It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV Reload the podcast last week that mine. Hey guys, welcome back to TV Reload. I want to thank you for clicking and downloading on today's episode with the country Boy Trent, one of the most talked about contestants on Australian Idol on Channel seven this year. He's actually probably one of the most talked about contestants that we've ever seen.
You know.
Twenty one years after Guys Sebastian pipped Shannanol to become the first Idol the International Star making reality TV sensation, It returned to Channel seven this year and if you've missed part one of the Grand Finale, you must catch up on it, which you can do on seven Plus. It was filled with amazing performances which I'm gonna watch again and again and again, which I've basically been doing today.
The competition this year was easily the toughest that we've seen since series one, and Trent was another shock exit from the likely winners that might have taken out this competition. He has a fan base like no other, so I'm excited to have him here today. We have some juicy team and how the show is made and how they would drive the contestants bonkers with countless reshoots. Trent will explain why he hasn't been having a secret relationship behind
the scenes and why he is actually still single. We will unpack the tension with Kyle Sandulans, and we'll also get his side of things when it came to his interpretation of the Kermit the Frog references. Plus we will discuss who he would like to see win and who he thinks is actually going to win in the grand finale tonight. There is so much to unpack with Trent and he was absolutely way cuter without his hat on.
I just want to say that. So sit back and relax as we dive just that little bit deeper into the world of Australian Idol. How are you good, Mite?
What's going on?
Well, I'm excited to be talking to you.
Can you see mehead?
You're almost unrecognizable.
Because you unders that the hard a brother.
Yeah, that's so strange. What a wild ride this has been. Considering that when I started following your story, they were like someone from Central Queensland is auditioning for idol and then to make it as far as you did, it's crazy.
Oh mate, wild, Like that's I don't even know the word too. Yeah, to sum it up honestly, just from yeah, just a kid who paid footy and worked and always saying but I just I never thought I had had what it took me. That's what took me so long to do it. But you know, to be on the stage the first time, and when I did, as soon as I was out there like a freak, but as soon as I just started talking, singing, and I was like, this is just this is where I want to be.
And then ever since then, mate, I feel like I've just yeah, gotten better each week and people love me. So it's Yeah, it's a really special feeling. It's one I'll I'll never forget forever.
How did you work out that you had this voice? Though? Like when you sing into the Camels? Did did your dad or your parents and they tell you that you could sing? Like, how did you know that you had a talent good enough to try and take it to a show like this?
Yeah, I think it was more.
I mean everyone sort of knew I could sing, and it was just sort of how it's honestly, like how all the stars aligned for it, like a lot of things happened at the time with me, just with things.
Like I'd be working and you know, I'd be thinking about it or something that pop up. And really what happened was the night before I applied, I was just in my own head and I was like, you know, what would I do if I got told like I had a month to live or I was just you know, I was working hard. I was just like, there's more to me than this. I was like, there's you know, I think this. I don't know what it did to come out a finger. I just like, yeah, I didn't
know what it was. And then they asked myself the question and I said I'd just love to sing and entertain. And I was like, but I just didn't think I'd ever have have the boss to do it, mate, So I yeah, I'll never forget it. I woke up that morning and the audition to Idol came out. I just I was brushing teeth or whatever, look in the mirror and I just thought, yeah, something just just clacked, and we just said that's I could not do it, and I didn't. I was hitting confirmed to do it, and
I'm just freaking out. I'm going, how am I going to do this. I couldn't even I'm doing a zoom call now and I had to sing to the person the first time, and I'm just freaking out and it was wild. It was wild, like to go from that, how I started to just singing and one of the nation in the world now, It's just it's crazy.
So the decision to have you seen and be placed right up against Dylan that must have been really nerve wrecking. Was that the most stressful performance? I mean, I know the votes had already been kind of tallied by that point and the decision to kind of been made, but to sort of be both put together like that, that must have been the hardest song to sing.
Me Mindset's pretty I've been pretty strong on the on the idol with you know, I don't think of better than anyone else. I've met friends and people that I'll stay closer to the rest of my life. And yeah, I just at that point, I was just like, you know, what what's done is done. The decision has been made. I gall out here and butcher it and still get through. So I was just like I was actually feeling good. Dylan's brilliant, you know, you know when I was like
paired with Dylan. I said, well, but we were backstage made it was all last it was all yeah, we weren't stressed because I knew that Australia was going to be in good hands either way. Mate. So and that's what I said Gall out there and he said the same thing, and just yeah, it's just the beginning, mate. So whatever happens with him further on, you know, he's going to be brilliant, and just like everyone else, you know,
it's just a platform in their careers. Now that I've just given us such a lift and advantage on a lot of people because I never thought I would have had me first gig on Australian Idol, Well that isn't.
