And that’s a wrap! The 2023 season of “Australian Idol” has come to a nail-gripping end after weeks of captivating performances and intense audience voting.
The grand finale saw three talented singers fight it out for the ultimate prize. Royston Sagigi-Baira, Phoebe Stewart, and Josh Hannan sang their hearts out. The trio showcased their unique music styles and impressive skill sets in a fierce battle for the crown.
But it was Royston Sagigi-Baira who the country voted to be the next Australian Idol. The winner also received a recording contract with industry giant Sony Music and a whopping $100,000 in prize money.
24-year-old Thanakwith and Wagadagam man, Royston Sagigi-Baira, took home the Australian Idol, as the franchise’s first revival since 2009.
His final — and winning — performance, was an insane rendition of ‘When You Believe’, the Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston duet from the film ‘The Prince of Egypt’. In true Royston style, he let his inner-diva shine, while also showing Australia why he deserved the crown.
Impressing the judges in his first audition with Sam Smith’s ‘I Know I’m Not the Only One’, Royston grew up in the small community of Mapoon at the tip of Far North Queensland. He now gets to join his biggest inspiration, Jessica Mauboy, along with some amazing other alumni of show winners.
Other grand finalists, 15-year-old Phoebe Stewart and 20-year-old Josh Hannan, didn’t go down without a fight. Both putting on fantastic performances of their own, we’re expecting that this will not be the last we see of them.
It was a jam-packed night as Harry Connick Jr and Australian pop icon Jessica Mauboy took the stage. The former Idol contestant and current coach on “The Voice Australia” sang her new single ‘Right Here, Right Now’.
The show finally returned to local screens after a 14-year hiatus. With judges Kyle Sandilands, Amy Shark, Harry Connick Jr and Meghan Trainor.
Royston Sagigi Baira was actually the first contestant to make it through to the grand final. He sang the classic 80s ballad ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’.
“Oh, I can’t believe this. This is crazy,” Royston said. “You know, I’ve told Australia my story, like where I come from, you know, a small little Indigenous community, and I’m in the top three of Australian Idol!”
Fifteen-year-old WA singer Phoebe Stewart was the next one to make it through. She blew the judges away while singing ‘Lost Without You’ by Freya Ridings.
“Thank you, everyone, for just taking the time out of your life to, like, appreciate music and the show, and me,” she said.
The third and final finalist to make it through was Josh Hannan. The 20-year-old Melbourne singer kicked off with the iconic ballad ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ by Elvis Presley.
“It is an absolute dream for me to be here every single week and I just want to say, please, everyone support Amali, she is an incredible artist,” Josh said.
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