Well, Australian Idol is still very popular as a show but the winners haven't been doing as well as the winner and runner-up (Guy Sebastian and Shannon Noll) of the very first series in 2003. (Guy represented Australia at the World Idol comp)
My favourite singer in the world is Clay (of course!) but my favourite Australian singer is Casey Donovan who was 16 when she won Australian Idol in 2004. She still holds the record as the youngest Idol winner in the world. Her win was a surprise to everyone because she was up against a very cute guy with a huge following among the girls - the public didn't know at that time that he was gay. Unfortunately, the record company promoted the runner-up at the expense of Casey, because it was obvious they could make a quick buck with him. To be fair, he did have a good voice and is still doing well, but it is sometimes still a sore point with many of Casey's supporters.
Anyhow, although Casey's winner's single went to #1 and her album (completed in one week - rushed in time for Christmas) reached #2, the record company pretty much ignored her in favour of the runner-up. Sony BMG then dropped Casey. As an over-weight teen with family problems (with her long-time estranged father), she just didn't fit the image of a pop princess.
THIS week, Casey released her much-awaited work independently!! I am gonna shamelessly plug Casey's new EP, not just because she needs it but because this amazing EP DESERVES recognition.
The 4 songs are written by 19 year old Casey, and snippets can be heard at her MySpace. Eye2Eye is a hauntingly beautiful/sad song she wrote about her parent's divorce and the absence of her father in her childhood. It is in stark contrast to Lindsay Lohan's aggressive and angry song about her estranged father (check it out on YouTube). Everyone I know who has heard Eye2Eye has shed a tear. If you knew what Casey has been through in her life, you'd shed a few more for this young woman who has had more than her fair share of pain and rejection. Like Clay, she was also bullied at school because it wasn't cool to be overweight. Like Clay, she also released a book about those experiences.
Please check out her new (self-penned) songs at:
http://www.myspace.com/caseydonovanlive
She wrote:
Help Me (for her best friend, who lost her dad)
Did It Again (about addiction, in her case her struggle to quit smoking)
Eye2Eye (about her devastation of her parents' split)
Here's Where I Stand (also at her MySpace) is her Australian Idol semi-final performance which earned her a "Touchdown" from judge Mark Holden. In 5 series, she is the only contestant to receive a Touchdown for a SEMI-final performance. (If you go to YouTube and search "Casey Donovan+Here's Where I Stand" you will find that performance. My favourite performance of hers on Idol was "Beautiful".
The 4th song on her EP (which is not currently at her MySpace) is called Shattered. Some people think that the lyrics are about how she felt when she was dropped by her record company, but she says it is about the break-up of a relationship... not her own but one that she observed when sitting in public transport).
I hope I am not breaking any rules in giving Casey this plug but she really deserves recognition after what she went through. She already has a few fans in the USA and Canada but we want her to have a few more!!!
p.s. Natalie Gauci's (winner of Australian Idol 2007 ) winner's single reached #2, the first time ever that the Aust Idol winner's single didn't make it to #1.