Kim Cooper, Taylor Henderson, Stellar Perry among Geelong reality TV stars
From The X Factor to Australian Idol, musicians from across the region have launched their careers by appearing on reality singing competitions. SEE THE LIST.
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Never in her wildest dreams did Kim Cooper believe she would one day feature on Australian Idol.
The local talent was 21 and living in Townsville, QLD, when she auditioned for the popular TV show in 2009.
She said initially didn’t want to audition for the singing competition but agreed to travel the four and a half-hour drive to Cairns with her best friend who had already signed up to the show.
“I decided then if I was going to drive all that way I may as well have a go and see if I can handle the pressure of singing onstage,” Cooper said.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would actually get in.”
Cooper said the reality show helped her understand the potential her voice and that the experience was “intense”.
“I always describe my time on the show as the highs were high and the lows were low,” she said.
“We got to live in Sydney in this amazing house but the pressure of performing on a national stage is so intense.”
Cooper is one of a long list of local talents who have appeared on Australian reality TV shows.
From The X Factor to Australian Idol, singers from across the region have launched their music careers after appearing on national television in front of thousands of Aussies watching from the comfort of their living rooms.
Cooper, who is now 34 owns vocal training studio The Kim Cooper Studio of Voice and sings at local gigs on the weekend.
Cooper teaches students from the ages of five all the way up to 60-years-old.
“My studio ethos is that singing belongs to everyone, it ignites so much joy and confidence and is so beneficial for your mental health,” she said.
Cooper has also just launched a vocal health workshop for professionals who use their voice constantly at work such as nurses, teachers and group fitness instructors.
“A lot of professionals don’t realise the demand their job has on their voices so (the workshops) are all about taking care of their voice to ensure they don’t harm or lose it,” she said.
Cooper will start taking voice health clients from the end of this year.
Her advice for anyone wanting to audition for Australian Idol or any other reality singing show is to just go for it.
“Feel the fear and do it anyway, just have fun,” she said.
See the full list of local TV stars here:
Taylor Henderson
Taylor Henderson is a singer and songwriter, originally from Ceres.
In 2012, Henderson auditioned with his dad for Australia’s Got Talent.
The judges at the time thought the duo would be better suited as solo artists so continued into the competition as separate acts.
Henderson placed third in the grand final, while his dad was runner up.
In 2013, he rose to fame as a runner up on The X Factor to Dami Im where he then received a record deal with Sony.
The 29-year-old now has a major following on social media with more than 240,000 Instagram followers and most recently performed at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham earlier in 2022.
Henderson told the Addy in 2021 that he recommended up and coming musicians to take advantage of social media to reach as many people as possible.
“If you’re starting out just be consistent, quality is important but sometimes you can get caught up trying to make something sound perfect … that you start doubting yourself,” he said.
Kim Cooper
Kim Cooper first appeared on TV screens around the nation on Australian Idol in 2009 and has pursued singing ever since.
Cooper was living in Townsville when she auditioned for Australian Idol and in 2015 she came back to Geelong to care for her father in Ocean Grove.
She now has more than 10,000 followers on Instagram and her own vocal studio The Kim Cooper Studio of Voice in Geelong and Ocean Grove.
She has just launched her new vocal health workshop to help industry professionals who use their voice daily learn how to care for and protect their voices.
Stellar Perry
Geelong local Stellar Perry has appeared on StarStruck, Australian Idol and The X Factor.
She most recently appeared on TV screens around the nation on The Voice in 2020 where she came third.
Perry told the Addy in 2020 that before The Voice she had given up on her music career and thought she would only sing at local gigs.
“It’s a lot to put yourself out there again to be judged and hopefully make a career out of your biggest passion,” she said.
Perry is currently starring as Oberon in Bell Shakespeare musical The Lovers at the Sydney Opera House.
Luke Biscan
Luke Biscan also appeared on The Voice Australia in 2020, alongside Stellar Perry.
The Fyansford resident is now a well known performer across the Geelong region and told the Addy in 2020 that he uses singing as a way to express his emotions after being bought up in a strict religious community that some have labelled a cult.
Originally from Bristol in the UK, the singer and songwriter performs local gigs, weddings and events across the region.
Adrian Hood
Adrian Hood starred on the 2021 season of The Voice.
The then 39-year-old was a stay-at-home dad at the time and said his audition was a second chance to make his dream music career a reality.
In his early 20s, Hood had signed a deal with Bad Boy Records in the US but soon returned home to Australia after not finding success.
He told the Addy in 2021: “To have my kids see me chase my dreams, it means the world to me.”
Hood continues to play local gigs across the region.
Seb Szabo
Seb Szabo appeared alongside Adrian Hood on the 2021 season of The Voice.
Born in San Francisco, the Geelong singer told the Addy in 2021 that he always dreamt of a career in music.
“To play music for a living is the thing I’ve wanted most in my life … it’s the only thing I can imagine myself doing,” he said.
Szabo just released a new single called Leaning On You (Wrecking Ball) and is currently touring across Australia.
He is also performing at the Queenscliff Music Festival in November.
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