Idol a "strange experience"
MATT Corby peers out from behind his wall of hair and with steely focus, concedes he was mistaken about Australian Idol. "This competition is strange," the 17-year-old Idol finalist says. "It's not just about the music and that's what tricked me. My perception was that it was all about how you perform and how you play."
On Sunday, the Idol experience ends for both Corby and fellow finalist Natalie Gauci, with this series' grand final at the Sydney Opera House. While both have enjoyed the ride, the scrutiny of the Idols' lives has obviously been, at times, hard to take.
The public's desire this year to know intimate details of the Idol contestants' lives has been insatiable. They have been chased by paparazzi, something usually reserved for only the most high-profile of Aussie and international artists.
Like Corby, Gauci, who has worked the music circuit for years, thought she knew what to expect with Idol. She was wrong. "I didn't realise the publicity for that Sunday (show)" she says.
"Everyone is working for that one night."
Recently, Gauci was asked by an Idol producer to reveal something about herself people wouldn't know. The 25-year-old from Melbourne was lost for words. She wasn't being cagey, it's just that Gauci felt she had already gone out of her comfort zone and laid herself bare for the sake of being a contestant on a TV singing competition.
That's the nature of Idol. It's a plunge into the deep end without floaties.
"People see our family, see where we live, see our bedrooms. I'm sure we haven't seen Beyonce's bedroom or Missy Higgins' bedroom," Gauci says.
There was also controversy over the singers' religious beliefs, with speculation Corby's church, Assemblies Of God, allegedly encouraged its congregation to vote for him.
Both Corby and Gauci are adamant that people's religious beliefs should be allowed to be kept private.
"What we believe is up to us," Corby says on the subject. "It's not Religious Idol."
Offers Gauci: "It's one thing to judge you for your singing, another thing to judge you for your religion."
Adding to tensions this series has been Idol judges Mark Holden and Ian "Dicko" Dickson's constant demands for the stars to show their "real" personalities on stage.
Contestant Tarisai Vushe was taken to task by the judges because they believed the 20-year-old wasn't showing her true self on stage.
At first, Gauci was overwhelmed by the intrusion into her life.
"To be totally honest, I was quite nervous about having cameras around me, because I wasn't sure how people were going to perceive me.
"It's pretty scary giving yourself and exposing everything. So, at first, I didn't."
Eventually, she realised that if she wanted the public to like her, if she wanted to succeed, she was going to have to open up.
"I totally took the wall away and decided to be myself and I think people really responded well to that. The cameras don't lie. They show who you are."
Corby is ruminating on what it means to be real.
And the importance of creating a stage persona.
"I've been performing since I was six. When you're six, not many songs are suited to your age and I've learned how to perform. I'm a completely different person off stage to what I am on. I'm no fake, I'm a performer. How are people going to see me through doing Phantom Of The Opera?"
Gauci adds: "You just have to find how much of yourself you put into the song. That's what I've learnt."
The singer has come a long way since her audition earlier in the year. Chosen as a wildcard entry by the judges, Gauci has amassed a legion of fans over the weeks, with standout performances.
The turning point seemed to be when she stood on a piano midway through a song.
While the move wasn't entirely spontaneous, she was in two minds whether she should do it leading up to the show. "I thought bugger it, I'm going to give it a shot."
Wasn't she worried she'd slip off?
Well, yes. "I could have fallen off and broken a leg," she laughs.
But Idol, as the judges often remark, is about taking risks. Like the time Corby sang the song from Phantom Of The Opera for the judges' choice episode.
"Man, that was a bold move," recalls Corby. "Once you get on the show you tend to play it safe because a lot of people are watching. I thought I got some pretty ridiculous choices from the judges. Phantom was the most ridiculous of all of them."
He chose the song, partially as a way to annoy Holden, who offered the song. He figured if he was voted out, he could always lay the blame on the judge.
But that's all in the past.
On Sunday, Corby or Gauci will take their place as Idol winner alongside previous champs, Guy Sebastian, Casey Donovan, Kate DeAraugo and Damien Leith.
At 17, Corby has no immediate plans to finish his HSC. He doesn't need a piece of paper to be a musician, after all.
But he's wise enough to accept that, at some point in time, he may finish his schooling through TAFE.
In terms of careers, Corby wants to garner the sort of respect in the industry of someone such as indie rock/folk singer Lior or US singer-songwriter John Mayer. Gauci, meanwhile, favours the soulful Alicia Keys.
"You can dream can't you?" asks Corby.
