements, and this time, you know, people would just put their opinions in your head and say, no, you can't make Flowers by Miley Cyrus a ballad. You can't do it your way because it's going to drag on. That's not what the public want. And so you listen because if you put your foot down, you're treated like you're hard to work with or you're
too assertive or whatever. And then so you sing a song similar to the original, and then the judge is like, why did you change the arrangements? So it's like you're just being hit from both sides. It's so hard and you're just standing there having to just know and be like, yep, cool, I deserve that. Yep. It's just ridiculous.
I think that's where Amy Shark will be really handy for you, because Amy would know this better than anyone. You have to work out how to stand up for what it is that you're going to say over pleasing people like you will always be put in these situations where there'll be a lot of voices in your head sometimes saying to people, know, this is how it's going to be. Isn't a rude thing to say? Do you know what I mean?
Yeah?
Yeah, definitely. That's like one of the biggest things I've learned is that you've just got to do you and put your foot down to be as certain of me, like no, this is the way that I want it, and still listen to people. But if it doesn't resonate, you don't have to do it if you don't want to do it.
Well. I still thought that Flowers and the way you sung it was actually quite smart, and I think Kyle was alluding to that as well, because in some ways it was very close to the original, and I think a lot of the people that vote for Australian Idol, they don't want too much out of the box, do you know what I mean? Like, I think I'm not saying they're not bright, because that's terrible, but I'm thinking they want to hear it the way that they know it.
Yeah, it's hard because if you completely dissect a song and change it up, then people like, oh, I hate
that version, like you've ruined it well. And then you do the same thing and then they're like, she just did does karaoke and this just sounds like a karaoke cover and whatever, and so finding that bang is so hard, And like the judges comments are so influential on what the public thinks, and I don't even know if people realize that, you know, they just go off whatever the judges say for the most part, and it's just like okay, cool.
You know.
I still think you must have resonated pretty well because I noticed your lack of screen time and yet people were still voting for I me And you've made it to the second last episode of this show. I mean, we've only got the finale to go, and you still have resonated with audiences.
Thank you.
Well, that's what my mom said, And I wasn't even shown at all in Top fifty week on the episode at all.
And they knew that I got through.
So I was just like, no, whatever, I'm just gonna see how like it right away?
For well, what's been your I mean, you've managed to maintain you since if you were here today and I love what has been your highlight from your Australian Idol journey?
Obviously meeting all the contestants and they are all really really lovely and I'm honest, if they were crappy human beings, I would be honest, but they all all really really know seriously, I haven't met many that I didn't like.
I wonder though, you know, with you having going through this singing competition, like, do you think that you would apply for a singing show like this again or do you think that you've done this now and you will try and look for you know, resonating with your audience in a different way.
Yeah, I don't think that I would do it again. I mean it's been full on. I've got like ten mouth ulcers just from the stress. But no, I wouldn't do it again. I think you do it once and it turns out how it turns out, and to try and do the kind of saving again a different show is just trying to twist your fate, you know. I just think whatever happens happens, and the world has a plan for everyone, and I'm just going to try and follow that and whatever way it guides me. But it's
been an incredible experience. It's been one of the hardest things I've ever done. Emotionally. I've cried on TV like twenty times. But that's okay, you know, it's fine, it's real. But yeah, I'm excited to work on a lot of new music. Like I'm a songwriter. I'm a singer songwriter. I play piano and guitar, so that's like my main thing. So I'm excited to get the EP going.
I think, well, I mean, you have an accomplished sound, so I think it'll be very easy for you. What sort of advice are they giving everyone that's leaving the competition? Are they saying music these days is best distributed through TikTok? Are they still saying that a record dealer is the only way forward? Like, what kind of advice are they leading you with? You know, walking out of this competition?
Well, I think obviously social media now is really really important, and if you don't go, I think record labels. Basically what they've said is record labels are important unless you're massive on social media and can do it independently through that, and you can market yourself through your own socials because they're popping off. But if they're not, then a record label is really important because they can do that marketing
for you. And like, I feel like that is what it comes down to most of the time, is marketing is a lot of what makes songs pop off, and a lot of what makes artists who they are and how it finds their audiences and stuff like that. So they've all basically said just don't stop, just keep going, keep going, keep going because black and I find like it doesn't really matter how good your voices or whatever whatever.
