New Zealand Idol (season 1)
Encyclopedia
New Zealand Idol (season 1)
Finalists
(with dates of elimination)
Ben Lummis
Ben Lummis
Ben Lummis is a New Zealand R&B/Pop recording artist who rose to musical fame as the winner of the First season of New Zealand Idol in 2004. He is of Māori and Pākehā and Tongan descent...

Winner
Michael Murphy
Michael Murphy (singer)
Michael Murphy is a singer and New Zealand Idol runner-up for 2004. Right from the start of the competition, Michael was a hot favourite with the majority of the voters being female and aged between 11-17...

10 May
Camillia Temple 3 May
Luke Whaanga 26 April
Dave Houma 19 April
Eddie Gaiger 12 April
Robin Johnson 5 April
Jessie Cassin 29 March
Sela Mahe 22 March
Filipo Saipani 15 March

The first season of New Zealand Idol
New Zealand Idol
NZ Idol, more commonly known as New Zealand Idol, was the New Zealand version of the Idol series originated as the hit British TV series Pop Idol. New Zealand first saw the Idol format when TV2 aired American Idol 2, which garned impressive ratings...

 was produced by Fremantle Media subsidiary Grundy Television in association with UK company 19TV, and was broadcast on TVNZ in the early half of 2004. The judges were Paul Ellis
Paul Ellis
Paul B. Ellis MNZM is a New Zealand record producer, manager, and radio host. He is most known to audiences for being the former judge of New Zealand Idol and the current judge of the reality series New Zealand's Got Talent....

, Fiona McDonald
Fiona McDonald
-Singer:McDonald was the lead singer of the band Headless Chickens in the early 1990s. In addition she was a singer and one of the songwriters for Strawpeople...

 and Frankie Stevens
Frankie Stevens
Frankie Stevens is a New Zealand entertainer and singer. He is best known as a judge for all three seasons on the reality series New Zealand Idol.-Early career:...

.

Auditions

The auditions were held at the following locations:
  • Trentham Racecourse
    Trentham Racecourse
    Trentham Racecourse is the main thoroughbred horse racecourse for the Wellington city area in New Zealand.-Main Races:* G2 Wellington Cup; 2400m .* G1 New Zealand Oaks; 2400m* G1 Telegraph Handicap; 1200m.* G1 Thorndon Mile; 1600m...

    , Trentham, Upper Hutt
    Upper Hutt
    Upper Hutt is a satellite city of Wellington. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is in Greater Wellington.-Geography:Upper Hutt is 30 km north-east of Wellington...

  • Riccarton Racecourse, Riccarton
    Riccarton, New Zealand
    Riccarton is a suburb of Christchurch. It is due west of the city centre, separated from it by Hagley Park. Upper Riccarton is to the west of Riccarton.-History:...

    , Christchurch
    Christchurch
    Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

  • Ellerslie Racecourse
    Ellerslie Racecourse
    Ellerslie Racecourse is the main racecourse in Ellerslie, Auckland, New Zealand for thoroughbred racehorses. It is an undulating, grass circuit of approximately 1,900 m.-History:The first race meeting was held at Ellerslie on 25 May 1874...

    , Ellerslie
    Ellerslie, New Zealand
    Ellerslie is a suburb of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is seven kilometres to the southeast of the city centre, close to State Highway 1...

    , Auckland
    Auckland
    The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...



Those who were successful would proceed to the "Top 60" theatre rounds held at the Maidment Theatre in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

.

Theatre Week

The successful contestants who made it through to the "Top 60" rounds would spend a gruelling three days at the theatre.
  • Day One: Contestants, in groups of six, were to sing in turn, a cappella
    A cappella
    A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...

    , a song of their own choice. At the end of the day, twelve were sent home, leaving 48 remaining.
Eliminated: Faith, Petia, Darryl, Kasanita, Ria, Dominic, Naomi, Charli, Hiwi, Ruth, Matthew, Georgina

  • Day Two: Trio performances would test the contestants' teamwork skills, with the guys performing Elvis Presley
    Elvis Presley
    Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....

    's "Suspicious Minds
    Suspicious Minds
    "Suspicious Minds" is a song written by American songwriter Mark James that, after the failure of his own recording, was handed to Elvis Presley by producer Chips Moman becoming one of his most notable hits and a number one in 1969, "Suspicious Minds" was widely regarded as the single that returned...

    ", while the girls would perform the Burt Bacharach
    Burt Bacharach
    Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...

     classic "I Say a Little Prayer
    I Say a Little Prayer
    "I Say a Little Prayer" is a song written by songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick, originally peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in December 1967.-Background:...

    ." At the end of this, the group was once more reduced by a further 12.
Eliminated: Jazmine, Conrad, Pairama, Wiremu, James, Krista, Rebekah, Daniel, Chantel, Jessica, Katherine, Clarke

  • Day Three: The remaining 36 contestants have one last opportunity to impress the judges. Once again they were to perform solo, (a cappella
    A cappella
    A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...

    ), in front of the judges and all other remaining contestants.
Eliminated: TJ, Liam, Courtenay, Ian, Maisey, Rochelle, Akina, Toni, Rusila, Pania, Sacha, Paranihia


The decision of the final cut to the "Top 24" was delivered to three groups of twelve, with one group being sent home.

Group 1

  • Nigel Withington - "Right Here Waiting
    Right Here Waiting
    "Right Here Waiting" is a ballad recorded by Richard Marx on his second album, Repeat Offender. "Right Here Waiting" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the 700th song to do so. It also peaked at #2 in the United Kingdom.-Background and writing:...

    " by Richard Marx
    Richard Marx
    Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...

  • Christine Hutt - "Think Twice" by Celine Dion
    Celine Dion
    Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

  • Camillia Temple - "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)
    Exhale (Shoop Shoop)
    "Exhale " is a song by American recording artist Whitney Houston, featured on the soundtrack for the film Waiting to Exhale. It was released as the lead single from the soundtrack on November 7, 1995, by Arista Records. The song was written and produced by Babyface...

    " by Whitney Houston
    Whitney Houston
    Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

  • Karly Ryder - "Not That Kind
    Not That Kind (song)
    "Not That Kind" is a song by American recording artist Anastacia from her debut album, Not That Kind . Written by Anastacia, Will Wheaton, and Marvin "Young MC" Young, the song was released as the album's second single.-Music video:...

    " by Anastacia
    Anastacia
    Anastacia is an American singer-songwriter. Anastacia has been highly successful in Europe, Asia, South Africa and South America, but has had only minor success in her native United States...


  • Faaose "Oz" Aneru - "Against All Odds
    Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
    "Against All Odds " is a song by British singer Phil Collins recorded for soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. It is a power ballad in which its protagonist implores an ex-lover to "take a look at me now", knowing that reconciliation is "against all odds" while considering it worth trying...

    " by Phil Collins
    Phil Collins
    Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....

  • Ben Lummis
    Ben Lummis
    Ben Lummis is a New Zealand R&B/Pop recording artist who rose to musical fame as the winner of the First season of New Zealand Idol in 2004. He is of Māori and Pākehā and Tongan descent...

     - "Back at One
    Back at One (song)
    "Back at One" is a song written and recorded by American R&B singer Brian McKnight, and released as a single from his 1999 album Back at One. "Back at One" was a #2 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. Later that same year country music singer Mark Wills released a cover version of the song,...

