Australian Idol Music Releases | ||
Genres | pop, dance-pop, pop rock, synthpop, indie pop, pop punk, rock, soft rock, country rock, R&B, urban, soul, covers, jazz, folk, alternative, country | |
Years | 2003 – present | |
Record labels | BMG, Sony Music Australia, Warner Music Group, Universal Music, EMI, RCA, Ministry of Sound, Shock Records, Rajon, Decca Records Australia, Scorpio Music | |
Charting regions | Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US |
Australian Idol's highest selling acts | |
Guy Sebastian (season one winner) | |
Certifications | 51 Platinum 8 Gold |
Albums | Eight top ten albums, with six reaching the top five, including two number ones.
15 Platinum 1 gold |
EPs | One Top 40 EP |
Singles | 21 top 20 singles, including 12 top tens, with six achieving number one. Two other top 40 singles.
36 Platinum 7 Gold |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 27 Wins 4 |
Jessica Mauboy (season four runner up) | |
Certifications | 17 Platinum 7 Gold |
Albums | Four top ten albums including a number one, and a number 11 album.
5 Platinum 1 Gold |
EPs | One Top 30 EP |
Singles | 15 top 20 singles, including nine top tens, one of which reached number one. Seven other top 50 singles.
12 Platinum 6 Gold |
ARIA Awards | nominations 18 wins 2 |
Shannon Noll (season one runner up) | |
Certifications | 17 Platinum 3 Gold |
Albums | Five top ten albums, including two number ones.
9 Platinum |
Singles | Ten top ten singles including three number ones. Two other top 50 singles.
8 Platinum 3 Gold |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 6 Wins — |
Matt Corby (season five runner up) | |
Certifications | 9 Platinum |
Albums | A number one album. |
EPs | Two top 20 EPs, including one which reached number three.
6 Platinum |
Singles | One number five single, one other top 50 single.
3 Platinum |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 8 Wins 2 |
Anthony Callea (season two runner up) | |
Certifications | 8 Platinum 1 Gold |
Albums | Four top 20 albums including two number ones.
2 Platinum 1 Gold |
Singles | Six top 20 singles, including five top tens, with two achieving number one.
6 Platinum |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 3 Wins 1 |
Damien Leith (season four winner) | |
Certifications | 7 Platinum 1 Gold |
Albums | Four top two albums, including two number ones, and three other top 30 albums.
6 Platinum 1 Gold |
Singles | Two top 20 singles, including one number one.
1 Platinum |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 4 Wins 1 |
Stan Walker (season seven winner) | |
Certifications | 5 Platinum 3 Gold |
Albums | Four top 20 albums, including three top tens.
1 Platinum |
Singles | Three top 20 singles including two top tens. Four other top 50 singles.
4 Platinum 3 Gold |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 5 Wins — |
Casey Donovan (season two winner) | |
Certifications | 5 Platinum |
Albums | One number two album.
3 Platinum |
Singles | One number one single.
2 Platinum |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 2 Wins — |
Ricki-Lee Coulter (season two finalist) | |
Certifications | 3 Platinum 3 Gold |
Albums | A top ten and two top 40 albums.
1 Gold |
Singles | 15 top 50 singles, including four top 20s and five top tens.
3 Platinum 2 Gold |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 1 Wins — |
Young Divas* | |
Certifications | 3 Platinum 2 Gold |
Albums | Two top ten albums.
2 Platinum 1 Gold |
Singles | Four top 40 singles, including one top 20 and two top tens.
1 Platinum 1 Gold |
*Performers: Paulini - season 1, Kate DeAraugo and Emily Williams - season 3 (both albums). Ricki-Lee Coulter - season 2 (1st album). Jessica Mauboy - season 4 (2nd album). | |
2003 Top 12* (season one) | |
Certifications | 2 Platinum 1 Gold |
Albums | One number three album.
2 Platinum |
Singles | One number one single.
