By Mikayla Van Loon
Making it to the top three of Australian Idol was a feat in itself for Mount Evelyn local boy Josh Hannan.
And while he didn’t take home the crown in the grand finale on Sunday 26 March, he left the show in high spirits for what the future might bring.
Although disappointed by the result, Josh said it was a blessing in disguise, knowing how successful past runners up have been, like Jessica Mauboy and Matt Corby, and now he truly gets to pursue his own music.
“You’ve got your eyes on something for so long and then, as soon as it’s gone, everything you’ve been working on for three months is just kind of out the window. In the moment, it was devastating,” he said.
“I’m pretty optimistic about the future and I’ve got all these new fans, so not winning the show is not going to stop me from releasing my music to them. I’m pretty excited for the next steps.”
Grateful to have had the ongoing support he did, Josh said without the people following along and taking the time to vote, he wouldn’t have made it to where he did.
“I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone that has been behind me and it’s definitely not the end. It’s just the start. I’m going to hit the ground running when I get home and hopefully, I can get some music out ASAP,” he said.
With around 25 of his closest friends and family, as well as his high school music teacher who inspired the leap of faith, making the trip to Sydney, Josh had incredible support in the audience, as well as at home.
“Everyone going so far out of their way to be behind me, it’s really special for me not just as a performer but just as a person as well,” Josh said.
Proud to have shared the stage with fellow runner up Phoebe Stewart and winner Royston Sagigi-Baira, Josh said he was excited to see where their careers take them.
“They’re pretty much family… we all went up there last night [26 March] with no intention other than just giving it our all.
“I’m super proud of Royston… he’s so brave coming from his remote community, he’s very deserving of the win and I’m really excited to see what he does.”
Evolving not only as a performer but as a person, Josh gave a lot of credit to the whole Australian Idol team for accepting him completely.
“They’ve taught me all these things that I’m going to be taking into the rest of my career. They’ve been so incredibly supportive and very willing to suit my artistry. They haven’t tried to shape me into anything that I’m not,” he said.
Returning home on Tuesday 28 March, Josh said he would take a small break before getting back into the flow of writing.
“I’m just bursting at the seams to write new music and make some original stuff for all my fans out there who’ve been so supportive and I think it’s not going to be very long before I’m getting music out there.”
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