If you've got good songs and you just are resilient and you just persevere and don't stop, don't stop, don't stop, then you can just do anything. You can do anything. So that's what I'm going to do.
I would say the best advice that I've ever heard was, you know, work really hard when you are working and get content out. That's good content. Don't be like a slave to just needing to feel like you're always available online and always turning things out Like it's about key content, being really strong and knowing how you want to use that. You know, I've seen so many people, so many failed influences.
You know, they think consistency is key. I've just got to put out stuff that you know, sometimes that isn't the way forward. Yeah, I feel like I'm being your mentor because I want you to succeed, and so no, I'm.
Just please mentor me, guard me. I need it.
So who do you think is going to win out of the top three? I want to know.
To be honest, I really hope that Roston wins because I think, you know, he's representing communities that need representation. And that's what I tried to say last night, and people thought it was about me being in secure and that I didn't deserve to be hit. No, it's about representation. It's about indigenous representations, about gay representation, and people need that and they need someone to look up to, especially someone that's religious and stands for all of these values
and still is blazing their own path out. What Roaston to win because people need that and they need someone to really make that mark.
What's your relationship going to be like moving forward with the rest of them? Do you think that there's anyone in the show that you will collaborate with or do you think that they will just be friends?
It's hard to tell.
I think I still talk to everyone, even like Top twenty four, I still talk to everyone in the Top twenty four. There's a lot of people, but I text very fast, so you know, it's fine. I think I'm close with Harry. I'm really close with Harry Hayden, so I think we'll definitely end up collabing or digging together or something. Same with Josh. I think I'll end up doing some plan of song with him.
How's Harry going? By the way, come following him on Instagram and he's got a very different look. He mixed it, He's mixed it up. What's going on with him?
I think he's just there's so much control that they have over everything that once that once those hands are kind of taken off your shoulders, it's like, oh, so, I feel like that's what he's feeling, is that I can finally do what I want, you know, and I can finally shave my head and put cheetahprint, leopard print, whatever on it and just feel like my true self without someone telling me how I should address every day.
You know, well, I will follow your journey after Idle. I think that you're an amazing person. I think you're an excellent singer, and I can't wait to see what you do next.
Oh, thank you so much.
A great chat with Anya and a good warm up for things to come with my next guest, let's bring Amli into the podcast. I'm sure you'll get some really fun exclusives here. Anyway, I hope you enjoy part two of today's episode. Hi am Ali, how are you?
I am good? How are you?
I'm very well. You know, I was really lucky to see a preview of Australian Idol late last year actually, and all we got to see was the very first audition of yours, and then I knew straight away that this show is going to be amazing because of your boys.
Thank you so much. That's so that's so awesome that you got to see that.
So we were in a cinema and there was like lots of celebrities there, Sonya Krueger, everyone, we all got to watch this preview and everyone was really nervous, but we heard the Australian Idol backtrack play and then we got to see your performance, and straight afterwards, you know, there was a bit of a cocktail party and everyone was talking about it, and everyone was like, how amazing was that girl? My god, Ah, that's so awesome.
I didn't even know that. That's so cool.
People never tell you this stuff, and that's why for me, I always tell everyone anyone that's on a show like this, I'm like, yeah, there's been some sort of amazing celebration behind your back. You need to know about it.
Yes, that's so nice. It makes you feel so good to know that.
Well, thanks for coming on the podcast and unpacking your time on Australian Idol.
Yes, no worries.
Was it hard to convince your parents to go on a show like this, because I can imagine that whilst it sounds exciting, you know, your parents might have been a little bit nervous about it.
Not at all. My mom was like she dragged you down there, like help, you know, making me an audition for all these kind of things. She's very My mom's very supportive and always wants me to go out and do my things. So yeah, she was very very get your audition in and get your audition in. So yes, she's awesome.