    " by Brian McKnight
    Brian McKnight
    Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....

  • Emily Kay - "Respect
    Respect (song)
    "Respect" is a song written and originally released by Stax recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. "Respect" became a 1967 hit and signature song for R&B singer Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is significantly different, and through a few minor changes in the lyrics, the stories told...

    " by Aretha Franklin
    Aretha Franklin
    Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...

  • Filipo Saipani - "Still" by Brian McKnight
    Brian McKnight
    Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....



Advancing to the Top 10: Camillia Temple, Ben Lummis and Filipo Saipani

Wildcard Contender: Nigel Withington

Group 2

  • Ngahekenga Growcott - "The Voice Within
    The Voice Within
    "The Voice Within" is a song written by Christina Aguilera and Glen Ballard, with production by Ballard. It was released as the fifth and final single from Aguilera's second album, Stripped on December 23, 2003. The single peaked at #33 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Aguilera's seventh Top 40...

    " by Christina Aguilera
    Christina Aguilera
    Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...

  • Gemma Russell - "Ain't No Mountain High Enough
    Ain't No Mountain High Enough
    "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" is an R&B/soul song written by Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson in 1966 for the Tamla Motown label. The composition was first successful as a 1967 hit single recorded by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, becoming a hit again in 1970 when recorded by former Supremes...

    " by Marvin Gaye
    Marvin Gaye
    Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....

     & Tammi Terrell
    Tammi Terrell
    Thomasina Winifred Montgomery, known as Tammi Terrell was an American singer-songwriter most notable for her association with Motown and her duets with Marvin Gaye. As a teenager she recorded for the Scepter–Wand, Try Me and Checker record labels. She signed with Motown in April 1965 and enjoyed...

  • Inangaro Tangianau - "Everything Is Everything
    Everything Is Everything (Lauryn Hill song)
    "Everything Is Everything" is the fourth single from American Hip Hop/R&B artist Lauryn Hill's debut album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.-Song information:...

    " by Lauryn Hill
    Lauryn Hill
    Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...

  • Sam Cowley-Lupo - "Unchained Melody
    Unchained Melody
    "Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. It has become one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, by some counts having spawned over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages....

    " by The Righteous Brothers
    The Righteous Brothers
    The Righteous Brothers were the musical duo of Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield. They recorded from 1963 through 1975, and continued to perform until Hatfield's death in 2003...


  • Jessie Cassin - "Angel
    Angel (Sarah McLachlan song)
    "Angel" is a song by Sarah McLachlan that originally appeared on her 1997 album Surfacing. As McLachlan explained on VH1 Storytellers, the song is about the Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, who overdosed on heroin and died in 1996."Angel" was McLachlan's second top 5 hits...

    " by Sarah McLachlan
    Sarah McLachlan
    Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...

  • Luke Whaanga - "Greatest Love Of All
    Greatest Love of All
    "The Greatest Love of All" is a song written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed and originally recorded by George Benson for the 1977 Muhammad Ali biopic The Greatest. The song was later popularized by Whitney Houston. Creed wrote the lyrics in the midst of her struggle with breast cancer...

    " by Whitney Houston
    Whitney Houston
    Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

  • Dave Houma - "Yesterday Once More
    Yesterday Once More (song)
    "Yesterday Once More", written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis, is a hit song by The Carpenters from their 1973 album Now & Then. Composed in the key of E, "Yesterday Once More" preceded an "Oldies Medley" on the album, consisting of nine songs from the 1960s. At the end of the song a...

    " by The Carpenters
    The Carpenters
    Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...

  • Michael Murphy
    Michael Murphy (singer)
    Michael Murphy is a singer and New Zealand Idol runner-up for 2004. Right from the start of the competition, Michael was a hot favourite with the majority of the voters being female and aged between 11-17...

     - "Drive
    Drive (Incubus song)
    "Drive" is a song by American rock band Incubus. The song is released as a single from their third album Make Yourself. It is considered the band's biggest hit and breakthrough single, eventually reaching the top of Billboard's modern rock charts on March 3, 2001 and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 on...

    " by Incubus
    Incubus (band)
    Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...



Advancing to the Top 10: Luke Whaanga, Dave Houma and Michael Murphy

Wildcard Contender: Jessie Cassin

Group 3

  • Alana Plews - "Come On Over
    Come on over Baby (All I Want Is You)
    "Come On Over Baby " is a song co-written by American pop singer Christina Aguilera, Paul Rein, Johan Aberg, Celebrity Status "Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You)" is a song co-written by American pop singer Christina Aguilera, Paul Rein, Johan Aberg, Celebrity Status "Come On Over Baby (All I...

    " by Christina Aguilera
    Christina Aguilera
    Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...

  • Robin Johnson - "Ribbon in the Sky
    Ribbon in the Sky
    "Ribbon in the Sky" is a hit 1982 R&B single released by Motown star, American singer Stevie Wonder. The ballad was first featured on the greatest-hits compilation, Original Musiquarium, and charted at #54 pop and #10 R&B when it was released...

    " by Stevie Wonder
    Stevie Wonder
    Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...

  • Amanda Boyce - "Because You Loved Me
    Because You Loved Me
    "Because You Loved Me" is a song from Céline Dion's album Falling into You, released as the first single on February 19, 1996 in North America and Japan. In other parts of the world it was released in May 1996 as the second single, after "Falling into You"....

    " by Celine Dion
    Celine Dion
    Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...

  • Lee Fidow - "Incomplete
    Incomplete (Sisqó song)
    "Incomplete" is a 2000 number-one single recorded by Sisqó for Def Soul Records. Written by Def Soul artist Montell Jordan and Anthony "Shep" Crawford, and produced by Crawford, the song was Sisqó's biggest solo single, and his only number-one hit...

    " by Sisqó
    Sisqó
    Mark Durrell Andrews , known by his stage name Sisqó, is an American R&B singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of R&B group Dru Hill, and also for "Thong Song", a song from his first solo LP, Unleash the Dragon, that became an international hit. - Biography :Sisqó was born Mark...


  • Lemuel Misa - "Every Time I Close My Eyes
    Every Time I Close My Eyes
    "Every Time I Close My Eyes" is the title of a song written, produced and performed by Babyface. It was released as the second single from his album The Day...

    " by Babyface / Backstreet Boys
    Backstreet Boys
    The Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. They rose to fame with their debut international album, Backstreet Boys...

  • Sela Mahe - "How Come You Don't Call Me?
    How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?
    "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" is a song by Prince. It is a ballad of romantic longing with some gospel elements. On his original recording of the song, which was released as the non-album B-side to his 1982 single "1999", Prince performs most of the song in his falsetto range, with his own...

    " by Alicia Keys
    Alicia Keys
    Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...

  • Ariana Roberts - "You Don't Know My Name
    You Don't Know My Name
    "You Don't Know My Name" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys from her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. Written by Keys, Kanye West, and Harold Lilly and produced by Keys and West, the track was released as the album's lead single in November 2003, and contains a sample...

    " by Alicia Keys
    Alicia Keys
    Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...

  • Eddie Gaiger - "Drift Away
    Drift Away
    "Drift Away" is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz on his 1972 album Reunion. In 1973 the song became Dobie Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did not enter the charts in the United Kingdom.This song is also a...

