Tamworth talent nervously await an 'Australian Idol' call back

The competition is currently hosting auditions across the country for the 2024 season, and Mr Thompson was among the many hundreds of hopefuls who applied for this year's competition.

Having applied via the competition's website, he's been told to wait until the end of August to hear back.

"I've still got a little bit of faith that I'll get that call, but if not there will always be next year," he said.

This year the show's producers have been scouting for talent within the country music capitol of Australia.

Mr Thompson's fellow graduates from the Country Music Academy Matthew Barrett and Bella Dior also answered the call.

After the announcement that Idol was coming to Tamworth Mr Barrett heard his name dropped all around town, however it was not meant to be.

"I had to make a pretty big career choice about whether I wanted to try out for Idol or give the Talent Development Project [TDP] a shot," he said

"I had to make a decision and I ended up going with TDP."

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Mr Barrett has been selected as one of a handful of students for the renowned Talent Development Project program based in Sydney.

The program is supported by the NSW Department of Education and aims to foster, up and coming young talent. Some of the programs alumni include the pop group Human Nature, singer and front man from the ARIA winning rock group Gang of Youths, David Le'aupepe, and Home and Away actress Ashleigh Rubenach.

"The program is only available to students and this is my last year as a student, so, I'll never have the opportunity to do this again," he said.

Over the next 12-months Mr Barrett will be learning from the best of the best within the industry.

"It hosts monthly workshops in Sydney where we pop in and learn how to be a musician and work in the industry," he said.

"It is so broad as there are people who rap, dance, do musical theatre, and just all of it. It is incredible to see the diversity in talent."

He said he has no regrets.

"Idol will come around each year. I had to weigh up the pros and cons, and I couldn't pass this up," he said.

"I think what I've done is the right decision and there is nothing against Idol, but I think what I'm doing is where I'm meant to be."

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