The end of it. I mean, you know, it was so funny because Idol when it first started for a lot of people, you know, the series was never as good as the very first season, but you somehow reminded so many people of why Idol can be so popular. It was kind of that whole Shannon Noole experience. Like you were Shannon Nole two point zero, you'd be too young to remember this, but when Shannonole was on that show, even though he didn't win their popularity for that bloke
was catast like. It was just it was in a different sphere and I kind of feel like that's the same thing for you. And when Idol first started, if you look at that first series, we've got a lot of personalities, not just singers out of it. You know, Buy Sebastian, Shannon Nole, Courtney, act Rob Mills, Paulini, the list goes on. And it was because Australia idle is not necessarily always about finding the best voice. It's about
finding someone that Australia can fall in love with. And you've done that.
Yeah, you know to hear that and yeah, it's awesome. I don't think I'll ever take it for granted when someone says, you know, like along the lines and you said, man like, it's just it's crazy to think, you know, from not long ago to this it's and I love nausea or I followed nausea. I've probably watched his audition a million times and yeah, look what he did and yeah, it's boring.
You know, have you reached out to him, have you asked him any questions?
I probably have too many messages made. He probably didn't see.
Mine, Hey, Shannon, not pretty sure he's waiting for that thought.
He wmight have swung me a message by an earlier old budda, but he didn't.
Actually have his number. I'll text him after this and telling me to stop resting on his laurels, that he needs to get good.
It'd be good to have a chat and yeah, be good to jump date Monday hopefully. Well.
You know what was so funny about even having this conversation with you was that after last year's Idol. You know, there's a lot of celebrity shows that happened, and a lot of my friends do casting for them, and I kept saying to people, we've had a season of vityl you know, is there any of these contestants that you think would be good on one of these reality shows? And the answer after last year were no, you know,
they weren't interested. I had the same conversation this morning with someone who casts for these shows, and they were like, Trent is going to get picked up by something someone, because not only can you sing and you're very good at that, but you have a fan base and a personality that we aren't finished with. We want more.
No, thanks, mate, It means a lot. Yeah, that's the plan. And I know that I'm pretty hard on myself, but I know that I'll really start to wake up and you know, look in that mirror and go, you know, there's he's in there. There's something, there's something in there. And this has given me such a yeah, just like a yeah, I don't know, just an adrenaline feeling that I just yeah, I wake up of a morning with a smile on my face. It Yeah, it's being bigger than ever.
So I just if you're not on Dancing with the Stars twenty twenty five, I will give you one hundred dollars and I'm going to give you the zoom virtual handshake on this my friend. I it's gonna happen. But if you get on that show, you owe me a hundred bucks.
Absolutely it would be good man. But yeah, obviously me singing is me. I'd I love performing. I didn't. And that's the thing. I just threw myself in the deep end. And yeah, I was either going to swim with Droum, but I think I think I swum.
So you swam.
He swam to the like, went around the corner, went over the rocks, went under the log.
You know two contestants from Central Queensland. You know, has been pretty awesome to see on this season. Did you guys even know each other?
Like? Na now old Denver and I know we didn't funny that because I think I think Denny's a year older than me. I think. But no, she's brilliant, like hats off tour. You know she's brilliant. You know she knows what she's done, she's been in the game, and you know her personality is unique to you, like you can't miss her. There's only one Denver, There's only one denber Well.
Can I tick her off the list? Because you know, Carl Sandaland seems to have put out like a bit of a bounty on a secret relationship that is apparently happening behind the scenes of idol. And I'm pretty sure when those rumors came out that you were on everyone's bingo card, but no one could find out who you must have had this relationship with. So can we just remove Denver from the list.
No, there's no relationship. There's no relationships. I'm not thatcessilly mate. The last one did me dirty, and I tell you what, I won't be looking for another one for a while, mate.
So there's no so you had no nothing at all because you know, I've got a theory that you have hooked up with one of the other contestants. It's my theory. It could be wrong, and you decided not to reveal that to all of the young women out there in Australia who are obsessed with you. Thought maybe that's going to affect, you know, them voting for you because they want to envision that they can be your wife one day. So you've sort of kept it away. So that's not the truth.
No, no, mate, on mom. Yeah, as I said, you know, it's good to laugh about. But now this is the only time I've ever done something in my life I feel like really for me and I don't want to. Yeah, I mean, if something comes along, maybe, but I'm just really focus at the moment and I don't want to take one step back and just no distraction. And yeah, but as I said, the one comes along, you know, you don't choose your full love with so one pops along and I can't help it or so be it.
But until then, I'm, yeah, mate, just going to really try and get some songs out. I've got a heap of songs written ready to go. So I can't wait to share the world of yeah a bit a bit more me.
So is it true that you're already attached to touring with the country music festival? Is that something that people can start to look forward to? Are you already attached to a music festival coming out?
