Ex- Australian Idol turned Voice contestant Hayley Jensen confronts Mark Holden: ‘Oi, what’s your problem buster’?
A FORMER Australian Idol contestant has lashed out at former judge Mark Holden as she prepares for her second chance with The Voice.
A FORMER Australian Idol contestant has lashed out at one of the talent show’s iconic judges, 10 years after she first appeared on screen.
Hayley Jensen, who starred in the second series of the now-defunct talent show and who is now a contestant on Channel Nine’s The Voice, told news.com.au she copped so much criticism from Mark Holden at the time, fellow judge Marcia Hines warned him, “you’ve got to watch yourself”.
“Who does she remind you of that you hate?” Hines allegedly asked Holden at the time.
Jensen placed fourth in the 2004 season of Network Ten’s talent show, behind Courtney Murphy, Anthony Callea and winner Casey Donovan.
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Aged just 21 at the time, Jensen said her inexperience on stage swiftly developed into insecurity — and Holden could sense it.
“I was very inexperienced. Who knows who they are when they’re 21? Anybody that watched it along the way knows I got a lot of criticism from Mark Holden,” she said.
“The other coaches — Marcia and Dicko — were supportive, although Mark Holden’s comments would come across quite harsh.”
“The rush of adrenalin and emotion at that point in time that you’re feeling from the audience, thinking about [your performance] all week and you’ve practised, it’s your moment and it seems like you’re on top of the world.
“Within five seconds that could change.”
But now she’s ready to tackle the master of the Touchdown head on, telling news.com.au she’d “love to find out” what his issue was a decade later.
“I’d love to see him, I’d like to say, ‘Oi, what’s your problem buster?’ I have a lot more confidence these days, to ask him for real, rather than feel intimidated.”
But news.com.au’s attempts to provide Jensen the closure she craves fell on deaf ears, with Holden dodging questions about the pair’s painful past.
In an email to news.com.au, he wrote: “I saw Hayley’s performance on The Voice — she looks and sounds fab.
“Will.i.am could give her a massive hit record or form another group around her- persistence pays off big time, congrats to Hayley for hanging in and continuing to believe in herself no matter what anyone else says!
“Good luck Hayley, you are already a winner. Mark.”
But is it enough to heal old wounds?
“That’s the difference with The Voice this year, I haven’t heard anyone say ‘you’re just average or not good enough’”, said Jensen.
“The Voice has been a really lovely experience. There’s been no forcing of talking about this or that skeleton in your closet.
“That’s the reason why I went on The Voice.”
Holden starred in Australian Idol as Australia’s quirkiest judge from 2003-2007 and appeared as a judge on the first series of The X Factor in 2005 alongside Kate Ceberano.
In 2003, he was awarded “wanker of the Year” by now-defunct men’s magazine Ralph.
He now works as a barrister but continues to dip his toes into television, most recently appearing on this year’s celebrity version of Come Dine With Me Australia.
Jensen will tough it out in the Battle Rounds next week in the hope to continue in the competition with coach Kylie Minogue.
“I thought, ‘what a great way to reconnect with people and show how much I’ve grown over the years.’ That’s why I decided to audition.”
“It’s hard these days, I’ve been slogging away as an independent musician for the last ten years [but] people love TV, love watching and hearing and going through an experience, that’s what these types of shows provide.”