    " by Dobie Gray
    Dobie Gray
    Dobie Gray is an African American singer and songwriter, whose musical career has spanned soul, country, pop and musical theater...



Advancing to the Top 10: Robin Johnson, Sela Mahe and Eddie Gaiger

Wildcard Contender: Amanda Boyce

Wildcards

  • Nigel Withington - "Lady in Red" by Chris de Burgh
    Chris de Burgh
    Chris de Burgh is a British/Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red".-Early life:...

  • Jessie Cassin - "Something Good" by Bic Runga
    Bic Runga
    Briolette Kah Bic Runga MNZM is a New Zealand pop recording artist whose first solo album, Drive, debuted at number one on the New Zealand RIANZ charts. She has since become one of the highest-selling New Zealand artists in recent history...

  • Amanda Boyce - "Amazing Grace
    Amazing Grace
    "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn with words written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton , published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God,...

    "


Advancing to the Top 10: Jessie Cassin

Weekly Song Themes

Date Week Theme Guest Judge
14 March Top 10 Contestant's Choice Guy Sebastian
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and...

21 March Top 9 Homegrown Annie Crummer
Annie Crummer
Annie Crummer is a New Zealand Pop singer and songwriter who has seen success in both a solo career and as part of various musical groups.She grew up in West Auckland. Her father, a Cook Islander, was one of her strongest musical influences...

28 March Top 8 Disco none
4 April Top 7 Ballads Nathan King
Nathan King
Nathan King is a pop/rock singer-songwriter from Christchurch, New Zealand.-History:King's musical career began with his band Zed who released two multi-platinum albums Silencer and This Little Empire...

11 April Top 6 British Invasion Ian "Dicko" Dickson
18 April Top 5 Soul Peter Urlich
Peter Urlich
Peter Urlich is a New Zealand musician. He is one of the few NZ musicians who has managed to successfully cross the rock/house genre divide, performing successfully in both.-Early years:...

25 April Top 4 Rock Karyn Hay
Karyn Hay
Karyn Hay is a New Zealand broadcaster and author, best known for hosting Radio With Pictures for five years during the 1980s. Currently a Radio Live host, Hay is married to Andrew Fagan, a former member of the New Zealand band The Mockers...

3 May Top 3 The '80's Lucy Lawless
Lucy Lawless
Lucy Lawless, MNZM is a New Zealander actress and singer best known for playing the title character of the internationally successful television series Xena: Warrior Princess....


Ben Lummis

Ben Lummis (born 1 June 1978 in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...

) was the winner of the first series of New Zealand Idol.
Audition: "Back at One
Back at One (song)
"Back at One" is a song written and recorded by American R&B singer Brian McKnight, and released as a single from his 1999 album Back at One. "Back at One" was a #2 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. Later that same year country music singer Mark Wills released a cover version of the song,...

" by Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....

Theatre Week (Round 1): "I Believe I Can Fly
I Believe I Can Fly
"I Believe I Can Fly" is a 1996 song by R&B singer R. Kelly. The song was written, produced and performed by Kelly and was featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Space Jam. The song later appeared on Kelly's 1998 album R.....

" by R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...

Theatre Week (Round 3): "The Day" by Babyface
Top 24: "Back at One
Back at One (song)
"Back at One" is a song written and recorded by American R&B singer Brian McKnight, and released as a single from his 1999 album Back at One. "Back at One" was a #2 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. Later that same year country music singer Mark Wills released a cover version of the song,...

" by Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....

Top 10: "Never Too Much
Never Too Much
"Never Too Much" is a song by the late R&B singer/songwriter Luther Vandross. The song was released in 1981, as the title track of the album of the same name. The title track hit number one on the soul singles chart and peaked at number thirty-three on the Hot 100...

" by Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...

Top 9: "Oughta Be in Love" by Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn, ONZM is an award-winning New Zealand musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash...

Top 8: "Hang On in There Baby
Hang On In There Baby
"Hang on in There Baby" is a song written by Johnny Bristol, and recorded by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow for his debut solo album, Open Road. The song was released as the album's third single in America, and was also released as a single in Germany and to radio in the Netherlands due it's...

" by Johnny Bristol
Johnny Bristol
Johnny Bristol , was an American musician, most famous as a songwriter and record producer for the Motown label in the late 1960s and early 1970s...

Top 7: "I Can Love You Like That" by All-4-One
All-4-One
All-4-One is a male R&B/pop group best known for their cover hit single "I Swear" from their self-titled 1994 debut album. The group comprises Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all from the Antelope Valley and Mojave, California areas, but are based in the Los Angeles...

Top 6: "Kiss from a Rose
Kiss from a Rose
"Kiss from a Rose" is a song from Seal's second eponymous album Seal . The song was first released as a single in July 1994. Re-released in 1995, it was included on the Batman Forever film soundtrack, helping it top the charts in the U.S. and Australia. It took the 1996 Grammy Awards for both...

" by Seal
Seal (musician)
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...

Top 5: "Treat Her Like a Lady" by The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...

Top 4: "American Woman
American Woman (song)
"American Woman" is a song by Canadian rock band The Guess Who, first released in January 1970 on the album of the same name and later in March as a single, which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been covered by many rock artists, including Lenny Kravitz, Krokus, and The Butthole...

" by Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...

, "Livin' on a Prayer
Livin' on a Prayer
"Livin' on a Prayer" is Bon Jovi's second single from their Slippery When Wet album. Written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora with Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, was well-received at both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band...

" by Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...

Top 3: "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News is an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually scoring a total of 19 top-ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary and Mainstream Rock charts...

, "Rhythm of the Night
Rhythm of the Night (song)
"Rhythm of the Night" is a 1985 hit single by the American R&B band DeBarge. The song is said to have been what jump started the career of songwriter Diane Warren and was the biggest hit recorded by the Motown family singing group.-History:...

" by DeBarge
DeBarge
DeBarge was a sibling music group of American origin whose repertoire included R&B, soul, funk, and later gospel. Active as a professional recording group from 1979 and 1989, the group was one of the few recording acts to bring success to the Motown label during the 1980s.-Background:Hailing from...

Top 2: "Kiss from a Rose
Kiss from a Rose
"Kiss from a Rose" is a song from Seal's second eponymous album Seal . The song was first released as a single in July 1994. Re-released in 1995, it was included on the Batman Forever film soundtrack, helping it top the charts in the U.S. and Australia. It took the 1996 Grammy Awards for both...

" by Seal
Seal (musician)
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...

, "Livin' on a Prayer
Livin' on a Prayer
"Livin' on a Prayer" is Bon Jovi's second single from their Slippery When Wet album. Written by Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora with Desmond Child, the single, released in late 1986, was well-received at both rock and pop radio and its music video was given heavy rotation at MTV, giving the band...

" by Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...

, "I Believe I Can Fly
I Believe I Can Fly
"I Believe I Can Fly" is a 1996 song by R&B singer R. Kelly. The song was written, produced and performed by Kelly and was featured on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Space Jam. The song later appeared on Kelly's 1998 album R.....

" by R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...

 , "They Can't Take That Away
They Can't Take That Away
"They Can’t Take That Away" is a single by New Zealand Idol season one winner, Benjamin Lummis, released in 2004. It went to number one in its first week, where it remained for seven weeks....