Yes? I wouldn't. Yeah, I don't like saying I just didn't know, like mate, honestly, like I had people come up for gigs and things and that, and I've never even sold a gigs. I didn't even know what to charge. I didn't you know, I probably shouldn't tell that because people probably take advantage of it. But I'm not an idiot.
I've got me wits about me, and I know people say it's you know, but yeah, I'm just like at the moment, I was like, look, you know, I just got to wait to litle finishes and I just got to take us on this first. And then you know, I was freaking out because I'm like They're like, oh, what do you want mate? This? And that, I'm like, what do I do? I'll play the guitar, but I'm
not I don't know IM good enough? Do I bring me on mike'st indor I bring them I didn't know, Like I don't even know me do I bring a bar stild to sit on his lunch provided or Yeah, so a lot to a lot to think about, a lot to take him. But I just there. I can't wait, man, it was Yeah, I'm really going to try. I don't think I'll be going back to the coal mine or the camera farm anytime soon, I hope.
So I'm just picturing the camels have been put to work. Now they will be opening your fan maut. That's what the camels are doing back there.
Oh yeah, those families would be more famous than they ever were. Now that's wild, man, it's wild. But I just can't wait to Yeah, just really like you know, like do it myself in the sense like you carry from my first experience of the music to make up and everything planned for you. And you've got producers, you've
got all the TV that make you look good. They do this, they do that, and you know you don't realize, well I haven't yet, but I know coming from Idol now back to no Idol, like, it's not going to be it's not going to be easy. I don't expect to walk in the park and the hand out I know that I'm going to. Yeah, I got to really work hard at it and even meet vocals and keep
keep getting some lessons. You know. That was probably my best thing I did is throughout the Shale, I think, yeah, I think the judges, yeah, were starting to enjoy it, like they liked it. But just you know, just who I was up against, you know, yeah, but I wasn't the biggest vocal was so it never really bothered me because I know that what I had. I believe that I had something that a lot of the others didn't, and that was just me, you know.
So you're so humble, Like this is one of my favorite things about you, Like something that you got from your family, from your dad. I don't know, Like what how do you have your head screwed.
On like this? Mate? When you get to name me, you'll think I'm a half with No, It's just I
don't know, mate. I feel like I've been through I've been through a lot of heartbreaking a lot of ways, and I've seen a lot of things that and just the day and age of the world and everything that I hear and what's going on in this and I just you know, I stick by everything havings for reason in life too short, and I just you know, I remember when I was a kid and had a dream and now it's sort of done it Like I just I can't even describe how like I don't even yeah,
like just to go from what I did to that is just I still it just still blows me mind, mate, Like I know me so for five six years or would have never I couldn't even see in front of my dad like I couldn't. I couldn't just pull look at and it just all clicked. But really I was just like on that plane, I never forget I nearly didn't even get on the plane new best mates, Like mate,
you got to go, and you got to go. Like I was freaking out because I put myself in a position where I don't even if I'm going to be able to go down there in an audition to open the mouth and seeing or forget words or freaking out, freaking out. But comes back to Evingham for a reason, mate, And yeah, there's the best thing I ever did in my life. And it was the most special I've ever felt.
So there were these huge rumors that you had this big fan base, right, so people were starting to say, yesterday, do you think that the way that they changed the way in which the audience could vote changed or affected the way in which you didn't make it to the finale. But it's so funny. While I talked to you today about this, I realized how ridiculous sometimes some of these theories.
Are that yeah, people, I get that, and I'm someone you know I could cop defeat. And that's the thing. It's defeat, but it's not like I won, like within
myself and everything I know I want. And that's why I'm so okay with it all because it's a part of the like I knocked out half of the Top twelve, which is all brilliant, Like the live show is as massive, Like I was going for an audition mate, like I didn't think I'd get to the top fifty, Top thirty, Top twenty one, top twenty four, top this, Like it's just yeah, just nat.
I think you know, Kyle's comments kept you in the competition, so to speak, because I felt like people kept voting for you with him being as savage as he was sometimes and calling you come with the frog, Like I think in some way that indeed you as well. And it reminded mate.
Yeah, I think when I first I think I first heard the word and on stage is tree you know when you sing your heart out and you know. But then the part of me clicked and it was good. I made a comment when he said it, and Ricky's fed. I said, oh, yeah, I think I did did a good job or right or something, and she goes what I said. Well, some people liked it, some people didn't, you know, but like that's the way we live in mate, Like I can't sit down. I was. I was a
bit like afterwards. I was like, ah, you know, because it's not it's the comment, but it's then that gets broadcasted across Australia like it's live television, like and then you're worry about people buying into the judges comments and this. But and that's the thing I thought, you know what I've been told worse mate, and I just thought, I'm not going to sulk about it. I'm going to use
it to my advantage. And yeah, I made a bit of a video with me and Kermit and had had a bit of a laugh about it, and that was the way to go about it. I think it worked in my faith was and a lot of people like that's a true who was a young lad sense of humor? Like, so that was good. I loved it.
