For 24-year-old Sabrina Batshon, being in Australia’s Idol’s Final 12 for 2009 is confirmation of just how far she’s come. “I’ve gone from a girl who couldn’t do anything on her own to being here,” she grins. “It’s amazing!”

Right from the start of Australian Idol this year, Sabrina, who first performed in public when she was two years old, has been very open about her struggle with depression which saw her stop performing two years ago.

“I’m a big mouth,” laughs Sabrina. “I don’t hold back – I’m very childlike in that way and I hope I never lose that because it helps me enjoy this life. I don’t get too caught up with the rigid ideas of what is socially correct - if I was, I’d be a miserable person. At one point I was because I was so drowned in what everyone else was thinking. Now I’ve just got really in tune with who I am and who I’ve become.”

For Sabrina, Australian Idol this year came along at just the right time for her. “I wasn’t afraid of losing,” she explains. “There’s nothing to lose, I’ll always have my life and the blessing of the people around me. I’ll always have that passion in me. No matter what I’ve been through, I’ve survived it and I’ve come through it.”

Sabrina also thinks that what she’s been through personally has now given her performances more depth, “I think if a performance is powerful, it’s backed by a lot of meaning and I’m very connected to my emotions!"

As for her family, who’s she very close to, Sabrina says they’re over the moon to see her singing again in front of an audience and love seeing her so happy. “I’m ecstatic,” affirms this pint-sized Sydney girl with a voice that can raise the roof. “This experience has been a blessing!”

In regards to her future, Sabrina has a lot of big plans. “I want to put together an organisation to help people in need. I want to stop sex trafficking, that’s a very naïve thing to say because it’s a very huge problem but it doesn’t stop me. I want to be a voice in a cartoon. I also want to travel…” Sabrina smiles, “And obviously, sing.”