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Australian Idol 2023

I actually like the inclusion of Kyle not just for being like the old days, but because he isn’t a pop star/musician himself. His track record as a record label executive isn’t exactly great and I don’t imagine he has much musicality himself but he is across the industry very well and would see every artist come and go. I think the panel can’t be entirely musicians personally. At least even Mark Holden was probably more successful behind the scenes than as a working s recording artist.
 
Australian Idol has definitely produced more stars than any other talent format in this country. I hope it stays that way, but with the nature of TV these days, I'm concerned that might not be the case.

I haven't watched the US version for years, but are they still producing stars?

American Idol hasn't produced a single successful winner/non winner since Phillip Phillips won all the way back in 2012.
 
American Idol hasn't produced a single successful winner/non winner since Phillip Phillips won all the way back in 2012.
And even then his success has been pretty moderate. One hit song and a few others that did alright.

I'm honestly shocked Idol is nothing more than just a TV show to Disney. Considering all the resources Disney have at their disposal I'd have thought they'd take full advantage of the show.
 
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Adam Lambert perhaps their last breakout star, and that was 2009.

As for Aus Idol glad to see they seem to be doing a proper audition tour rather than bringing everyone to Sydney or Melbourne.
 

So Auditions kicking off this week around the country, which will be down to the Top 50 by 26th October.

Assuming they'll cut down to the top 12 by Christmas? Then back to live shows in 2023.
 
I also heard Kyle confirm on his radio show that it'll be Sunday performances / Monday results show.
 
Theres also how the format was so fresh and new way back when the general public just ate up anything they put out even remotely related to the show and it lit up the charts, in a way that the winners single (if there even is one some years) would be lucky to chart in the Top 100 on ITunes let alone the main chart.
Look at 2004 alone, which had a whopping 26 or something number one singles on the ARIA Charts, and iirc around 9 of them were from Idol product. The EOY #1 was Shannon Noll's version of What About Me.

Think about the most showstopping performance from the season of The Voice just gone (as its our only focused on singing talent show left until Idol returns). Imagine whatshisface (Lachy? was it who won amidst his own 'wheres the DIVERSITY???' mini scandal thats everyones already forgotten about) releasing it if the show was anywhere near as novel and popular as Idol was back then.

You can even compare it against the first season of The Voice here in 2012. Things were charting left right and centre, and Karise Eden even reached #1 on the actual chart, but funy enough not with her winner's song but the studio version of one of her best performances a few shows prior - but you have to remember back then buying the songs off Itunes accounted for extra votes for your faves, and as it was the first season, the hype and novelty of it was at a high.

On the other hand you have those that were a bit later on but just were able to capture the moment and be in the right place right time, like One Direction blowing up and capitalising on their success, or non-winners that took some time away and re-entered the scene in a bit of a different lane - Like Matt Corby.

I looked up a recent morning show interview Kate DeAraugo did last year talking about how she recovered from going off the rails a couple years ago - she's doing music again but 'its not for anyone else' removing all that spotlight and doing construction industry certificates on the side.

It's a bit of a mix and you never know its what you make of it or how much the artist is wanting to keep chasing and putting stuff out there.
 

So Auditions kicking off this week around the country, which will be down to the Top 50 by 26th October.

Assuming they'll cut down to the top 12 by Christmas? Then back to live shows in 2023.
Will be interesting if they just pick the Top 12 or we will still have the Semi Finals/Wildcard group stages live as well. Maybe not if they would then cut down the amount of Live shows like the voice does.
 
I’d hardly call being a second rate stand-in for Freddie Mercury “breakout stardom”.

He has made more money doing sold out concerts with Queen than he ever could have on his own and most people know who he is. I would call that stardom, even if it's not with his own material.

He has also achieved a #1 album in the US (the first openly gay artist to do so) and two of his other albums reached #3 in the charts. His song Whataya Want From Me was a worldwide hit and more recently his 2015 song Ghost Town was fairly successful too ( #1 in Poland, #2 in Australia, #2 in CIS, #3 in Russia and top 10 in a further 6 countries).
 
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Theres also how the format was so fresh and new way back when the general public just ate up anything they put out even remotely related to the show and it lit up the charts, in a way that the winners single nowadays (if there even is one some years) would be lucky to chart in the Top 100 on ITunes let alone the main chart.
EDIT: Should mention Winners single in recent years
 
In those days it wasn't just the winners and runners up who were great. Artists could exit mid-season a still become a breakout star. (Guy Sebastian, Anthony Callea, Casey Donovan, Shannon Noll, Jessica Mauboy being the former, Ricki Lee, Paulini as the latter). Even winners who didn't quite forge long-term careers out of it still had the talent (Cosima DeVito, Kate DeAraugo, Em Rusciano, Stan Walker, Dean Geyer).
 
He has made more money doing sold out concerts with Queen than he ever could have on his own and most people know who he is. I would call that stardom, even if it's not with his own material.

He has also achieved a #1 album in the US (the first openly gay artist to do so) and two of his other albums reached #3 in the charts. His song Whataya Want From Me was a worldwide hit and more recently his 2015 song Ghost Town was fairly successful too ( #1 in Poland, #2 in Australia, #2 in CIS, #3 in Russia and top 10 in a further 6 countries).
I acknowledge this is a controversial opinion, but it is my opinion: I enjoy him singing Queen songs better than Freddie 🫣

Adam has an incredible voice. I’ve seen him live many times, both with Queen and Solo. The Queen set at the Fire Fight concert in 2020 was spine tingling! (And I also saw him with Queen the night before).

I watched his season on Idol and he was my absolute fave from the audition. As was Guy Sebastian and Ricki-Lee on their seasons.
 
Adam Lambert is definitely successful! I feel like anyone who can remain in the industry and essentially be a standalone artist that people don’t think of as being from from Idol (or wherever) is undoubtedly a success. There are a few who have still done very well and are still working but for whatever reason still seem like idol alumni to me.
 
I remember when a few former idol contestants were appearing on both the voice and the X factor in the same year, kind of odd. But very tropical of the voice to try and recruit the former artists who didn’t quite make it. And reigan derry appeared on idol and then X factor, she is doing reasonably well these days (and also weirdly performed on the X factor as the musical guest a few years before appearing as a contestant) but I still associate her with those shows
 
I remember when a few former idol contestants were appearing on both the voice and the X factor in the same year, kind of odd. But very tropical of the voice to try and recruit the former artists who didn’t quite make it. And reigan derry appeared on idol and then X factor, she is doing reasonably well these days (and also weirdly performed on the X factor as the musical guest a few years before appearing as a contestant) but I still associate her with those shows
I haven’t followed her post show but I vividly remember Reigan singing I Wish I Was a Punk Rock Girl
 
I remember watching this and falling in love with Reigan. There really was something magical about idol. The production didn’t overshadow the performance.

 
I was a massive Emily Williams stan back in the '05 Season and tbh at the time was a bit bummed out she lost to Kate and only released stuff as part of Young Divas and not solo with the Runner up blowing up like Shannon Noll and Anthony Callea did before, and Jess Mauboy afterward (at least we got that from her though). But Kate had some great songs on that winners album, including the Veronicas written 'Faded'.
 
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