Australian Idol

Talking to Australian Idol Stan Walker

On Sunday 22 November 2009, 19 year old Stan Walker’s life changed forever. He became the 2009 Australian Idol.

Since then life has been a frantic mix of recording, performing and promotional appearances. His first single Black Box was an instant hit. His album Introducing Stan Walker was released in early December.

How good is he really? International superstar Michael Bublé was one of the guest mentors for Australian Idol 2009 and after meeting Stan and hearing him sing he said, “That voice is like God kissed his throat. It’s hard when you’re a singer and you meet a better singer than you and you have to come up and mentor them.” After one performance during Idol he left Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte speechless. Joel said that listening to Walker sing made him want to sing R&B music and Benji said he’d watch him perform wheather he won the competition or not. Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy told Stan that if he had no where to go after Idol to give him a call.

Stan joined me in the studio this morning on 98.5 Sonshine FM. You can hear our conversation by clicking on the play button of the audio player at the bottom of this post.

We spoke about a range of subjects including his music, staying grounded, and growing up within a broken and dysfunctional home. Stan has been quoted as saying that he wants people to connect with more than just his music.

I really want to represent Polynesian people, Aboriginal people, and other ethic groups of people who have to deal the same kind of issues in their communities, but at the very same time I also want to represent all the young Australians who may also be finding things a little more difficult than others. It’s not about where you’re from, it’s about who you are – my goal is to show people that through the struggle there is definitely a brighter future on the other side. I’m one of those broken people who’ve gained everything through my experience, and I want to show everyone that it’s possible if you stay true to who you are. I really believe that talent can take you so far, but it’s your character that can take you all the way.

Stan Walker is someone who’s not afraid to speak very openly about his faith and the place of God in his life. He talked about his decisions being based on prayer and the wise advice of church leaders and mentors.

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Australian Idol not returning in 2010

Jan 10th, 2010

by Rodney Olsen.

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It’s provided some great television over the years and highlighted some excellent talent but it seems that the good times are over for Australian Idol.

News.com.au is reporting, “Australian Idol will be the first TV casualty of the year, with the former ratings juggernaut to be ‘rested’ for 2010.”

3.34 million people sat glued to their televisions when Guy Sebastian won the premiere series in 2003. Just 1.4 million viewers watched Stan Walker’s walk away with the title of Australian Idol in the 2009 finale. A drop of almost two million viewers would suggest that Australia has lost interest in the talent show.

The series has certainly had its critics but there is no denying that the show has brought some extremely talented performers to our attention. Guy Sebastian’s first single, Angels Brought Me Here was recently named as Australia’s highest selling song of the decade. You might put that down to the hype surrounding the first series of Australian Idol, but that can’t explain the fact that his recent hit, Like It Like That, was the highest selling Australian artist song and 6th highest selling song overall in Australia in 2009. Like It Like That is also being used in a number of US television shows. Six years later and Guy is still selling CDs by the truckload.

The series has had its ups and downs and not all series winners have gone on to bigger and better things but even finalists who didn’t reach the final few have continued to make a mark on the entertainment world to varying degrees.

No official announcements have been made yet and those closest to the show are still refusing to confirm anything. Though it would seem unlikely that we’ll see Australian Idol on our screens again, no one has ruled out a come back.

“Ten is going to rest Australian Idol for 2010,” a source said.

“They will make a decision towards the end of 2010 as to whether it will return in 2011.

“They have asked (production company) Fremantle (Media) for ideas on how to relaunch in 2011.”

Channel 10 refused to comment and Fremantle did not return calls yesterday. – News.com.au

I’ve certainly enjoyed chatting to many of the people involved in the show on my 98.5 Sonshine FM morning radio programme including judges Dicko and Marica Hines as well as contestants such as Guy Sebastian, Cosima, Paulini, Damien Leith, Dean Geyer, Chris Murphy, Natalie Gauci, Carl Riseley and Wes Carr.

There have been some wonderful moments over the years but it looks like the journey is all but over. We’ll miss Australian Idol but thankfully we can still enjoy some great music that we would never have heard if the series had never made its way to our living rooms.