" (Winner's single)

Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy (born 4 September 1986 in Taupo
Taupo
Taupo is a town on the shore of Lake Taupo in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the seat of the Taupo District Council and lies in the southern Waikato Region....

), was runner-up to winner Ben Lummis
Ben Lummis
Ben Lummis is a New Zealand R&B/Pop recording artist who rose to musical fame as the winner of the First season of New Zealand Idol in 2004. He is of Māori and Pākehā and Tongan descent...

.
Audition: "Don't Dream It's Over
Don't Dream It's Over
-12": Capitol / 12CL 438 United Kingdom :* also available on CD and MC-Personnel:*Neil Finn: Vocals and guitar*Nick Seymour: Bass guitar*Paul Hester: Drums and backing vocals*Mitchell Froom: Keyboards-Release history:- Charts :...

" by Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...

Theatre Week (Round 1): "Drive
Drive (Incubus song)
"Drive" is a song by American rock band Incubus. The song is released as a single from their third album Make Yourself. It is considered the band's biggest hit and breakthrough single, eventually reaching the top of Billboard's modern rock charts on March 3, 2001 and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 on...

" by Incubus
Incubus (band)
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...

Theatre Week (Round 3): "Better Be Home Soon
Better Be Home Soon
"Better Be Home Soon" is a 1988 song written by Neil Finn and performed by New Zealand/Australian band Crowded House. The song was released as a single in July 1988 by Capitol Records. It performed modestly on both the American and British charts, but managed to peak at number two on the...

" by Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...

Top 24: "Drive
Drive (Incubus song)
"Drive" is a song by American rock band Incubus. The song is released as a single from their third album Make Yourself. It is considered the band's biggest hit and breakthrough single, eventually reaching the top of Billboard's modern rock charts on March 3, 2001 and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 on...

" by Incubus
Incubus (band)
Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...

Top 10: "Here Without You
Here Without You
"Here Without You" is the title of a song recorded by American rock band 3 Doors Down. It was released in August 2003 as the third single from the album Away from the Sun. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending November 8, 2003. Only their songs "Kryptonite" and "When...

" by 3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa formed in 1996. The band consists of Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts , Todd Harrell , Chris Henderson , and Greg Upchurch ....

Top 9: "Better Be Home Soon
Better Be Home Soon
"Better Be Home Soon" is a 1988 song written by Neil Finn and performed by New Zealand/Australian band Crowded House. The song was released as a single in July 1988 by Capitol Records. It performed modestly on both the American and British charts, but managed to peak at number two on the...

" by Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...

Top 8: "Play That Funky Music
Play That Funky Music
"Play That Funky Music" is a funk song written by Robert Parissi and recorded by the band Wild Cherry. The performers on the classic recording included the members of the band at the time: lead singer Parissi, guitarist Bryan Bassett, bassist Allen Wentz, and drummer Ron Beitle, with session horn...

" by Wild Cherry
Wild Cherry (band)
Wild Cherry was a funk/rock band best known for their funk song "Play That Funky Music".-History:Rob Parissi was raised in the steel mill town of Mingo Junction, Ohio. Parissi graduated from Mingo High School in 1968. Rob formed the band Wild Cherry in 1970 in Steubenville, Ohio, one mile north of...

Top 7: "Tears in Heaven
Tears in Heaven
"Tears in Heaven" is a ballad written by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings about the pain and loss Clapton felt following the death of his four-year-old son, Conor. Conor fell from a window of the 53rd-floor New York apartment of his mother's friend on March 20, 1991. Clapton, who arrived at the...

" by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...

Top 6: "Let Me Entertain You
Let Me Entertain You (Robbie Williams song)
"Let Me Entertain You" is a song written by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers. Released as the fifth and last single from Williams' debut album, Life Thru A Lens. It has no connection to the songs by Queen or Shakespears Sister carrying the same title. In March 1998, the track became a top three hit...

" by Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...

Top 5: "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay
" The Dock of the Bay" is a song co-written by soul singer Otis Redding and guitarist Steve Cropper. It was first recorded by Otis Redding in 1967, just days before his death. It was released posthumously on Stax Records' Volt label in 1968, becoming the first posthumous number-one single in U.S...

" by Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...

Top 4: "Rock and Roll
Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin song)
"Rock and Roll" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, which was first released as the second track from the band's fourth album in 1971, with a guest appearance by The Rolling Stones pianist Ian Stewart.-Overview:...

" by Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

, "Wherever You Will Go
Wherever You Will Go
"Wherever You Will Go" is a song by The Calling released on the first single of their debut album Camino Palmero. It remains their most renowned and their most successful hit, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Adult Top 40 for 23 weeks, setting a record for that chart behind...

" by The Calling
The Calling
The Calling is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, best known for their hit single, "Wherever You Will Go." The group formed in 2000 and have released two albums. They have been on an indefinite hiatus since 2005.-Band history:...

Top 3: "Should I Stay or Should I Go
Should I Stay or Should I Go
"Should I Stay or Should I Go" is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, from their album Combat Rock. It was written in 1981 and featured Mick Jones on lead vocals. It became the band's only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, a decade after it was originally released. In November...

" by The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...

, "Angel of Harlem
Angel of Harlem
"Angel of Harlem" is the second single from U2's 1988 album, Rattle and Hum. It peaked at #9 on the UK Singles Chart, #8 on the Dutch Top 40, #14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks...

" by U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...

Top 2: "Let Me Entertain You
Let Me Entertain You (Robbie Williams song)
"Let Me Entertain You" is a song written by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers. Released as the fifth and last single from Williams' debut album, Life Thru A Lens. It has no connection to the songs by Queen or Shakespears Sister carrying the same title. In March 1998, the track became a top three hit...

" by Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...

, "Tears in Heaven
Tears in Heaven
"Tears in Heaven" is a ballad written by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings about the pain and loss Clapton felt following the death of his four-year-old son, Conor. Conor fell from a window of the 53rd-floor New York apartment of his mother's friend on March 20, 1991. Clapton, who arrived at the...

" by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...

, "One
One (U2 song)
"One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby, and it was released as the record's third single in March 1992. It was recorded at three recording studios, Hansa Ton Studios, Elsinore, and Windmill Lane Studios...

" by U2, "They Can't Take That Away
They Can't Take That Away
"They Can’t Take That Away" is a single by New Zealand Idol season one winner, Benjamin Lummis, released in 2004. It went to number one in its first week, where it remained for seven weeks....

" (Winner's single)

Camillia Temple

Camillia Temple (aged 28, from Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

), came third.
Audition: "My Love Is Your Love
My Love Is Your Love
My Love Is Your Love is the fourth studio album by American singer Whitney Houston, released worldwide on November 17, 1998. The album, her first studio album in eight years since I'm Your Baby Tonight, was composed of mid-tempo R&B, hip hop, ballads, urban-dance, reggae, and torch songs, produced...

" by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

Theatre Week (Round 1): "How Come You Don't Call Me?
How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?
"How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" is a song by Prince. It is a ballad of romantic longing with some gospel elements. On his original recording of the song, which was released as the non-album B-side to his 1982 single "1999", Prince performs most of the song in his falsetto range, with his own...

" by Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...

Theatre Week (Round 3): "Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...

