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Local Songs Bring Ratings Gold To Australian Idol

Mary Varvaris

For viewers, the demand for Australian music on Australian Idol was clear.

Australian Idol judges Kyle Sandilands, Marcia Hines, and Amy Shark
Australian Idol judges Kyle Sandilands, Marcia Hines, and Amy Shark(Credit: Supplied/Seven Network)
More Amy Shark Amy Shark

Last week, Australian Idol didn’t look at famous international songs. Instead, the series stayed at home with Aussie Music Week, a move that proved successful in the ratings.

Media Week reports that Australian Idol’s Aussie Music Week brought the series its biggest audience to date.

1.79 million viewers across the country watched last Sunday’s episode, and its average viewership of 938,000 increased by 8% on a week-on-week level. Plus, Aussie Music Week led to a 65% boost on Seven Network’s streaming service, 7plus.

After the success of Sunday’s episode, Monday night’s follow-up drew 922,000 viewers in a 6% year-on-year increase, while Tuesday’s live results episode drew a whopping 87% increase. For viewers, the demand for Australian music on Australian Idol was clear.

Notably, Australian classics were performed across last week’s episodes, from John Farnham’s A Touch of Paradise to The Living End’s White Noise to Olivia Newton-John’s tearjerker, Hopelessly Devoted to You, to a modern tune, The Kid LAROI’s STAY.

Discussing the impact of Aussie Music Week, Australian Idol judge Marcia Hines said the song choices struck a chord with audiences as local music has formed the “tapestry of our lives,” per The Music Network.

She added that homegrown songs have soundtracked the lives of Australian listeners, from positive to negative experiences, and she believes that’s why Aussie Music Week “resonated so strongly” with audiences.

Australian Idol judge Amy Shark concurred with Hines’ thoughts, saying that she believed audiences connect with homegrown music because it feels “really honest” and listeners see themselves in the music they hear.

Kyle Sandilands agreed with his fellow judges, saying that Australian songs “just hit harder,” and the audience’s familiarity with the song choices led to a newfound commitment to Australian Idol from viewers.

This week, Australian Idol went from eight to six contestants while last year’s winner, Dylan Wright, performed his new single, Those Nights, live on stage.

The final six contestants are:

  • Harlan Goode, 18, Brisbane, QLD

  • Jacinta Guirguis, 25, Bacchus Marsh, VIC

  • John Standley, 17, Bunbury, WA

  • Kalani Artis, 23, Central Coast, NSW

  • Kesha Oayda, 21, Jindabyne, NSW

  • Trè Samuels, 26, Melbourne, VIC

The winner of this year’s season won’t only receive $100,000 in prize money, but they’ll also score an exclusive recording package with Hive Sound Studios, a spot in a songwriting camp offered by Sony Music Publishing, marketing and social media support from The Annex, and VIP tickets to the 2026 ARIA Awards and TV Week Logie Awards.