What has their relationship been like, has your mum been surprised with the way that it's all gone down and she'd been happy with it? Like, how has she felt watching you on the show? Oh?
Mom, My mom's been I think she's just been lowing watching me perform every single time, and of course she's upset, like obviously that I'm that I've been like eliminated. But it's also exciting because I think there's going to be some really cool things happening in the future, and we're just taking this as a launch pad to hopefully a really cool career.
Just remember those things, because that often happens when you're in the heat of it, someone says to you, Oh, well, what about David Guada, you know, ghetto or however you say his name. But hang on to those things. Make them happen because people need to be held to account.
I totally agree. I just I'm really excited to just start getting things going.
Really, what was it like for you last night, because you know, I had to kind of hide behind my television because you were a favorite for me and I thought that you really easily could have won this whole thing. You've managed to keep it together pretty well. But once you were eliminated, what was going through your mind?
Well, honestly, I was just I knew I was gonna miss performing again. But I was really happy that my last performance I got to sing Warrior, and I was so happy because I think it was one of my favorites. I got to do a big ballad finally, and I was just thinking about how far I'd coming out amazing it wants to even be in the top six? Was it was a bittersweet moment? Really?
Do you think it's hard though? When you are the favorite right from the start, Like everyone was like, Okay, this girl's got this in the bag. Like a lot of people were like, oh, I don't even need to watch the show because they feel like this girl's gonna win. And was that sort of hard to come out from underneath?
Of Well, I think that it's awesome to know people have faith in me and people believed in me. That's sound really exciting, But yeah, I don't know. I think it was definitely cool just knowing people liked what I was doing, especially since you know, I feel like I'm the most normal person ever. I literally just go to school and everything, and then suddenly I was a favorite idol, which is so amazing to think about.
What are your friends saying with this whole experience.
Oh, they're so proud and they're so supportive, and my school been incredible, and yeah, I've just been so having a school like that because they're going to performing arts school, so having a school that is interested in the arts as well was awesome. So my school, they're.
Just all being ana and they've asked you to sing the national anthem every Funday from now on.
I've done it once at school, but hopefully I get it a few more times.
Well, so much was said about your age. You know, what do you think about the age factor? Do you think it was a huge issue or do you think that this competition, you know, works for people who are a little bit younger.
I think that the age being young is an advantage at almost because you have so much time to learn and develop. And now I've experienced this at a young age. Now I know what to expect and I get an early kick start into the music industry. So I think it's definitely a benefit for me to be honest.
Well, I think that you and phoebe seeing with better voices than most of the older contestants, Like the two of you. I don't know what's going on or what they've been feeding the kids these days, but you girls have amazing voices.
Oh, thank you so much. I appreciate that. Yeah, FIE's got an incredibleness as well.
Oh you both do. I mean, I think there's a collab there, you know, if you're going to collab with someone, I think that she's the best person to be going. Oh well, who knows, she might win and she might ditch you all.
Oh yeah, possibly, who knows. Love to see what happens.
Well, I guess as well. Being younger, this is just, you know, an early chapter for you. Do you think there are a lot of other ways, you know, for you to get music out today than maybe looking back at when Idle was first on television, Like, do you think there's more opportunity to get your music out there these days? With social media?
Yeah, definitely, I've gained a cool, like a pretty good platform, and I think it'll be exciting when I start recording music to have people that hopefully are waiting to hear some songs. And I'm just so excited to get a recording studio and get creative. I'm really excited for that. That's what I'm most excited for coming out of this experience.
You're able to have written down the judge's phone numbers and you're going to try and keep in contact with them or is there are there judges that you want to stay in contact with?
Oh, definitely. I think all the judges are incredible. I'd love to stay in contact with them all. Kyle has been so supportive, and Megan said that, you know, she'd love to get me in the studio to make some songs. And Parry said to me backstage, you got to have a chat, and he said, Lack if you ever, if I'm ever back in Australia, let me know and stuff like that. So cool to know the judges. I've got my back.