" by Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

Top 24: "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)
Exhale (Shoop Shoop)
"Exhale " is a song by American recording artist Whitney Houston, featured on the soundtrack for the film Waiting to Exhale. It was released as the lead single from the soundtrack on November 7, 1995, by Arista Records. The song was written and produced by Babyface...

" by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

Top 10: "Natural Woman
(You Make Me Feel like) a Natural Woman
" A Natural Woman" is a 1967 single released by American soul singer Aretha Franklin on the Atlantic label. The record was a big hit for Franklin, reaching number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and became a standard song for her...

" by Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...

Top 9: "Escaping" by Margaret Urlich
Margaret urlich
Margaret Urlich is an ARIA Award-winning musician based in New South Wales. Urlich came to Sydney, Australia, in 1988 to pursue her singing career. Her debut solo album, Safety in Numbers, was highly successful winning Breakthrough Artist - Album at that years ARIA Awards, as was the follow-up...

Top 8: "Lady Marmalade
Lady Marmalade
"Lady Marmalade" was also covered by Italian pop star Sabrina. It was released in 1987 as the album's second single by Baby Records. In some countries, including France and the Netherlands, the song was known as "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? " and was released in 1988.-Track listings:7" maxi#...

" by Labelle
Labelle
Labelle is an American all female singing group who were a popular vocal group of the 1960s and 1970s. The group was formed after the disbanding of two rival girl groups in the Philadelphia/Trenton areas, the Ordettes and the Del-Capris, forming as a new version of the former group, later changing...

Top 7: "Purple Rain
Purple Rain (song)
"Purple Rain" is a power ballad by Prince and The Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name, and was released as the third single from that album. The song is a combination of rock, pop, gospel,...

" by Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

Top 6: "Superstar
Superstar (Jamelia song)
"Superstar" is a song by Danish pop singer Christine Milton, released on January 13, 2003 as the lead single from her debut album, Friday . It was written and produced by Cutfather, Joe Belmaati, and Remee, and spent seven weeks at number one on the Danish Singles Chart. The song was later covered...

" by Jamelia
Jamelia
Jamelia Niela Davis , best known mononymously as Jamelia, is an English singer-songwriter, model, entertainer, television presenter and actress. She is most famous for her use of a cappella and prolific work in the R&B genre...

Top 5: "Piece of My Heart
Piece of My Heart
"Piece of My Heart" is a song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns and originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. The song came to greater mainstream attention when Big Brother and the Holding Company covered the song in 1968 and had a hit with it...

" by Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...

Top 4: "Alone
Alone (Heart song)
-Céline Dion version:Céline Dion covered "Alone" for her 2007 album Taking Chances. It was released as the second single in Europe and North America, and third in the United Kingdom...

" by Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...

, "Black Velvet
Black Velvet (song)
"Black Velvet" is a rock song written by Canadian musicians David Tyson and Christopher Ward, and recorded by Canadian singer Alannah Myles in 1988. It became a number one hit for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1990 and reached number one on the Album Rock Tracks chart, as well as...

" by Alannah Myles
Alannah Myles
Alannah Myles is a Canadian singer-songwriter, the daughter of Canadian broadcast pioneer William Douglas Byles. In 1989, she released her eponymous debut album...

Top 3: "I Want to Know What Love Is
I Want to Know What Love Is
"I Want to Know What Love Is" is a 1984 power ballad recorded by the British-American rock band Foreigner. The song hit #1 in both the UK and the U.S. and is the band's biggest hit...

" by Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...

, "How Will I Know
How Will I Know
"How Will I Know" is a song recorded by American recording artist Whitney Houston for her debut album, entitled Whitney Houston, which was released in February 1985. It was released by Arista Records in November that year, as the album's third single. Composed by George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam,...

" by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...


Luke Whaanga

Luke Whaanga, (aged 20, from Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...

), was placed fourth.
Audition: "I Love Every Little Thing About You" by Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...

Theatre Week (Round 1): "A Whole New World
A Whole New World
"A Whole New World" is the Oscar winning featured pop single from the soundtrack to the 1992 Disney film Aladdin. It was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Tim Rice. The song is a ballad between the primary characters Aladdin and Jasmine about the new world they are going to discover together....

" by Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson
Peabo Bryson is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, born in Greenville, South Carolina...

 and Regina Belle
Regina Belle
Regina Belle is a singer-songwriter who first surfaced in the late 1980s. She is notable for her Grammy award winning duet with Peabo Bryson, "A Whole New World".-Biography:Regina Belle was born in Englewood, New Jersey...

Theatre Week (Round 3): "If I Had No Loot" by Tony! Toni! Toné!
Tony! Toni! Toné!
Tony! Toni! Toné! is an American Soul/R&B group from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq on lead vocals and bass, and their cousin Timothy...

Top 24: "Greatest Love Of All
Greatest Love of All
"The Greatest Love of All" is a song written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed and originally recorded by George Benson for the 1977 Muhammad Ali biopic The Greatest. The song was later popularized by Whitney Houston. Creed wrote the lyrics in the midst of her struggle with breast cancer...

" by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

Top 10: "Slippin' Away" by Max Merritt
Max Merritt
Max Merritt is a New Zealand-born singer-songwriter and guitarist who is renowned as an interpreter of soul music and R&B...

Top 9: "Sitting Inside My Head" by Supergroove
Supergroove
Supergroove is a New Zealand funk rock music group. Their debut album Traction was released in 1994. The group disbanded in 1997 but recently reformed in 2007.- History :...

Top 8: "You to Me Are Everything
You to Me Are Everything
"You to Me Are Everything" is a single by The Real Thing. Written by Ken Gold and Michael Denne and produced by Ken Gold, "You to Me Are Everything" was The Real Thing's sole number-one single in the UK, spending three weeks at the top in July 1976. A remixed version of the song returned to the...

" by The Real Thing
The Real Thing (group)
-Albums:Studio albums* Real Thing - UK #34* 4 from 8 * Step Into Our World , retitled Can You Feel the Force - UK #73* ....Saints Or Sinners? Live albums* The Real Thing Live Compilation albums...

Top 7: "When A Man Loves A Woman
When a Man Loves a Woman (song)
"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966 at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts. It was listed 54th in the List of Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest songs of all time...

" by Percy Sledge
Percy Sledge
Percy Sledge is an American R&B and soul performer who recorded the hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" in 1966.-Early career:...

Top 6: "Come Together
Come Together
"Come Together" is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on The Beatles' September 1969 album Abbey Road....

" by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

Top 5: "Shining Star" by The Manhattans
The Manhattans
The Manhattans are an American popular R&B vocal group, with a string of hit records spanning four decades. Their best known million-selling songs being "Kiss and Say Goodbye" and 'Shining Star' in 1980...

Top 4: "Behind Blue Eyes
Behind Blue Eyes
"Behind Blue Eyes" is the title of a song by English rock band The Who. It was released in November 1971 as the second single from their fifth album Who's Next and was written by Pete Townshend originally for his Lifehouse project...

" by Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 1995, the group's lineup consists of Fred Durst , Wes Borland , Sam Rivers , John Otto and DJ Lethal . The band achieved mainstream success with their second studio album Significant Other, released in 1999...

