21-year-old Kesha Oayda has won this year’s season of Australian Idol.
She was announced as the winner during last night’s Grand Final results show, taking the crown from fellow finalists, 18-year-old Harlan Goode and 23-year-old Kalani Artis. And with her win, Oayda became the first woman to win Australian Idol since 2007, when Natalie Gauci won against runner-up Matt Corby.
“I just want to say thank you to wardrobe, hair, makeup, the judges, the hosts, the lights, the camera, my teammates, my family, my friends, and Australia voting for me,” she said, per TV Tonight.
With her win, Oayda has received $100,000 in prize money, an exclusive recording package with Hive Sound Studios, will attend a songwriting camp with Sony Music Publishing, receive marketing and social media support from The Annex, and VIP tickets to events such as this year’s ARIA Awards and the TV WEEK Logie Awards.
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For her final performance of the night – and the competition – Oayda performed the Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga hit, Die With A Smile—the song she initially auditioned with. Judges Amy Shark and Kyle Sandilands gave her positive feedback, with the former describing her as “so real” and “the kind of girl I love my nieces looking up to.”
The latter said Oayda is a “brilliant performer” who never let the judges down, nor the audience, per Media Week.
“This is unforgettable,” Oayda said after hosts Ricki-Lee and Scott Tweedle announced that she’d won this year’s season of Idol.
She added, “I need 50 billion people to pinch me to wake up from whatever dream this is. The Idol experience has been nothing short of life-changing. I feel like I have grown so much since my audition.”
Post-show, Oayda has released The Idol Collection, which contains her eleven performances from throughout the season. A bonus track, All Night Long, performed by the Top 12, also features on the album.
