By Mikayla van Loon
From a flower farm in Mount Evelyn to one of the biggest stages in Australia, Josh Hannan wowed with his vocals and stage presence making the grand finale of Australian Idol.
The decision for the top three contestants was handed down to Josh, Royston Sagigi-Baira and Phoebe Stewart on Monday 20 March, leaving the 20-year-old with a “whirlwind of emotions”.
“They put me against one of my best friends on the show, Amali and she’s, over the weeks, grown to almost be like my little sister and it was really hard being put against her to go through to the grand final,” he said.
“It was going to be emotional either way, whether I went through or whether I didn’t…but it’s definitely really exciting for me, I’m inches away now from achieving my dream of recording my original music in America and getting a recording contract with Sony.”
Speaking to Josh 72 hours out from the grand finale, he said it would all come down to how much people were connecting with his musicality.
“It’s really about how much people are connecting with me and how much they want to hear my original music but it’s definitely a little bit nerve racking and this is probably the most intense wait that I’ve had the whole time I’ve been up here but it’s super exciting,” Josh said.
In the lead up to the grand finale on Sunday 26 March, Josh said he wasn’t going to do anything different and keep to his strengths on stage.
“I know what my strengths are; being emotive when I sing and really being vulnerable on that stage to connect with an audience,” he said.
“I’m going to be playing guitar and piano for my grand final songs, which is really exciting and I think it’s just about putting in the work and making sure people know they can vote for me now.”
Having gone into Australian Idol with a dream of one day recording his own music and taking a chance on the industry, Josh said to have made it to the end was not something he expected.
“I had no idea going into it how I was going compare to all of the competition,” he said.
“I always had it in the back of my mind that I wasn’t sure whether I could be that guy who would get up on stage and be able to be vulnerable and entertain and connect with not only an audience of a few thousand people but the whole of Australia.
“Every week, my walls have been getting broken down by not only positive comments from the judges but just the support from everyone around Australia, sending me messages.
“It gives me a lot of confidence going forward, regardless of the result that I’m going to be able to pursue this career with hopefully a bit of success.”
Josh said despite the result on Sunday, he would like to pursue music further, it just would be made much easier with a recording contract from the show.
Knowing both Phoebe and Royston each have a unique talent, different to his own, Josh said should make for
“We’re all very different artists and it’s really cool we’re not all in the same lane in terms of our music
I’m really going to stick with my artistry in terms of just connecting through my lyrics and my emotive vocal delivery and also my musicality with my guitar and my piano.
“I think people have enjoyed it when I’ve got behind an instrument, so that’s something that I’m pretty sure they won’t be doing. It’s about me sticking to my guns and not trying to compete, but just be the best version of myself.”
Knowing much of the final result won’t be up to him but up to those who vote, Josh said between rehearsals, the only thing next to do is get enough sleep.
Votes can be submitted until 7.35pm AEDT on Sunday 26 March. To vote, text the contestant’s name to 0457 500 700.