I've got so many questions to answer. Harry Conneck June, I'd be like asking about Sandra Bullock and he's friendship with Deborah Messing. And if I was on the show, I don't think i'd ask him any music questions.
Yeah, they'd just all be totally unrelated.
Did you know who Harry Connick Junior was when you were auditioning for the show.
I had an idea, but I didn't realize how big he was, to be honest, But as I got to know him, he's actually like a musical genius.
If you need some downtime as well, today, there's a movie that he's in with Sandra Bullock called Hope Floats. Go and rent that with mum and watch that. Hop into bed and get some some room service and watch that movie.
I have to do that one.
Who do you think is going to win?
That's such a hard question. I seriously think every single one of them have the full capability to win. I seriously don't think I can say name. I think that every single one of them is so different that if they did win, they'd make amazing music and they they succeed in the industry. I seriously don't know if I can give you a name. Do you have a name?
Yes? No one cares what I've said. I mean, you can say you don't want to say that, which is fine.
Possibly Josh. But I think Phoebe and Royston have just as big of it. Like Phoebe has so much love around her and she's incredible, and same with Royston, has a huge community. He's so amazing. But yeah, I don't I really, I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I think it's going to be Josh. That's my theory because the groundswell for him just all of a sudden has become ridiculous, like it's out of control. And so my theory is that Royston and yourself have been so celebrated through the competition, and this is what happens in reality TV is that people get contestant fatigue and then they kind of go, oh, you know, I'm now ebisessed with this person. So I feel like that he's getting the strongest narrative to win.
He's also the sweetest person ever. Like, if you think he seems nice on TV, he's even nicer in real life. So he's so deserving and he's pretty cute.
Anyway, Well, I've got to let you go. But what's the best way that I can follow you and people listening to the podcast can follow your story?
Well, my Instagram is Amali dot Diamond. Diamond has no a by the way, and my TikTok is a Maley Diamond one and hopefully I can start releasing music and I'll post on my social media's and you guys can hopefully follow it.
Well, You've got a huge fan in me and I can't wait to see what happens next for you.
Thank you so much. Thank You're awesome.
A great chat with Amali and great to hear that she's been so positive about her future post Idol. Let's bring Ben into the podcast. Ben is always a fairly interesting boy, so I'm expecting some interesting perspectives on his time inside the Australian Idol bubble. Hey Ben, how are you?
I'm very well.
How are you doing very well? I get to talk to you one of the more interesting contestants for Australian Idol this year.
Oh sure, yeah, Well thanks.
For coming on the podcast and unpacking Australian Idol. How has the experience been for you.
I think the experience has been really amazing. I've enjoyed every step of it, behind the scenes and on camera and then sort of outside of the show. I think for me, I came onto the show, you know, as an individual, as something just to sort of sort of follow like a dream.
But ye know, it becomes bigger than that.
You've become like the part of the community, of the group of people who are supporting you, and I think that is really humbling.
You were kind of a little bit different to everyone on the show. You know, at times you seemed quite aloof you know, is that that's really who you are? And while you were watching the show back, did you try and change things up or were you like, this is just who I am.
I think that's just who I am. I may appear at look, you know, I'm thinking a lot. I'm very introspective. I'm thinking about each performance, and I work really hard and each performance every week everything is, you know, intentional, So I think that's just me. I think that, you know, a naturally very quiet person. But I also like to conserve my energy for the stage because I like to give everything on stage as well.
Yeah, you really came alive when you were doing your performances. Interesting. You know, yesterday I was listening to all of the performances that have been on the show so far in my car. I'd sort of downloaded them and had on my own MP three that I'd created, and I was listening to your voice compared to everyone else's and you know, you seemed more like an accomplished radio artist.
That's the goal, you know, yeah, of course on the radio. So yeah, I appreciate that.
You know, what sort of a growth do you think that you had? I mean, do you look at where you started and where you've gotten to and do you think that you've changed a lot?
I think I tried to be, you know, authentically myself, but I think there has been a confidence boost and probably a boost of self belief when I if I think back to the auditions, I wasn't one hundred percent.
