He got his start on Australian Idol, but Shannon Noll says reality TV music shows can be dangerous for kids trying to kickstart their careers.
The What About Me singer was runner up to Guy Sebastian in the debut season of Australian Idol in 2003 with judges Mark Holden, Marcia Hines and Ian "Dicko" Dickson.
More Entertainment Videos
Alfie crowned winner of The Voice
The Sydney-based former architect Alfie Arcuri wins The Voice Australia.
Noll says too much attention is now given to celebrity judges on similar shows.
"In our year it was all about the contestants. The judges were unknown," Noll said.
"Now they bring Americans out who announce a new single and a tour. I think I heard one of them go 'You can win this for me' and I'm going, 'Who is this supposed to be for?' It's supposed to be for the kids, not for the judges."
Noll said it's frustrating to watch kids being told they're superstars when they're not yet.
"These kids believe every word that they're getting told and I worry about them because it's a bit dangerous for them," he said.
"I've sort of been through the highs and the lows of it and it's hard until you get there to be able to handle the part where people don't give a shit about you anymore all of a sudden."
![X Factor judges, from left, Adam Lambert, Iggy Azalea and Guy Sebastian.](/web/20161111095714im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/u/2/a/n/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grvkvy.png/1475697345190.jpg)
This year's The Voice winner, Alfie Arcuri, suffered a harsh blow when his song Cruel failed to rank prominently on the ARIA charts; and it appears to follow a pattern of decline for Voice winners, with last year's Ellie Drennan also struggling.
Noll's comments come as Casey Donovan, a struggling Australian Idol winner, has launched a Kickstarter campaign seeking $10,000 from the public to release a new six-track EP independently.
![Shannon Noll has released new single Who I Am, which is all about getting back on top.](/web/20161111095714im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/v/s/h/j/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grvkvy.png/1475655254234.jpg)
Donovan almost became more famous for a Catfish relationship than her music, when in 2014 she admitted to being duped by a woman pretending to be a male suitor online in her tell-all autobiography Big, Beautiful & Sexy.
At the time, she said she had no regrets about Idol but would have liked to see record companies and TV networks "nurturing" their contestants more, like the talented but troubled Karise Eden, who suffered a breakdown two years after winning The Voice in 2012.
![Casey Donovan, sings part of Bohemian Rhapsody from a new musical, We Will Rock You, in Ultimo, Sydney.](/web/20161111095714im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/j/t/g/2/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grvkvy.png/1475655254234.jpg)
Now Donovan appears to be trying to find herself again as an artist.
"Before I was anything in the music world I loved to write songs, I loved writing stories that had some form of substance and depth and over the years I've lost that....and I want it back!" Donovan writes on her Kickstarter page.
![Australian Idol winner Casey Donovan is embraced by finalist Anthony Callea after the winner was announced on Sunday 21 ...](/web/20161111095714im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/j/t/m/s/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.grvkvy.png/1475655254234.jpg)
"Being an independent artist in today's world is challenging but also extremely rewarding. I want this new EP to spotlight the new life of my music journey, to give me back some hope, in that, I am going the right direction."
The reward for a $150 or more donation includes a signed copy of Donovan's last attempt at an independent release, Eye 2 Eye, which had a limited hard-copy release in 2007 and can be found on her MySpace account.
Last week Anthony Callea, who came runner up to Donovan on Idol in 2004, cracked No.1 on the ARIA charts with his new (and fifth studio) album Backbone, which is signed with Sony.
Sony dumped Donovan the year after winning the show, with Donovan telling Fairfax Media in 2007: "Oh my God, I am so poor right now, but you know, that's the way it is."
Even for Noll, who has had sing-along smash hits like Drive, Shine and Lift, the past 13 years have been hard work for the country boy from Condobolin in central west NSW.
After a five-year hiatus between albums, Noll's career has had a resurgence thanks to a younger crowd that's making memes and packing out shows.
His new single Who I Am, which Noll says has tongue-in-cheek references to his previous singles, is all about getting back on top.
"It's about getting back on the front foot and making it work and try not to make the mistakes I made the first time," Noll said.
The most successful exports of Australian Idol are considered to be Sebastian, who is currently judging on Seven's talent show The X Factor; Jessica Mauboy, who is starring in Seven's The Secret Daughter when she's not singing in stadiums; and Triple J and festival favourite Matt Corby.
*Shannon Noll's new single Who I Am is out now.
AAP, with Aja Styles
0 comments
New User? Sign up