, "You Shook Me All Night Long
You Shook Me All Night Long
"You Shook Me All Night Long" is one of AC/DC's signature songs from their most successful album, Back in Black. The song also reappeared on their later album Who Made Who. It is one of the band's top 40 singles, reaching number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in 1980...

" by AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...


Dave Houma

Dave Houma (aged 28, from Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

), finished in fifth place.
Audition: "Yesterday Once More
Yesterday Once More (song)
"Yesterday Once More", written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis, is a hit song by The Carpenters from their 1973 album Now & Then. Composed in the key of E, "Yesterday Once More" preceded an "Oldies Medley" on the album, consisting of nine songs from the 1960s. At the end of the song a...

" by The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...

Theatre Week (Round 1): "Hard to Say I'm Sorry
Hard to Say I'm Sorry
"Hard to Say I'm Sorry" is a 1982 Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit ballad performed by American rock group Chicago, written by band member Peter Cetera and producer David Foster from the album Chicago 16, released in 1982. The song hit number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on September 11...

" by Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...

Theatre Week (Round 3): "Love X Love
Love X Love
"Love X Love" was a single by American R&B singer George Benson, which entered the UK Singles Chart on 26 July 1980. It reached a peak position of number 10, and remained in the chart for 8 weeks....

" by George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....

Top 24: "Yesterday Once More
Yesterday Once More (song)
"Yesterday Once More", written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis, is a hit song by The Carpenters from their 1973 album Now & Then. Composed in the key of E, "Yesterday Once More" preceded an "Oldies Medley" on the album, consisting of nine songs from the 1960s. At the end of the song a...

" by The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...

Top 10: "Hard to Find Her" by Zed
Zed (band)
Zed were a New Zealand pop/rock four-piece band formed in 1998.-History:Originally formed while still students at Christchurch's Cashmere High School, Zed is the dream child of Nathan King, Ben Campbell and Adrian Palmer, along with manager Ray Columbus.King felt the band needed a second guitarist...

Top 9: "Better
Better (Brooke Fraser song)
"Better" is the debut single by Brooke Fraser, from her multi-platinum and award-winning album What to Do with Daylight.-Song information:...

" by Brooke Fraser
Brooke Fraser
Brooke Gabrielle Fraser Ligertwood, better known as Brooke Fraser is a New Zealand award-winning folk-pop and Christian music artist...

Top 8: "Give Me the Night" by George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....

Top 7: "Truly
Truly (song)
"Truly" is the title of the debut solo single by R&B singer-songwriter Lionel Richie in 1982 . Richie wrote the song and co-produced it with James Anthony Carmichael....

" by Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...

Top 6: "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)
Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)
"Empty Garden " is a hit ballad from British pop-rock performer Elton John's 1982 album Jump Up!. It reached number 13 in the US singles chart. He dedicated the song in memory of the late Beatle, John Lennon, who had been murdered by an obsessed fan in front of his New York City apartment on...

" by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

Top 5: "Reach Out (I'll Be There)
Reach Out I'll Be There
"Reach Out I'll Be There" is a 1966 hit song recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song is one of the most well-known Motown tunes of the 1960s and is today considered The Tops' signature song...

" by The Four Tops
Four Tops
The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet, whose repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, hard rock, and showtunes...


Eddie Gaiger

Eddie Gaiger (aged 25, from the Coromandel
Coromandel, New Zealand
Coromandel is the name of a town and harbour on the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula, which is on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand...

), was placed sixth.
Audition: "Don't Dream It's Over
Don't Dream It's Over
-12": Capitol / 12CL 438 United Kingdom :* also available on CD and MC-Personnel:*Neil Finn: Vocals and guitar*Nick Seymour: Bass guitar*Paul Hester: Drums and backing vocals*Mitchell Froom: Keyboards-Release history:- Charts :...

" by Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...

Theatre Week (Round 1): "Oughta Be in Love" by Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn, ONZM is an award-winning New Zealand musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. In his early career he was a member of the rock group Th' Dudes and was the main creative force in pop band DD Smash...

Theatre Week (Round 3): "Burn for You" by John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...

Top 24: "Drift Away
Drift Away
"Drift Away" is a song written by Mentor Williams and originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz on his 1972 album Reunion. In 1973 the song became Dobie Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100, though it did not enter the charts in the United Kingdom.This song is also a...

" by Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray
Dobie Gray is an African American singer and songwriter, whose musical career has spanned soul, country, pop and musical theater...

Top 10: "One Last Breath
One Last Breath
"One Last Breath" is a 2002 single by the band Creed, from their 2001 album Weathered. It reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay and Mainstream Rock charts, as well as #4 on the Billboard Pop chart, and #2 on the Adult Top 40.-Chart...

" by Creed
Creed (band)
Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an...

Top 9: "Misty Frequencies" by Che Fu
Che Fu
Che Fu MNZM is a New Zealand Hip hop/R&B and Reggae recording artist and producer. Originally one part of the band Supergroove, as a solo artist he has gone on to sell thousands of albums both in New Zealand and internationally, including in Australia and the UK.-History:Fu is one of New Zealand's...

Top 8: "Superstition
Superstition (song)
"Superstition" is a popular song written, produced, arranged, and performed by Stevie Wonder for Motown Records in 1972, when Wonder was 22 years old. It was the lead single for Wonder's Talking Book album, and released in many countries. It reached number one in the USA, and number one on the soul...

" by Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...

Top 7: "Against All Odds
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
"Against All Odds " is a song by British singer Phil Collins recorded for soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. It is a power ballad in which its protagonist implores an ex-lover to "take a look at me now", knowing that reconciliation is "against all odds" while considering it worth trying...

" by Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....

Top 6: "Somebody To Love
Somebody to Love (Queen song)
"Somebody to Love" is a song by British rock band Queen. Written by lead vocalist and pianist Freddie Mercury, the track featured on their 1976 album A Day at the Races, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...

" by Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...


Robin Johnson

Robin Johnson (aged 18, from Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt is a satellite city of Wellington. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is in Greater Wellington.-Geography:Upper Hutt is 30 km north-east of Wellington...

), finished in seventh place.
Audition: "Man of the Hour
Man of the Hour
"Man of the Hour" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Written by vocalist Eddie Vedder, "Man of the Hour" accompanies the closing credits of the 2003 film Big Fish, and is the first track on the film's soundtrack album. It was released as a single on November 26, 2003...

" by John Farnham
John Farnham
John Peter Farnham, AO, formerly billed as Johnny Farnham , is an English-born Australian pop singer. He was a teen pop idol from 1964 to 1979, and has since forged a career as an adult contemporary singer. His career has mostly been as a solo artist although he briefly replaced Glenn Shorrock as...

Theatre Week (Round 1): "Ain't Too Proud to Beg
Ain't Too Proud to Beg
"Ain't Too Proud to Beg" is a 1966 song and hit single by The Temptations for Motown Records' Gordy label, produced by Norman Whitfield and written by Whitfield and Edward Holland, Jr. The song peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Pop Chart, and was a number-one hit on the Billboard R&B charts for...

" by The Temptations
The Temptations
The Temptations is an American vocal group having achieved fame as one of the most successful acts to record for Motown Records. The group's repertoire has included, at various times during its five-decade career, R&B, doo-wop, funk, disco, soul, and adult contemporary music.Formed in Detroit,...

