Final 6 Week

I reckon some judges have some people they connect with more than others, but that’s just human nature. I think that verdict nights have shown that whilst there might be favourites, the support for everyone must be quite even, because there are such fluctuations on who’s going out and who’s in the Bottom 3 – you can never pick it.

I was super surprised to not be in the Bottom 3. Hopefully next week, I’m not in the Bottom 3 either. I literally did think I was going to go on Monday and I was overwhelmed by the support that I got to stay. As stunned as I was that Ben went, I was equally stunned that I stayed. I was so grateful.

I think I am improving every week and that’s a good thing. I am getting a better grasp on what I am doing and I just want to show everyone out there what kind of artist I will be when I leave - that’s the most important thing.

Truth of the matter, Dicko is the only judge who gives me feedback, so I guess I appreciate his opinion the most. But I appreciate feedback from all of them.

I am most afraid of disappointing myself. I have really high expectations of what I want from myself. I watch my performances back to get all the nitty gritty flaws out of them so I can improve the next week. At the moment, I am working on the falsetto parts of my voice and mixing them in well with the rest of my voice.

Music changes my mood – it can always control how I am feeling. Whether I am listening to jazz tracks, or soul or pop rock tracks… I feel like music sometimes dictates how I feel and what I do.

- Daniel

Final 7 Week

If I could sing any song on Idol, what would it be? I enjoyed singing "Fire", the Hendrix song. That was pretty fun. That's one of my favourite songs. I've just been singing the songs that I want to sing - I actually prefer being given a genre and having to work around it.

I think the most dangerous thing about fame is just forgetting who you are and believing the hype. I think it's important to keep people around you who remind you who you are and where you came from.

It's beautiful to both rearrange someone else's song and write your own music. The great thing about Idol is that you're put in a situation where you have to interpret other people's songs, so it gives you the ability to rearrange it and that's great. But nothing's better than singing your own song – as an artist, to sing your own music to an audience… nothing can beat that. Assuming it goes well, that is!

If I could sing a duet with anyone it would be Dicko – because he's a fun bloke. And the serious answer is Ray Charles. He's dead though… so hopefully my answer would be mean that he is brought back to life somehow!

Thanks to everyone – I love the support.

When I finish my time on Idol, I would like to be remembered as someone who loved music, loved singing and who loved his time in the competition. And as someone who could really be part of the music industry.

-Daniel

Final 8 Week

The way I choose what to perform is that I get a little monkey and he pulls song titles out of a hat. He is specially trained for the job and his name is JuJu.
 
It's not that important to stay yourself in this competition – I think it's fine to be fake the whole time. Nah, just joking! You have to be completely real – people need to connect with who you are and what you represent and if you're not being yourself, it will come across. The people watching really need to able to relate to you and your performances. If people can't connect with you, then there's really no point to being on Idol.
 
At the moment, I definitely have more confidence in myself because I really feel like my singing is improving. That's really great for me. Whenever I find slight improvements in my voice I get really excited. I am really starting to vocally get to where I want to be and this is just one of the reasons I want to stay on the show.
 
There have been a few great moments so far – the Touchdown is definitely up there. But it's really a combination of meeting Ian Moss, the hospital visit where we met the kids and the Touchdown – they are the big three for me so far and all for different reasons. The Ian Moss one – because when you meet someone you admire so much it's amazing and being able to work with him was such a bonus. The Touchdown – Mark has always been quite stern with me and for him to enjoy my performance made it a very special moment. With the kids – it felt like I was contributing something worthwhile, I can't put into words how special it felt to know that my presence lifted the spirits of a kid or their parent. I also really learnt how hard it is for parents of sick kids, because kids aren't always aware of their own mortality and what exactly is going on and the parents do it tough. I can imagine losing a child would be the worst thing that could happen to you.
 
Probably the worst thing for me so far was being in the Bottom 3, but to be honest, even with that… if you can turn it around and use it to pump you up for the next week, it can really galvanise you. It's not fun being in the Bottom 3 though – it's really tough.
 
In some ways I hope my life does go back to normal, in some ways I hope it doesn't. I don't want to go back to doing the same gigs I was - no disrespect to them but I want to go forward and move onto bigger things. But I want it to be normal in the sense that I can go on and hang with my friends and be myself again… but I know with some of my mates, I will definitely always be able to do that.
 
Just want to say thanks to everyone for voting… sometimes you can get caught up in the fact you're in the Bottom 3, but I am still blown away when I remember that people are watching and actually making the effort to pick up their phone and vote for me. I will always be appreciative for and amazed by that. I am up there singing my heart out and it's incredible to think that I am connecting with people.

-Daniel
 

Final 9 Week

This week, performing at Federation Square was cool - but the best and most worthwhile moment was going to Ronald McDonald house and the Children's hospital. I got to meet the girl I talked about in my blog last week! That was bloody awesome. I asked about her as soon as I got there and right when we were leaving, someone came up and told me Petra really wanted to meet me. She went nuts – it was really cool.
 
This week, working with Ian Moss would have to be one of my Idol highlights. He gave me some great advice. It wasn't how much he said, it was what he said – “Make sure you keep it all about the music.” From someone like him, who has written some amazing songs… that was special. To meet him was weird, because when you hear someone sing, you feel like you know them. To then meet them spins you out. I don't often get awestruck, but I was when I met him. I was concentrating on not making a fool of myself!
 
When it comes to bad advice… hmm, I get some random things that people say to me on the street that just make no sense at all! A lot of advice comes your way, but you have to learn to block it out and trust yourself. I get funny things too like, someone sent me a fan message that said, “I don't like you, but my Mum loves you.” Um, OK?!
 