I was one hundred percent sure this is what I want to do.
You know, I was one hundred percent sure if I had, you know, sort of the it factor to be on Australian Idol. It wasn't until I went into the audition and did it and that whole experience I thought, no, I can do this is fine, you know. So I think for me it's been sort of a growth of confidence and to just be like comfortable with myself and myself on stage.
And I mean it's been.
Great working with the creative teams and to also have the great team wardrobe each week working with them to create the look, so that's something that you know, I didn't really have the resources before Idle, but I think is something that's really important.
You know, what is it about yourself that you think resonated with your audience.
I think that an audience really appreciated somebody who's just them, but it's also doing and doing something that they're really passionate about as I am with singing, and think that they also support the underdog as well. I think that's
a big facet of Australian culture. I think that all of those things combined that they just enjoyed it and it was something maybe I hadn't seen before on TV, something a bit different, maybe something that they thought was refreshing, and they just liked to see me rocking out every week.
I think, did you feel a lot of pressure to fit into the Australian idol pop star mold that they were trying to create for you?
No, not at all.
I didn't ever feel pressure to feel put into a mold of being a pop star. I think from the get go they're like, you know, Bends is going to be Benn and we just have to support that because you know, I'm just going to be me. I don't think you could really put me in a mole.
They could try, but I don't think that that's even possible for you.
If you put me in a mole and you baked me, it would be an interesting batch, you know, So I think, don't bake me.
So what's been the most I don't know, like, what's the most common question, because I mean, you're such a recognizable person. I'm assuming walking down the street, you're getting a lot of interaction from the general public. What has the question most commonly been thrown to you?
A lot of people just go Benji. You know, everybody says my full name, which is you know, interesting. It's sort of like you know, in that sketch Charlie Murphy, like old David Pearl's sketch. It's like that with me. And but I think people ask me like, oh, how do you sing like that?
You know?
And it's not something like I can really put into like logical words, you know, for me, And it's it's not something that's it's something that I work really hard at, but I don't know, it's something that a lot of the time can be like taught or I think it's a lot of that rock and roll stuff is very visceral as very felt, you know, and it's more so like about an attitude and having that on stage and also working hard.
I think.
So it's very hard to answer that question of how do you sing like that? I think everybody has the voice and everybody has their own unique voice. So personally I would try and imitate people that I would hear, like on records, on CDs and things like that, and then it's sort of morphed into that.
I don't know.
I think you just got to find your own voice and your own style.
What was the journey with discovering your voice?
Well, I my first little musical experiences were like piano lessons when I was about maybe four or five, and that went to about sort of the maybe the end of primary school.
I did sing Robert Ducky you know that song.
You can sing a little bit of it now if you like your lit you make lots of.
Fun as saying that, and I came first out of everyone in the piano school. But in terms of in terms of the voice I had today, yeah, there's a lot of bonds goot, and trying to imitate his voice because I always thought that his voice is crazy.
And like, how does a man sing like that?
But in terms of how it came about, yeah, I was at Big Music at Crow's Nest. I was more sort of interested in playing guitar than singing. I'd sung a few times like this in front of friends, you know, when you have sort of like minded interest and you'll you know, listen to the same music. I didn't realize that that I could sing until I was put in the situation like with Big Music at one of their
summer school things. I think I sing it like thunderstrucktle something like this, and I sung it and like it sounded sounded really good, and said, oh, did you know you could sing? I said, well, not really, you know, but it sort of goes from there and sung ever since then?
Were your parents singers? Like is in do you come from a musical family?
No, my dad plays like a little bit of piano, but he plays like like sort of the first sort of musical things are like like a boogie woogie piano or you know, Jerry Lee lewis something that you throw on at a dinner party, you know what I mean. So those are my first of musical experiences hearing piano music.
Yeah, what has this been like? I mean last night, you've you've been on Idol, You're so close to getting there to the very end, but you have been eliminated. What's it been like since last night?
Well, last night was just go, go, go, go go.