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Shaping up with Dicko

Nov 5th, 2009

by Rodney Olsen.

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We first met Ian ‘Dicko’ Dickson when the first series of Australian Idol burst onto our television screens. Back then he was sometimes referred to as the nasty judge but the nation has since well and truly warmed to him. Dicko had worked in the record industry for 20 years and brings a wealth of experience to his role as an Idol judge.

Recently he has taken on the battle of the bulge and so far has lost 7kilograms at the half way point of his weight loss programme. he realised it was time to do something when a doctor told him that if he continued the way he was going he’d cut five years off his life.

I didn’t have concerns about my health at all. But when a medical professional tells you that you are obese and it will cut short your life you take it seriously.

Dicko has become the face of Jenny Craig’s Jen4Men programme, encouraging blokes to look after themselves and drop a few kilos. You can follow Dicko’s weight loss journey online.

It was my pleasure to talk to Dicko during my radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM this morning. You can hear our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

We talked about losing weight, getting in shape and the current season of Australian Idol. Dicko also gave his tip for who will win this season of Idol.

I’m thinking that I could do with following the Jen4Men programme for a while but I doubt that Jenny Craig will be calling me anytime soon to become the next face of Jen4Men.

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Like It Like That

Oct 28th, 2009

by Rodney Olsen.

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He’s just turned 28 and his music keeps getting better. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before he breaks the lucrative US market.

You’d have had to be living under a rock in Australia to have not heard of Guy Sebastian. From his rise to fame on the first season of Australian Idol to his recent, incredible, number one single Like It Like That, he’s certainly enjoyed the popularity his talent deserves.

But in the US it’s a different story. Guy recently found himself playing to a room of just eight people in a bar in New York.

I played a residency in that bar for a month, and no one had any idea who I was, but it grew from a few people to a few hundred people. The whole experience of doing that has been so satisfying. It’s been really good for my soul.

I spoke to him this morning during my radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM about the runaway success of his current single, Like It Like That, and about the album of the same name. You can hear the interview by clicking the play button of the audio player at the bottom of this post.

I had the privilege of seeing Guy in concert some time back when he toured with the likes of Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn in his band. The respect he receives from such musical greats reinforces his reputation as an extremely talented musician, singer and performer.

I’m sure that the best is yet to come from Guy Sebastian but it’s still hard to imagine how he’s going to top his wonderful new album. It’s certainly going straight to my iPod.

If you like the single, you’ll love the album …. and it would seem we all like the single.

Guy Sebastian’s new single, ‘Like It Like That’, has reached the number one position on the National ARIA singles chart, the national radio airplay chart and it has also reached the number one position on the digital iTunes chart. This is Guy Sebastian’s fourth chart-topping single, making him the only Australian Idol participant to have achieved such a feat. This result sees Guy Sebastian as Australia’s third best single chart topper this decade after Kylie Minogue and Delta Goodrem. Guy Sebastian comes in second to John Farnham for the most number one ARIA singles in history for Australian solo male acts.

Guy will be touring Australia in February before returning to the US to let the world know just how good he is. You can keep up to date with what he’s doing at his website.

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An interview with Chris Murphy

Jan 30th, 2009

by Rodney Olsen.

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Chris Murphy is best known for being one of the most exciting performers during “Australian Idol” in 2006 but he’s been thrilling music lovers for well over a decade.

As well as being an energetic front man for Murphy’s Lore and now the Chris Murphy Band he’s one of Perth’s most prominent solo performers.

Whether it’s loud and electric or solo and unplugged, Chris Murphy delights audiences whenever and wherever he plays.

The Chris Murphy Band helped around 20 000 people get in the party mood for Australia Day on Monday as part of the Town of Bassendean Australia Celebrations and Fireworks. Chris joined me in the studio last week on 98.5 Sonshine FM to talk about the upcoming event. We chatted about everything from Australian Idol to his work supporting worthy causes. Chris even played a couple of acoustic songs live during the interview.

You can click play on the audio player at the bottom of this post to hear our conversation.

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