Our Idol Archives

Bobby Flynn was one of the more eccentric performers Australian Idol saw in its time but was a huge favorite amongst fans. Bobby was wary to go on reality tv and tells us about how the producers on Idol tried to steer him away from taking risks while on the show. After Idol, Bobby was in the Aussie independent music scene but eventually decided to go back to Uni. Now working for the Victorian state government, Mark & Bobby bond over their career endeavors outside of music. CRED...

You may remember Carl Riseley from his jazz days on the fifth season of Idol but you may not be familiar with his second passion, aviation. Carl tells Mark and Katie about the tough decision to leave the music industry full time when the GFC hit to become a pilot and support his growing family. After losing a bet while in the navy, Carl was forced by his navy bandmates to audition for Australian Idol. Having been an instrumentalist, Carl tells Mark and Katie about the challenges he faced...

Today on the show we have Courtney Murphy who placed third on Idol in 2004. Courtney is the lead vocalist in his family band, Murphy's Lore which has been gigging around WA since 1991. Unlike many other Idol alum, Courtney has been able to support himself as a full time musician in Perth, despite the pressure to move to a bigger city. Mark & Katie chat with Courtney about how reality TV has changed and how Dicko helped him take the power back when being asked about his weight while on the...

Ben McKenzie placed seventh on Season 5 of Idol in 2007. Ben was 16 years-old when he auditioned for the show and tells Mark and Katie about not feeling comfortable coming out at the time due to a mix of his Christian upbringing along with the hate he received from viewers of the show. Ben has had quite a journey of self discovery since leaving the show and 13 years on, he has finally being back to performing and writing music. Ben’s main passion now is making music videos for artists an...

Mark and Katie had the pleasure of speaking with Idol’s pot of gold, Damien Leith, winner of Season 4. Since winning Idol, Damien has released nine studio albums, four of which hit the top two of the ARIA charts. Upon winning the show, Leith signed a contract with Sony BMG and his debut album The Winner’s Journey broke records, becoming certified platinum four times. However, Damien barely saw a cent from this album as it was completely owned by Fremantle. Damien talks about the anguish ...

On this episode of Our Idol Archives, Mark and Katie speak with Cosima de Vito, who placed third in the first season of Idol. Cosima shocked the nation when she left the show early due to nodules. Mark and Katie talk to her about the stigma surrounding nodules at the time and how scared Cosima was of losing her voice permanently. At 25-years-old, going on Idol was the first time Cosima left home. Coming from a strict Italian family, Cosima had to come out of her shell and she...

Tarisai Vushe placed 5th on Season 5 Idol in 2007. When she’s not performing to sold out crowds in musicals such as The Lion King, Madiba and being a full-time Christian singer, Tarisai also practices as a certified psychologist. Tarisai was born in Zimbabwe and moved to Australia in her mid-teens. Mark and Katie spoke with her about her experiences with racism on the show and in the Australian music industry. There’s even a heartfelt apology from Mark who went head to head with Tarisai back ...

Natalie Gauci was the winner of Season 5 of Idol in 2007. After winning the series she signed a record deal with Sony BMG Australia and released her debut single “Here I am” which reached number two on the charts. Natalie is now a spiritual healer living in QLD with her baby Jedi but she had quite a journey finding herself after winning Idol. Unlike other Idol winners, her career went on a downward spiral following her win. She tells Mark & Katie that she wasn't able to get out of th...

Axle Whitehead didn’t make it past the second week of semi-finals on the first season of Idol back in 2003. However, he went on to have a huge career after the show as a host on Video Hits and more recently as an actor in Home & Away, Neighbors and the US hit show Shameless. You may remember when Axle made headlines after exposing himself at the Arias in 2006. He talks to Katie & Mark about the night it happened and when the phones stopped ringing afterwards. After leaving Home a...

Anthony Callea was the runner up of Season 2 of Australian Idol in 2004. You may remember his jaw dropping cover of Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli’s The Prayer that went to the top of the charts and became the fastest selling Australian single of all time. Callea has recorded six albums since finishing Idol, starred in many musicals and toured the country. Married to actor and performer Tim Campbell, Anthony and Tim have been lighting up Instagram during Melbourne lockdown for their Instagram...