MARSHALL HAMBURGER - AUSTRALIAN IDOL - CHANNEL SEVEN

It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week Neverlight. Hey guys, welcome back to TV Reload. I want to thank you so much for clicking and downloading on today's episode, especially because this episode is a special one. I am joined by none other than the winner of Australian Idol twenty twenty five. It is Marshall Hamburger. This season was stacked with talent

Hi, mate, how are you?

I'm very good. I'm very excited to be talking to you. Like honestly, I felt like there was a concert in my house last night and I don't think that I've had my television up that loud in a very long time, and a large part of that is thanks to you.

Thank you man.

Are you've a little bit overwhelmed? I mean from talking to everyone this week? Have you lost your mind?

I honestly can't believe it, really like it. It's crazy that is all happening. You know.

I want to know what you remember from that Grand Finale night, because I think live television does this very strange thing to your brain where you're kind of drinking in all the colors and you can hear all the sounds, but then when you sit back and you think about what the hell just happened, you struggle to remember anything.

Yeah, honestly, yeah, that was I mean, I was kind of thinking, what the hell just happened? On stage? I was just thinking. I was like, do they actually say my name? Am I just dreaming?

The winner.

Of Australian Idol twenty twenty five is mysel hand.

When this season started, I had this chat with Ricky Lee cooled her and I didn't see or speak to Amy Shark, but I did see her do an interview and both of these women they could not get your name out of their mouth. Like this was early days in the promotion of this season of Idol. This was not even before the live shows. You know, does it help? Do you think having a host and a judge be on your side throughout the competition?

It is? It is amazing that those two women were so kind I had it a chat to them after the show Anderson Ricky dressing room with them. They's a man, It's so cool. You know, you're you're a real artist and I'm I'm excited to see what you do in the future. And that was just so cool to hear it directly from them, and you know, to just sit down and have a chat with them after the show. It was just a complete honor having a beer with Amy Shark.

You know, the funny thing about watching Australian idol is if you don't know these people, if you haven't met Kyle Marsha, Amy Scott and Ricky, you don't know how genuine these people truly are. Like the way that you see them on television, you could probably assume they're making that they're putting on an act. I want to know did you manage to ask them for their mobile numbers? Like do you have celebrity phone numbers coming out of your ears right now?

I don't have celebrity phone numbers. I do I do. I do have the phone numbers of the musical. I do the PHNT number of the musical director of the man. But I will have to I have to answer Rick Gillian Scott for their numbers for the future.

I'm sure. I'm sure they'll help you out with that. They'll keep you on speed dip.

I'm sure.

There was a huge gasp when there was the top three going down to two. And that's really a stressful environment to be in because you have been living with these other two girls day in and day out, not only for the last few months, but especially in the last week that.

I houltimately mean, so we have to say goodbye to one of the biggest stars of the competition and one of the greatest voices we have had on this show, Jisella.

What was the reaction like in that moment when Gizella was eliminated?

It was it was honestly just shock. You know, I didn't, I didn't, I don't know. It. It's weird. It's a weird feeling because on one hand, you're celebrating because it's like, oh, you're through to the next round. But on the other hand, you're like, well, that's just someone, that's someone that was one of my one of my best friends, and that they they just you know, they just got it's got eliminated. It's it's a weird feeling. It's a bit of Yin and yang.

You know.

I had three text messages turn up on my phone as soon as it happened, saying shock. That's what it is, the capital letters shock. Now these three people are completely unrelated, so it seemed to be a massive shock for the Australian audience to be able to see Gisella getting eliminated? Was it a shock to the three of you? And I'm curious to know, did going into this finale, did you have any expectation of what the order would be in how you know the eliminations would happen.

I mean, honestly, it was really hard to tell who would make it to the final two because we're all such different artists, So it was really it was it wasn't like which one of us does does this genre better? It's really which which kind of style did Australia like This year? Was really hard to tell. I know this, this whole season was really unpredictable. No, I sort of. I had thoughts in my mind about who we get through and those thoughts were absolutely crushed and thrown to

I actually think then I've got a bit of a theory, but I actually think that we all thought you were going to be there. I'm going to be really honest, like, I don't think anyone who saw you on the first day, that watch those live performances this season thought there would be anyone.

Else like, yeah, oh, well that that's pretty cool to hear. I mean, I mean I always hoped, I always hoped that I would I don't honestly just hope i'd get to the top twelve. Honestly, So it's I mean to get to be at the end of it, and you know, hold the title is honestly just it's absolutely honor and I'm just so thankful and shocked.

Would you say that this is going to be a bit of a flex for you? You know that you are the winner of Australian Idol. Do you think that's going to help you in the dating world? Like, are you going to use that to get into clubs? Are you already thinking about how are you going to use this flex outside of just being a musician? Ah?

Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, this is definitely definitely something that will be on my resume forever. Yeah, honestly, honestly, it's just so cool. I just can't believe that I've been that I was lucky enough to be in that sort of hall of fame of Australian idol winners. I just I can't believe it.

I think this couldn't have happened to a nicer person. Even just talking to you right now. I think when we saw your relationship with your parents, your mom's got one of those faces where you just feel like that you know her, and your dad looks like such a sweetheart as well. I kept turning around to my partner actually and saying, you know, I actually think I've met Marshall Hamburger's mother, Like, does she have one of those faces that people seem to think that they know.

Yes, definitely, one hundred percent.

I don't think got that love for music from my parents. Growing up with such talented musicians in my household, it was so helpful when it came to actually wanting to pursue music, because I had access to these people who very skilled at their craft, but they're also my parents, and they actually also want to help.

And we were for free and you're free.

Yeah, it don't cost any money, which is really good.