Theatre Week (Round 3): "Kiss
Kiss (song)
In 1988 Art of Noise released a cover of the song, featuring Tom Jones on vocals. The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number eighteen on the U.S. dance charts and number five on the UK Singles Chart, higher than the original in that country...

" by Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

Top 24: "Ribbon in the Sky
Ribbon in the Sky
"Ribbon in the Sky" is a hit 1982 R&B single released by Motown star, American singer Stevie Wonder. The ballad was first featured on the greatest-hits compilation, Original Musiquarium, and charted at #54 pop and #10 R&B when it was released...

" by Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...

Top 10: "Cry Me A River
Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake song)
"Cry Me a River" is the second single from Justin Timberlake's solo debut album Justified. Released on December 17, 2002, the single, which features guest vocals and production by Timbaland & Scott Storch, won Timberlake a Grammy Award for "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" in 2004.-Background...

" by Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...

Top 9: "Don't Dream It's Over
Don't Dream It's Over
-12": Capitol / 12CL 438 United Kingdom :* also available on CD and MC-Personnel:*Neil Finn: Vocals and guitar*Nick Seymour: Bass guitar*Paul Hester: Drums and backing vocals*Mitchell Froom: Keyboards-Release history:- Charts :...

" by Crowded House
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Australia and led by New Zealand singer-songwriter Neil Finn. Finn is the primary songwriter and creative director of the band, having led it through several incarnations, drawing members from New Zealand , Australia and the United States...

Top 8: "Blame It on the Boogie
Blame It on the Boogie
"Blame It on the Boogie" is a disco song, originally released in 1978 both by English singer-songwriter Mick Jackson as well as by The Jacksons , and was later also covered by numerous other artists.-Background:...

" by The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...

Top 7: "I'll Be There" by Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...


Jessie Cassin

Jessie Cassin (aged 18, from Browns Bay
Browns Bay, New Zealand
Browns Bay is an Auckland suburb. It is one of the East Coast Bays suburbs, and is well known for its shops and beaches.Browns Bay is under the local governance of the Auckland Council, and is located in the North Shore ward of the new Auckland city, one of the thirteen newly amalgamated...

, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

), placed eighth. Prior to Idol, Jessie was completing a Bachelor of Music, majoring in Performance Music - Classical.
Audition: "Drive" by Bic Runga
Bic Runga
Briolette Kah Bic Runga MNZM is a New Zealand pop recording artist whose first solo album, Drive, debuted at number one on the New Zealand RIANZ charts. She has since become one of the highest-selling New Zealand artists in recent history...

Theatre Week (Round 1): "Songbird
Songbird (Fleetwood Mac song)
"Songbird" is a popular song by Fleetwood Mac. It first appeared on the 1977 album Rumours.One of four songs written solely by Christine McVie on the Rumours album.-Eva Cassidy version:...

" by Eva Cassidy
Eva Cassidy
Eva Marie Cassidy was an American vocalist known for her interpretations of jazz, blues, folk, gospel, country and pop classics. In 1992 she released her first album, The Other Side, a set of duets with go-go musician Chuck Brown, followed by a live solo album, Live at Blues Alley in 1996...

Theatre Week (Round 3): "Greatest Love Of All
Greatest Love of All
"The Greatest Love of All" is a song written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed and originally recorded by George Benson for the 1977 Muhammad Ali biopic The Greatest. The song was later popularized by Whitney Houston. Creed wrote the lyrics in the midst of her struggle with breast cancer...

" by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

Top 24: "Angel
Angel (Sarah McLachlan song)
"Angel" is a song by Sarah McLachlan that originally appeared on her 1997 album Surfacing. As McLachlan explained on VH1 Storytellers, the song is about the Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, who overdosed on heroin and died in 1996."Angel" was McLachlan's second top 5 hits...

" by Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...

Wildcards: "Something Good" by Bic Runga
Bic Runga
Briolette Kah Bic Runga MNZM is a New Zealand pop recording artist whose first solo album, Drive, debuted at number one on the New Zealand RIANZ charts. She has since become one of the highest-selling New Zealand artists in recent history...

Top 10: "Something Good" by Bic Runga
Bic Runga
Briolette Kah Bic Runga MNZM is a New Zealand pop recording artist whose first solo album, Drive, debuted at number one on the New Zealand RIANZ charts. She has since become one of the highest-selling New Zealand artists in recent history...

Top 9: "I Hope I Never
I Hope I Never
"I Hope I Never" is a 1980 song by New Zealand art rock group Split Enz from their studio album True Colours. The album version of the song goes for 4:36, forty seconds longer than the single version. The song was later covered by ENZSO, a collaboration between Split Enz's Eddie Rayner and the New...

" by Split Enz
Split Enz
Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...

Top 8: "Dancing Queen
Dancing Queen
"Dancing Queen" is a pop song recorded by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in August 1976, but was first performed two months earlier, on 18 June 1976, during a Royal Variety Show in Stockholm the evening before the Swedish royal wedding. It was the follow-up single to the hit "Fernando"...

" by Abba
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...


Sela Mahe

Sela Mahe (aged 17, from Mangere
Mangere
Māngere is one of the larger suburbs in South Auckland, in northern New Zealand.The suburb is located on flat land at the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of the centre of Manukau city and 15 kilometres south of Auckland city centre...

, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

), finished ninth. She is of Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...

n descent.
Audition: "It's Only a Paper Moon
It's Only a Paper Moon (song)
"It's Only a Paper Moon" is a popular song. Published in 1933, it was written by Harold Arlen with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg and Billy Rose. It was written originally for an unsuccessful Broadway play called The Great Magoo, set in Coney Island. It was subsequently used in the movie Take a Chance, in...

" by Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...

Theatre Week (Round 1):
Theatre Week (Round 3): "It's Only a Paper Moon
It's Only a Paper Moon (song)
"It's Only a Paper Moon" is a popular song. Published in 1933, it was written by Harold Arlen with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg and Billy Rose. It was written originally for an unsuccessful Broadway play called The Great Magoo, set in Coney Island. It was subsequently used in the movie Take a Chance, in...

" by Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...

Top 24: "How Come You Don't Call Me?
How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?
"How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" is a song by Prince. It is a ballad of romantic longing with some gospel elements. On his original recording of the song, which was released as the non-album B-side to his 1982 single "1999", Prince performs most of the song in his falsetto range, with his own...

" by Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...

Top 10: "Gettin' In The Way
Gettin' In the Way
"Gettin' In the Way" was the first single released 2000 by American R&B/Soul singer-songwriter Jill Scott, off her debut studio album on Hidden Beach label, Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1. The song was her first charting UK single, which peaked to number 30 on the UK Singles Chart and...

" by Jill Scott
Jill Scott
Jill Scott is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actress. In 2007, Scott made her cinematic debut in the films Hounddog and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That year, her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, was released on...

Top 9: "Time Makes A Wine" by Ardijah
Ardijah
-History:Ardijah formed in 1979 and spent the early part of the Eighties playing the Auckland Pub and Club scene honing their skills as a covers band. They released their first single in 1986, Give Me Your Number which was followed in 1987 with Your Love Is Blind...


Filipo Saipani

Filipo Saipani (aged 18, from Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...

), was placed tenth.
Audition: "God Defend New Zealand
God Defend New Zealand
"God Defend New Zealand" is one of two national anthems of New Zealand, the other being "God Save the Queen". Legally they have equal status, but "God Defend New Zealand" is more commonly used, and is popularly referred to as "the national anthem"...

