Australian Idol
By 2003, Noll was in debt and out of work following the sale of the farm. His future father in law, encouraged him to travel to Melbourne to audition for the 2003 debut season of "Australian Idol". Noll impressed the judges Mark Holden, Marcia Hines, and Ian Dickson with his audition in which he performed the Southern Sons' Hold Me In Your Arms. After his audition, Marcia Hines praised Shannon and told him that she had just discovered "a voice" and Ian Dickson informed Shannon that "...Australia will love you"
Following his initial audition, Noll made his way into the Top 32 semi-final where he performed a rendition of Robbie Williams' hit "Better Man". The viewing audience voted Noll into the Top 12. Over eight weeks of performance shows, Noll found himself in the bottom three only once – following his performance of Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" during The 80s theme night. Throughout the show, Noll impressed both the judges and audience with performances of songs as diverse as Powderfinger's "Already Gone", to The Beatles "Hey Jude" to Jimmy Barnes "Working Class Man".
During the 2003 Australian Idol series finals, Noll sang:
| Week | Theme | Song Sung | Original Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Contestant's Choice | "Hold Me in Your Arms" | Southern Sons |
| Top 40 | Semifinals | "Better Man" | Robbie Williams |
| Top 12 | Time Warp 1 - The 1970s | "Help is On Its Way" | Little River Band |
| Top 10 | Number 1 Smash Hits | "What About Me" | Moving Pictures |
| Top 8 | Aussie Music | "Already Gone" | Powderfinger |
| Top 6 Up, Close & Personal |
Time Warp 2 - The 1980s - |
"Livin' on a Prayer" "With or Without You" |
Bon Jovi U2 |
| Top 5 | R&B Music Songs of Soul Music |
"Higher and Higher" "When a Man Loves a Woman" |
Jackie Wilson Percy Sledge |
| Top 4 | Big Bands | "I've Got You Under My Skin" "New York, New York |
Virginia Bruce Liza Minnelli |
| Top 3 | Time Warp 3 - The 1960s | "One" "Hey Jude" |
Harry Nilsson The Beatles |
| Top 2 | Idol's Choice Idol's Choice Winner's Single |
"Please Forgive Me" "Working Class Man" "Angels Brought Me Here" |
Bryan Adams Jimmy Barnes Guy Sebastian |
In the weeks leading up to the Grand Final of Idol, Noll recorded his version of the winner's single "Angels Brought Me Here" and filmed the music video for the song, which was to be released the week after the winner was announced. Copies of Noll's version of the song were released to radio stations in anticipation of his win, however Noll's version of the song was subsequently never aired on radio and the music video was never released for television broadcast.
In the week before the Grand Final, Noll and fellow finalist Guy Sebastian embarked on a whirlwind Australia-wide promotional tour. Tens of thousands of fans turned out in support, including 20,000 people in Adelaide and 15,000 in Melbourne.
Noll reached the Grand Final on 19 November 2003 alongside eventual winner Guy Sebastian following fellow contestant, Cosima De Vito's withdrawal from the competition. During the Grand Final show, Noll performed an encore performance of "What About Me", which helped cement the popularity of his version of the song and led to it being chosen for release as his debut single.
Read more about this topic: Shannon Noll
Famous quotes containing the words australian and/or idol:
“Beyond the horizon, or even the knowledge, of the cities along the coast, a great, creative impulse is at work—the only thing, after all, that gives this continent meaning and a guarantee of the future. Every Australian ought to climb up here, once in a way, and glimpse the various, manifold life of which he is a part.”
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