Sunshine Coast musician Tyler Hammill to appear on Australian Idol

A beach-dwelling, van-driving, guitar-playing surfer from the Sunshine Coast is set to bring his laid-back vibes to the Australian Idol stage. Meet our budding star.

Sunshine Coast singer and songwriter Tyler Hammill on Australian Idol. Picture: Supplied

A beach-dwelling, van-driving, guitar-playing surfer from the Sunshine Coast is set to bring his laid-back vibes to the Australian Idol stage.

Maroochydore local Tyler Hammill is set to feature in the second episode of the latest season of the show, which will go to air on Channel 7 from 7.30pm on Tuesday.

After being surrounded by music in his youth, the 21-year-old envisions a life where he can solely sustain himself through his musical talent, headlining festivals and embarking on tours.

Australian Idol contestant from the Sunshine Coast, Tyler Hammill. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“I want to be a musician, there’s nothing else I want to really strive for in this lifetime,” he said.

Hammill had an enviable childhood, growing up at a popular caravan park by the beach on the Sunshine Coast.

Tyler Hammill pictured as an eight-year-old playing in a game of friendly camper style cricket at the Cotton Tree Holiday Park where the kids and families are camping for the Christmas holidays. Picture: Robyne Cuerel

“My family ran Cotton Tree Holiday Park at Maroochydore and I basically grew up there,” he said.

“Living right on the beach was awesome, my mates would come over, we’d go for a surf, come back and get some chips from across the road.

“It was an amazing lifestyle, I’m just so blessed to have had that.”

Although none of his family members were singers or songwriters, Hammill said he grew up around music while living at the caravan park.

Tyler Hammill took part in a talent search at the 2019 Gympie Muster.

“I used to watch a lot of High School Musical, Hi-5, listen to the radio in the car,” he said.

“When I was around 10 or 11, my grandma got my cousins and I into a choir and that was my first experience singing in front of people.

“Then when I was about 12-years-old, I asked my parents if they could buy me an acoustic guitar, so they got me a $100 guitar from down the road, and it just went from there.”

His musical journey took a real turning point while attending high school at Immanuel Lutheran College, joining the school band before a timely reconnection with his childhood friends led to a new venture.

Music was a big part of Tyler Hammill’s life growing up on the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“I joined the school rock band which was pretty fun and that’s where I got my confidence up to perform,” he said.

“I also reunited with my best mates Adam and Nash from junior school, I found out they also played instruments, so we started a band called Nana’s Pie.

“We just started doing open mics, playing local gigs, and practicing all the time, we’ve been focusing really hard on that for the last couple of years.

“We really shot off last year, we played at Splendour in the Grass and did our first national tour, it’s been good.”

While his burgeoning music career was off to a flourishing start, life threw a series of challenges Hammill’s way, when his family was replaced by new managers at Cotton Tree Holiday Park, leading him to embrace the van life.

“We got kicked out, so life’s been a bit all over the shop, it was a stressful time in our life, but I ended up buying a van and lived in that for a bit which I loved,” he said.

“It’s just a lifestyle thing I suppose, it’s quick to clean up, can park wherever you want, I can go for a surf and then go out and play music, I feel like having a home on wheels is really convenient.”

His Australian Idol experience was to follow and came together in the “blink of an eye”.

Tyler Hammill is one of the ones to watch in the 2024 season of Australian Idol which kicks off on January 29. Picture: Seven

“The producers sent me a DM on Instagram, asking if I was keen to check it out and I was pretty open to the idea,” he said.

“I thought why not just give it a crack and before I knew it, I was actually singing in front of the judges.

“I guess it is about just trying new avenues, getting myself out there and trying to get my voice heard.”

Mr Hammill, who will watch his audition with his family and friends on the Sunshine Coast, is “super grateful” for the experience and the opportunity to sing for a recording contract with Sony Music Entertainment Australia and $100,000 in prize money.

“There are a lot of pros to doing a show like Australian Idol, I just hope that it can further my career and get me to some really amazing places in this lifetime,” he said.

“I feel like it can really help push me towards those bigger goals that I want to achieve in life, so I’m super grateful.”