I don't have a lucky charm or any pre-show rituals – I have some funny superstitions however, but they're a bit weird so I will keep them to myself. They usually have to do with the two football teams I support - I am a big West Ham and Manly Sea Eagles fan. The Eagles are playing in the NRL Grand Final during the show this week, and I might have to sneak an earpiece in to listen. If I suddenly start shouting and cheering mid-performance, you guys will know what's going on!
 
I actually go to sleep in my old Manly jersey that has a West Ham badge sewn on it. That makes me feel like I am at home. It's good, it's a bit of normalcy. It's an old ‘80s style jersey and it keeps me warm.
 
Has the competition changed me? I think so. I've learned to have a lot more resolve – not just because I was in the Bottom 3 and it shook me up. But there are days sometimes where I doubt myself and I wonder if I am good enough to be in this competition. I am feeling good about myself now and about everything. If I can push on from this week, that would be great.

-Daniel
 

Final 10 Week

I'd be lying if I said I have been truly out of my comfort zone. When I sang that Hendrix song… it's something I cover at gigs and it felt really good. The hardest thing – and it sounds weird – has been to smile constantly! I love the photo shoots though - they're really fun.
 
No sleepless nights for me yet. Although sometimes Jacob will be on the treadmill late at night and Marty will be on the guitar but hey, we're musicians! We're on Australian Idol! Let's have some fun!
 
When it comes to fans, the strangest moment was when someone contacted me through the internet six times in ten minutes… that was pretty intense. The standout moment was at the McDonald's Ball. A doctor came up to me who worked at the Children's Hospital and gave me an email address for a girl who is apparently a big fan of mine. Only problem was that the address was wrong – I have still been trying to chase it up! It's unbelievable to think that someone who is going through more than I ever have looks up to me in some way – it's overwhelming. Apparently her name is Petra and I just want to say, I am going to get in touch with you somehow and track you down!
 
I think everyone around me helps me say grounded – not just the Idols, but the security guard and the house manager Sam. You really don't realise until you leave just how much of a sanctuary Idol HQ is. You don't have to answer questions about the show, you don't have to explain yourself – everyone there understands what you're feeling and going through.
 
The biggest learning curve for me so far has been learning how to put the most into a song without overdoing it. I've already done four live shows and I am still learning to work with the cameras and the audience. That's definitely a learning process but I think Sunday was the best I have done so far.

-Daniel
 

Final 11 Week

It's been a really chilled week and I've been able to catch up with friends and family and that's been good.

Idol HQ has been cool. It relaxes me just to hang out with Marty because he's so laid back. Even though he might say he's stressed out, his nature is so relaxed that he is fun to be around.

I think you need to get a balance of "alone time" and "group time". If you spend too much time in your own world you loose perspective of what's going on. You need personal time but you need to be able to be there to talk with and help others, because that can ultimately help you too.

Everything that went on with Holly and the song choice debate most definitely affected me. You really need to keep your integrity as a singer and musician but at the same time, people want to see you sing songs they love. That's important. If I didn't pay attention to what Holly was doing, I would miss that lesson. I guess it's better to try and do too much on a song that people know, than do alright on a song they don't.

I was super relieved to get through. I really thought I would be in the bottom three and I was preparing myself for that. I got smashed by the judges and watching it back, I didn't think my performance was perfect. I was so unsure as to how it would be received by people.

On Monday I watched my performance back, saw the judge's comments and thought, "Yeah that's fair enough." I agree with the majority of what they say. When you do a performance, you know when you've done a dud and you know when you've done a good one. It's not like I've done really average performances, I just haven't hit that top level yet. And I think it's a really good thing that the judges haven't pissed in my pocket.

It's good to get stuck into working with Erana. I respect all her experience and she knows where I am coming from, too. She is trying to help coax me out and make sure that everything I do counts.

If I only get one thing out of this competition I hope it's the Samsung TV! Haha. And also, to be on The Bold and the Beautiful. Haha. Plus, being able to share my music with as much of the country and the world as possible. (That's the proper answer!)

-Daniel

First week in the Final 12

Idol HQ is absolutely incredible. It is a six bedroom mansion that has a grand piano, mini recording studio and our own cook. Well, kind of… Sam is our house manager and he cooks for us if we sing for him. Or maybe that's just for me?

I'm really stoked to be rooming with Carl and Ben. Carl and I naturally get on great because of our love for jazz and all things that swing. Ben is also a great person to be around because he is such a talented guy in all things creative. I'm secretly hoping some of it will rub off on me!

I think the only thing that could possibly become a problem is my own messiness. I think I'll have to lift my game in that department for the sake of Ben and Carl's safety! I wouldn't say we've set any house rules, but I definitely want to get as much sleep as possible.

In hindsight, I'm really grateful for the kick in the bum the judges gave me after my semi-final performance. It really spurred me on to challenge myself and give everything for my Wildcard performance. I actually really appreciate their honesty.

I've already learnt so much from this Idol experience. Firstly, I've learnt how important it is to be myself – and how important it is to keep pushing myself in the performances. I've also learnt how important it is to be healthy and to get as much sleep as possible. I've been dealing with a sore throat all week and I am trying to avoid talking as much as possible so I can get better.

The only mistake I've made so far has been falling in love with Jacob Butler… he's a heart breaker! But the best moment this week has definitely been getting voted into the Final 12 by the Australian public.

It's really hard to describe how incredible it is to have fans who have never met you in person before and like you just from watching the show. I already have some amazing, loyal fans who I love so much! The coolest fan moment so far was being asked to send my autograph to some fans in Perth. That was crazy, but really cool.

Going forward, I'm actually excited more than anything else. I just can't wait to sing on the shows!

-Daniel