1 Gold |
* Performers - Guy Sebastian, Shannon Noll, Cosima De Vito, Paulini, Rob Mills, Levi Kereama†, Rebekah LaVauney, Kelly Cavuoto, Lauren Buckley, Cle Wootton, Peter Ryan, Matthew Chadwick | |
Other notable contestants | |
Season one | |
Paulini (finalist) | |
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Albums | One platinum number one album, a top 25 album, and an EP and album which charted the top 100. |
Singles | Four top 50 singles, including a platinum certified number one. |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 1 Wins — |
Joel Turner (auditions) | |
Albums | A platinum top 30 album. |
Singles | Six top 30 singles, including a platinum number one. |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 3 Wins — |
Cosima De Vito (finalist) | |
Albums | A number two gold certified album |
Singles | Two Top 50 singles, including a platinum number one. |
Season three | |
Kate DeAraugo (winner) | |
Albums | A platinum top ten album. |
Singles | Two top ten singles including a platinum number one. |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 1 Wins — |
Lee Harding (finalist) | |
Albums | A gold certified number three album. |
Singles | Two top 30 singles including at number-one platinum debut single. |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 1 Wins — |
Season four | |
Lisa Mitchell (finalist) | |
Albums | Three top ten albums, with one certified platinum. |
Singles | Two top 30 singles, including one which reached gold certification. |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 5 Wins — |
Season five | |
Natalie Gauci (winner) | |
Albums | A platinum certified album which reached number 11. |
Singles | A gold certified number two single. |
Season six | |
Wes Carr (winner) | |
Albums | A gold certified number two album. |
Singles | Three top 50 singles, including a gold certified number one and number 14. |
ARIA Awards | Nominations 1 Wins — |
Other contestants who have charted | |
ARIA Top 50 | |
Season 1 |
Rob Mills Levi Kereama† Axle Whitehead Courtney Act Brielle Davis |
Season 3 |
Laura Gissara James Kannis |
Season 4 | Dean Geyer |
Season 5 | Carl Riseley |
Season 7 |
Hayley Warner Casey Barnes |
ARIA Top 100 | |
Season 3 |
Dan England Roxane LeBrasse |
Season 4 | Bobby Flynn |
Australian Idol screened on Channel Ten for seven seasons between 2003 and 2009, and a number of contestants were signed to record labels, while others released their music independently. Since 2003 Australian Idol acts have impacted significantly on the Australian music charts, with 32 number ones and 137 platinum and 39 gold certifications. Eight Idol releases appeared in the 2000 - 2009 ARIA End of Decade Charts, and 24 releases have been nominated for Highest Selling ARIA Music Awards. Idol contestants have also been nominated for 25 ARIA Awards in public vote categories, where the nominees are most commonly selected from the highest selling acts of the year. There have also been 37 industry judged ARIA Award nominations. To date there have been eight wins in sales and public vote categories, and in 2013 season one winner Guy Sebastian and season four runner up Jessica Mauboy became the first Idol contestants to win industry voted ARIA Awards.
While many of the contestants only charted with their early releases, some, most notably Sebastian, Mauboy, season one runner up Shannon Noll, season five runner up Matt Corby, and season four winner Damien Leith have experienced long term success. Nine Idol acts have charted outside Australia, including Noll and Leith who reached the top ten on the Irish charts with their debut singles, and Sebastian and season seven winner Stan Walker who have both achieved numerous top ten certified entries on the New Zealand charts. Sebastian is currently the only Australian Idol contestant to chart in the US. "Battle Scars", a collaboration with Lupe Fiasco, reached number 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart, 23 on the Billboard Digital Song Chart and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Chart. It spent 20 weeks in the Hot 100 and has been certified platinum for sales of one million. "Battle Scars" also reached number two in Norway. In January 2013 Ricki-Lee Coulter's "Do It Like That" reached number seven on the Japan Hot 100.