Redetermined the way people are using it to a certain extent, Yeah, working it to your advantage.
And that was funny too, because after he said it, he was like, you know, I can't stop here in kurrent the frog and everyone was like in the crowd went boom, and he's like, hey, nothing wrong with Kermit. I don't know why you're doing kerbitt, it's just there. It was funny.
But are you getting along with Carl Sanderlance?
Like?
What was what was this? What was the deal behind the scenes?
No, it was good, you know, and I know at the end of the day, I don't know what happens behind closed doors, mate, but I know he's got a job to do. And but no, I think, you know, beside everything else, you know, I think his heart's in the right place, and and he has He's seen a lot, you know, he props a bit of shit from people, but you know, the means he's pretty successful and he's
you know, he's doing well. He's seen a lot of talent and a lot of shows, so you know, you take you take it on board, whether you like to admit things or not. I just think listening was my biggest thing on the show. I just tried to listen as much as I could, and yeah, I think that's important.
But no, he's he was good mate. We got to have that day on the boat with him, which was nice and you know, have a chat and you know, so I think if you said that me audition, it probably would have cut me a bit more when it come after me gaining confidence, being stronger, being this in myself. I was okay about it, like the in the moment, Yeah we got the job because I thought, oh shit, here we go, like you just you think you're gone,
you think you're gone. But and then don't get me wrong, mate, And I'm the only bugger on that show that everyone got bloody good confidence compared to what I did. You know, like I week and week out, you know, Trent your vocal or whatever it was, or you're this and this and last night he's like, look, I don't know how you got here. He's like, I don't know how you got here, but you got to here. And then everyone gets told their record they're going to get records and
all this and that I didn't get. Yeah, I was just okay, I just grinded it out. May let him get a fast pass, or I say I did it the old fashioned way.
So I think it all comes down to this question. Now, who do you think is actually going to win tonight? Oh God, if you were going to put all your money and all your camels on, who's going to take this out? Who do you think it's going to be?
Oh? You know what, Like i'd say if I genuinely thought, but maye, I have no idea.
Come on, you know you've got to put something down. If I'm honest, I think it could easily be Amy.
I'm surprise if Amy wins it.
That is who I think. I think that's who it's going to be. I think it could be Dylan.
Dylan and Dylan and Denver are brilliant, you know, with the countriness in Denver and and Dylan himself. You know, mate, he's got these things a lot of good luck. They're just brilliant. I just think Amy's probably left more of a Definitely, I don't know. And it depends you look at it like you look at it like that, you say, oh, probably the most consistent probably this or But then you go, but do people resonnate are they Are they reaching out
to their fans? Are they reaching And that's what I think I give Gillott, Dylan and Denver as they reach out to their fans, they make the effort they you know, and there's a lot that goes a long way. And that's one thing I tried to tell myself is whether the liking a comment is you know, if it takes a millisecond ed of my day to just do it to make someone else like it goes a long way? Like it really does. And I know that I.
Actually saw that on Instagram yesterday. You liked someone's comment and then they reposted it and all they re screen grabbed it and showed that you know, you'd liked their posts. I'm so excited trends like my post.
Yeah, it's wild crazy.
Everyone who joins the podcast gets asked this question, what is something from behind the scenes, something that is like a bit of a behind the scenes secret from your time on Australian idol.
Not in a bad way, but you probably repeat yourself about a million dollars when I learned. You know, I watch the show and that I'm like, oh, I am a live verdict show, why it goes or whatever there is stop start, and even the packages, like the producers like cats too, you know, rather put question in the answer to answering the question this and that uk you ask you a question answered oh, and they can't say that or that's probably too long and you say that
a little bit shorter words and take oh mate. But I had a great shared out told Jess and Chris they were they were amazing, you know, they and they were you know, it was. It is stressful sometimes, you know, but yeah, and then the way to look at it is they're doing their job and they're doing it for me to make me look good. It's only to benefit me, doesn't benefit them. So got to yeah, you got to got to give them that credit.
So I'm going to have to I'm going to have to let you go because I'm over time. But I just want to say thank you so much for everything that you did by being a part of Idol this year. You were one of my favorites and so good to watch every year. I just remember with the show like this, you know, getting on and getting as far as you have.
It's kind of like an invitation to what you can do with your career next, and like a lot of Australians at the moment, I'm just really excited to see whether or not you take that invitation and to see where see where this all go.
Thanks man, I really appreciate that. I know, yeah, I'll just work out it to getting better and I can't wait. Mate.
Well, look after yourself and you too, man, thanks to chat.
I really appreciate it.
That was amazing. Thank you look after yourself. Thanks for being so jerous with your time.
No, don't worry, never was, don't stress. Thanks man,