You know, like it doesn't end when you get eliminated, especially in the top twelve. You keep going and for me now sort of planning what's happening next. So I want to keep the momentum of the show and everything, and a lot of people have gotten behind me, so I want to keep that. And people want to hear new music. So I'll be working on new music and be trying to play and get back to Queensland in Brisbane, the Gold Coast. If anybody's listening, I would love to
keep singing. I'm going to put a band together so we've got the full force.
You know, who's been your biggest champion throughout all of this experience on the show. Has it been the judges, has it been the producers? Has been your family? You know who's really championed you throughout this experience?
Girlfriend Nicole is really my rock.
It's been hard being away from from Nicole for all this experience. But she has come down every week for the performances, so that's been really nice to me. I think that's kept me really grounded, you know, when things can get very hectic.
So I really appreciate Nicole.
Does she read a lot a lot about what people are saying online? Is she influenced by what the general public are saying? You know? What? Is she feeding back to you.
What she's saying That a lot of people are supporting me. Of course, there's always people who don't want to That's fine.
How do you deal with those people? How do you deal with the people that aren't supportive?
Well, those people are an illusion like and they're just you know, accounts that are just generated on projected platforms. You know, so the opinion doesn't doesn't matter. Nobody has come up to me, you know, in the street and said, you know, you suck, you don't sing. You know, it doesn't phaze me.
These people are going to say all this stuff regardless, And if they're not saying anything, then maybe you're not resonating. You know, you've got to have the good and the bad. I guess what do you think might make this series better? Like, you know, you've just been through the whole process. If they roll into a series two, what do you reckon? Could they could add to it to make it better?
The great question.
It's hard to It's hard to say because because I feel, you know, I vaguely remember things from sort of your old series of Idol, I was a little bit younger. It's I would I would say maybe for the for the Top fifty week, I felt that the episode was very rush. There were two episodes sort of over for three days of like of singing, and to us it was it was like crazy and crazy days. I think for the show like that could have been a bit longer.
They could have been a few more episodes, But I'm not sure if they need to stick to a certain number of episodes per season.
I think the original you know, with the original series, we did learn to sort of get to know these people a little bit better through those earliest parts of the competition. You know, we fought for them and we learned who they were. Think that if they do roll into another series, I'd love to see more behind the scenes on how you guys are all going in the early part of the process.
Yeah, that's a great point, actually, because you know, the packages for the auditions. Yeah, some had longer, longer packages, but sometimes it was just like a thirty second sort of thing and you think, who is this person? So that's a good point, I think, because it always will come down to the public in the public deception of the of the contestant at the end of the day,
like the winner is chosen by the public. So yeah, early on, if they can get everybody to have like a full thing and really get to know to know, then they would be great.
I think there's a lot of people that really love you, Ben and they're going to want to follow your story. What's the best way for people to interact with you, you know, coming out of the competition.
Yeah, the best way to keep up to date with me and interact with me is following on socials, Instagram and TikTok with benshi Hi music. Yeah, so I'll be posting regular updates about what's happening, and yeah, if you live in the quin in the Brisbane area, I'll be I'll be back there, so I'll be doing doing heaps of shows and trying to get some of the going there.
I've been asking everyone who they think is going to win out of the top three, and one of the girls gave me their answer and so thank you for that. And the other girl refused because she couldn't. Who do you think is going to win? Not maybe who you want to win, but who do you think is going to take this competition out?
I will also refuse because I think that all three of them I deserve to win. And you know, it's been such an honor like getting to know them. It's been getting to know all of the contestants that have come through, but especially the top twelve.
It's like a family, you know. And they're amazing.
People, Josh, Phoebe and Royceman, and they've all got unique voices in their in their own right. I think they I wish that they could all win, be honest, like, and all get one hundred thousand dollars and all get the you know, all of that they deserve, like all the success.
Oh, it's a nice way to look at it. Can I just say thank you so much for your time and having this chat with me this morning. I've been really looking forward to talking to you because I think you brought something really interesting to the show, and I think you have a lot of interesting things to say. I'll be following you in on your Instagram and following your journey, but I wish you all the best of lot.
Thank you so much, Ben, I really appreciate it