"Sure can, I do it all the time," says Gauci.
* Australian Idol Grand Final, Sunday, Ten, 7.30pm
source: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,22795949-5007183,00.html
On Sunday, the Idol experience ends for both Corby and fellow finalist Natalie Gauci, with this series' grand final at the Sydney Opera House. While both have enjoyed the ride, the scrutiny of the Idols' lives has obviously been, at times, hard to take.
The public's desire this year to know intimate details of the Idol contestants' lives has been insatiable. They have been chased by paparazzi, something usually reserved for only the most high-profile of Aussie and international artists.
Like Corby, Gauci, who has worked the music circuit for years, thought she knew what to expect with Idol. She was wrong. "I didn't realise the publicity for that Sunday (show)" she says.
"Everyone is working for that one night."
Recently, Gauci was asked by an Idol producer to reveal something about herself people wouldn't know. The 25-year-old from Melbourne was lost for words. She wasn't being cagey, it's just that Gauci felt she had already gone out of her comfort zone and laid herself bare for the sake of being a contestant on a TV singing competition.
That's the nature of Idol. It's a plunge into the deep end without floaties.
"People see our family, see where we live, see our bedrooms. I'm sure we haven't seen Beyonce's bedroom or Missy Higgins' bedroom," Gauci says.
There was also controversy over the singers' religious beliefs, with speculation Corby's church, Assemblies Of God, allegedly encouraged its congregation to vote for him.
Both Corby and Gauci are adamant that people's religious beliefs should be allowed to be kept private.
"What we believe is up to us," Corby says on the subject. "It's not Religious Idol."
Offers Gauci: "It's one thing to judge you for your singing, another thing to judge you for your religion."
Adding to tensions this series has been Idol judges Mark Holden and Ian "Dicko" Dickson's constant demands for the stars to show their "real" personalities on stage.
Contestant Tarisai Vushe was taken to task by the judges because they believed the 20-year-old wasn't showing her true self on stage.
At first, Gauci was overwhelmed by the intrusion into her life.
"To be totally honest, I was quite nervous about having cameras around me, because I wasn't sure how people were going to perceive me.
"It's pretty scary giving yourself and exposing everything. So, at first, I didn't."
Eventually, she realised that if she wanted the public to like her, if she wanted to succeed, she was going to have to open up.
"I totally took the wall away and decided to be myself and I think people really responded well to that. The cameras don't lie. They show who you are."
Corby is ruminating on what it means to be real.
And the importance of creating a stage persona.
"I've been performing since I was six. When you're six, not many songs are suited to your age and I've learned how to perform. I'm a completely different person off stage to what I am on. I'm no fake, I'm a performer. How are people going to see me through doing Phantom Of The Opera?"
Gauci adds: "You just have to find how much of yourself you put into the song. That's what I've learnt."
The singer has come a long way since her audition earlier in the year. Chosen as a wildcard entry by the judges, Gauci has amassed a legion of fans over the weeks, with standout performances.
The turning point seemed to be when she stood on a piano midway through a song.
While the move wasn't entirely spontaneous, she was in two minds whether she should do it leading up to the show. "I thought bugger it, I'm going to give it a shot."
Wasn't she worried she'd slip off?
Well, yes. "I could have fallen off and broken a leg," she laughs.
But Idol, as the judges often remark, is about taking risks. Like the time Corby sang the song from Phantom Of The Opera for the judges' choice episode.
"Man, that was a bold move," recalls Corby. "Once you get on the show you tend to play it safe because a lot of people are watching. I thought I got some pretty ridiculous choices from the judges. Phantom was the most ridiculous of all of them."
He chose the song, partially as a way to annoy Holden, who offered the song. He figured if he was voted out, he could always lay the blame on the judge.
But that's all in the past.
On Sunday, Corby or Gauci will take their place as Idol winner alongside previous champs, Guy Sebastian, Casey Donovan, Kate DeAraugo and Damien Leith.
At 17, Corby has no immediate plans to finish his HSC. He doesn't need a piece of paper to be a musician, after all.
But he's wise enough to accept that, at some point in time, he may finish his schooling through TAFE.
In terms of careers, Corby wants to garner the sort of respect in the industry of someone such as indie rock/folk singer Lior or US singer-songwriter John Mayer. Gauci, meanwhile, favours the soulful Alicia Keys.
"You can dream can't you?" asks Corby.
"Sure can, I do it all the time," says Gauci.
* Australian Idol Grand Final, Sunday, Ten, 7.30pm
source: http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,22795949-5007183,00.html
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