And so your parents were like musicians growing up, and I'm curious about the type of music that they must have been listening to, because I kind of feel like you were raised on eighties tracks we saw during the live shows. You seem to have a very good understanding of the pedigree of that genre.

Yes, so, so back in the day, they did a lot of music around around just around the globe. Actually, they did a there were a covers band, and they took to it around the world at different hotels, doing residencies, meeting some really cool people, doing big concerts, and yeah, it's just all the above. They wrote some original music as well. And then I think when they were in India, I was conceived and I was born, and yeah.

Did you think that they had any idea in their careers or raising you that you were the prodigal sign, like you were going to become this musician.

No, my mom was actually talking to me about it a bit earlier before. She was like, she was like, oh no, when I was really little looking apparently, I was like coming coming coming her like a flute line of a classical track that I just heard, and and Mom was like, oh, yeah, oh, babies do this. Because I was at first She's like, oh yeah, oh, babies

Black They to be as the testol Clossie plaster test colt on little clothes. So I'm John Bag too. I don't understand. There's no such a thing as preferred as the Day's girl by it went when on before, It doesn't matter day sad.

You know what I really loved about you throughout this competition is the way that you continued to flip these eighties tracks, like the Darryl Braithway song. I can't tell you how many times I've actually listened to that version of the song. All of these songs that were flipped from their eighties they kind of transported me back to my childhood because I was actually born in nineteen eighty,

I mean, yeah, I mean I always sort of thought that, you know, to have to want to you know, when I came to the competition, that the main thing I wanted to do was do cool music. But I knew that if I wanted to do cool music that people knew,

Is your playlist actually filled with eighties tracks like Richard Mars? Like are you listening to Richard Marks? Over listening to musicians like Drake and Benson Boone?

Yeah, how are you? I'm listening? My favorite Richard Marks track of all time is Keep Coming Back and the Summer Nights. Those are my two favorite Richard Mark songs. And you know, I've listened to tons and tons of Toto and yeah, just all Michael McDonald's Deevie Wonder all of the above.

I love the mention of Endless Summer nights. I have such a strong connection to that song. I live in an apartment in Melbourne and I had this guy that lived downstairs for I don't know, like eight to ten years, and he'd bought a guitar. I don't think he was a musician. I don't think he was very good with his guitar, but he would just play the same riff you know from that song again and again, and it's kind of one of my favorite eighties tracks. It never really bothered me.

Oh there you go. That's a great song.

It's actually probably not the right time to talk about this because this is all very fresh, But have you thought about how you're going to step outside of the Australian Idol the reality TV side of things and craft career as a musician.

Yeah, well, I mean I've been writing a lot of songs. I write a lot of songs before Idol, and I was writing a lot of songs during Idol as well. So I'm really sort of getting to work on diginal album to release and get that produced and ready to release of the public, and then get ready for a get a show together and get that ready to sort of take on tour.

Well, does Channel seven or Australian Idol producers. Do they offer you management, Like, how does that work now that you've come out of the show.

I think I'm with him. I think I'm talking about to talk to a management company. The management company that with Idle has entertainment and so sort of don't have a chat about the future and you know, our plans for what's going to happen in the next couple of

Do you actually know at this stage whether they're going to be just the short versions that you sung on the show or have you actually already been into the recording studio and had those songs recorded as longer versions like the extended version for the album.

I think I think that just pretty much just as the as you heard on idol was like a little bit of a little bit of cleaning up to make them really polished. And yeah, so it be really cool. I'm actually excited to I'm excited to Rea hear it as well.

I would just say this week has just been this week will be just crazy for you coming off the back of an Idol win. I want to know, like, what are you going to do to celebrate? Man?

Like?

Do you go out and have a drink? Are you just going to get onto the gaming? Like for a person like yourself, what do you do to celebrate something as amazing as this?

Well, I'm going to really relax for a bit, play play a couple of video games. I haven't not played a single video game for like two months.

People probably won't believe that it's you, right, They'll be like, I can't believe that I'm gaming against Marshall Hamburger or.

No, probably not.

I'm probably going to sound like such a boomer when I say this, but I'm assuming you have a handle, like a name that you play with. Are you allowed to tell me who your alias is?

My alias that I use a lot on PlayStation is called Rosanna Year.

Yeah, you know, you know what, Marshall, I think I could probably talk to you forever. And honestly, I'm so excited for you. I've been on this journey with you right from the start. I think that Australia has one hundred percent picked the right person. And you know what, Marshall, you know when I finished this podcast, every time I ask people for a behind the scenes secret, I'm wondering, can you help me? What's a behind the scenes secret from your idle journey?

Behind the scenes secret? Well, I know, I mean, I mean, there were lots of I tell you, there were lots of watch parties of the show happening, and I'll I'll make William's room and Jake Joe dead for lots of parties James's room as well.

Is there a leader of the pack amongst the top twelve, like who's Queen Bee at the top that sort of sets the tone for what everyone's doing.

I don't know, honestly, I don't know. It is hard to tell. I mean, Jack, but Jaimen is a funny bugger. He's always he's always got a guitar. He's like he's like he's like guys. I wrote a song yesterday he's like, yeah, he's like chilling around, like playing his guitar, and you know, there's honestly, and I list I was just sort of sort of like a sort of but she sort of hangs around in the background. I don't think what they said in her packackets the last night was a perfect description.

She absolutely killed it. And I have to say to you, I am a little obsessed with Eilish as well, so I will be following her idol journey post all of this idle madness. But Marshall, you are our twenty twenty five winner and I'm thrilled, absolutely thrilled to have had the chance to chat with you today. So wishing you all the best with what is about to happen next.

Thank you so much, I thank you for having me