"
Theatre Week (Round 1): "Whenever You Call" by Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....

Theatre Week (Round 3): "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...

Top 24: "Still" by Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....

Top 10: "Whenever You Call" by Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....


The Grand Final

The final was held on 10 May, with the following performances:
  • The Top 10: "Kids" by Robbie Williams
    Robbie Williams
    Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...

     and Kylie Minogue
    Kylie Minogue
    Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...

  • Luke Whaanga: "Sitting Inside My Head" by Supergroove
    Supergroove
    Supergroove is a New Zealand funk rock music group. Their debut album Traction was released in 1994. The group disbanded in 1997 but recently reformed in 2007.- History :...

  • Ben Lummis: "They Can't Take That Away
    They Can't Take That Away
    "They Can’t Take That Away" is a single by New Zealand Idol season one winner, Benjamin Lummis, released in 2004. It went to number one in its first week, where it remained for seven weeks....

    " (winner's single)
  • Eddie Gaiger: "Somebody To Love
    Somebody to Love (Queen song)
    "Somebody to Love" is a song by British rock band Queen. Written by lead vocalist and pianist Freddie Mercury, the track featured on their 1976 album A Day at the Races, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits...

    " by Queen
    Queen (band)
    Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...

  • Camillia Temple: "Purple Rain
    Purple Rain (song)
    "Purple Rain" is a power ballad by Prince and The Revolution. It is the title track from the 1984 album of the same name, which in turn is the soundtrack album for the 1984 film of the same name, and was released as the third single from that album. The song is a combination of rock, pop, gospel,...

    " by Prince
    Prince (musician)
    Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...

  • Michael Murphy: "They Can't Take That Away
    They Can't Take That Away
    "They Can’t Take That Away" is a single by New Zealand Idol season one winner, Benjamin Lummis, released in 2004. It went to number one in its first week, where it remained for seven weeks....

    " (winner's single)
  • Jessie Cassin: "Drive" by Bic Runga
    Bic Runga
    Briolette Kah Bic Runga MNZM is a New Zealand pop recording artist whose first solo album, Drive, debuted at number one on the New Zealand RIANZ charts. She has since become one of the highest-selling New Zealand artists in recent history...

  • Fiona McDonald & Frankie Stevens: "Somethin' Stupid
    Somethin' Stupid
    "Somethin' Stupid" is a song written by C. Carson Parks and originally recorded in 1966 by Parks and his wife Gaile Foote, as "Carson and Gaile". It is best known in the hit version by Frank Sinatra and his daughter, Nancy Sinatra....

    " by Frank Sinatra
    Frank Sinatra
    Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...

     and Nancy Sinatra
    Nancy Sinatra
    Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....

  • Robin Johnson: "Cry Me A River
    Cry Me a River (Justin Timberlake song)
    "Cry Me a River" is the second single from Justin Timberlake's solo debut album Justified. Released on December 17, 2002, the single, which features guest vocals and production by Timbaland & Scott Storch, won Timberlake a Grammy Award for "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" in 2004.-Background...

    " by Justin Timberlake
    Justin Timberlake
    Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...

  • Filipo Saipani: "Whenever You Call" by Brian McKnight
    Brian McKnight
    Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....

  • Sela Mahe: "How Come You Don't Call Me?
    How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?
    "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" is a song by Prince. It is a ballad of romantic longing with some gospel elements. On his original recording of the song, which was released as the non-album B-side to his 1982 single "1999", Prince performs most of the song in his falsetto range, with his own...

    " by Alicia Keys
    Alicia Keys
    Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...

  • Michael Murphy: "Wherever You Will Go
    Wherever You Will Go
    "Wherever You Will Go" is a song by The Calling released on the first single of their debut album Camino Palmero. It remains their most renowned and their most successful hit, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Adult Top 40 for 23 weeks, setting a record for that chart behind...

    " by The Calling
    The Calling
    The Calling is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, best known for their hit single, "Wherever You Will Go." The group formed in 2000 and have released two albums. They have been on an indefinite hiatus since 2005.-Band history:...

  • Ben Lummis: "American Woman
    American Woman (song)
    "American Woman" is a song by Canadian rock band The Guess Who, first released in January 1970 on the album of the same name and later in March as a single, which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been covered by many rock artists, including Lenny Kravitz, Krokus, and The Butthole...

    " by Lenny Kravitz
    Lenny Kravitz
    Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...

  • Dave Houma: "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)
    Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)
    "Empty Garden " is a hit ballad from British pop-rock performer Elton John's 1982 album Jump Up!. It reached number 13 in the US singles chart. He dedicated the song in memory of the late Beatle, John Lennon, who had been murdered by an obsessed fan in front of his New York City apartment on...

    " by Elton John
    Elton John
    Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...

  • Ben Lummis: "They Can't Take That Away
    They Can't Take That Away
    "They Can’t Take That Away" is a single by New Zealand Idol season one winner, Benjamin Lummis, released in 2004. It went to number one in its first week, where it remained for seven weeks....

    "

Elimination chart


{| border="2" cellpadding="4" style="background:gray; border:1px solid gray; border-collapse:collapse; margin:0 1em 1em 0; text-align:center; "
|-
|+ Legend
|-
| style="background:#F5F5DC;" width="25%" | Did Not Perform
| style="background:#CCCCCC;" width="25%" | Top 24
| style="background:#FBF373;" width="25%" | Wild Card
| style="background:palegoldenrod;" width="25%" | Top 10
|}



{|class="wikitable"
|colspan="2" align="right"|Stage:
|colspan="3" bgcolor="CCCCCC" align="Center"|Semi-Finals
|colspan="1" bgcolor="#FBF373" align="center"|WC
|colspan="9" bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="Center"|Finals
|-
|colspan="2" align="right"|Week:
|align="center"|23/2
|align="center"|1/3
|align="center"|8/3
|align="center"|13/3
|align="center"|15/3
|align="center"|22/3
|align="center"|29/3
|align="center"|5/4
|align="center"|12/4
|align="center"|19/4
|align="center"|26/4
|align="center"|3/5
|align="center"|10/5
|-
!Place
!Contestant
!colspan="13" align="center"|Result
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|1
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|
|
|
|
|align="center" bgcolor=lime|Winner
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|2
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Runner-Up
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|3
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="3"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|4
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="4"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|5
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|
|
|
|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="5"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|6
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="6"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|7
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="7"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|8
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" |Elim
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|
|
|bgcolor="lightgreen" align="center"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="8"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|9
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="9"|
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|10
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod" align="center"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="palegoldenrod"|Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="10"|
|-
|bgcolor="#FBF373" align="center" rowspan="2"|Wild
Card
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"|Elim
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#FBF373" align="center" rowspan="2"|Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="11"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" |Elim
|bgcolor="666666" colspan="11"|
|-
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|Elim
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="12"|
|-
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="12"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="12"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="12"|
|-
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|Elim
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="13"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="13"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="13"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="F5F5DC"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="13"|
|-
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|
|bgcolor="cyan"|
|bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" rowspan="4"|Elim
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="14"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="14"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="14"|
|-
|bgcolor="pink"|
|bgcolor="#666666" colspan="14"|
|}

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK