Whatever happened to Australian Idol winner Natalie Gauci?

IN THE 10 years since Natalie Gauci won Australian Idol, she’s gone through depression, drug use and even a name change.

10 years on, Natalie Gauci is reflecting on the highs — and lows — of life post-Idol.

THIS year marks a decade since Melbourne singer Natalie Gauci took out the fifth season of Australian Idol.

While the runner-up that season, Matt Corby, miraculously transitioned into a Triple J favourite and last year hit number one with his long-awaited debut album Telluric, Gauci’s been altogether quieter in the ensuing decade. She moved to London, performed under a different name, and battled depression and drug issues while experimenting with her musical identity.

Life after Australian Idol: Where are the winners now?

Back in Australia and readying a national tour to showcase a new album, the 35-year-old spoke to news.com.au about the ups and downs of life after Idol.

Natalie now.

Taking home the title of Australian Idol in 2007.

Natalie, it seems like you got a particularly raw deal as an Idol winner: You only got to release one of those hastily-recorded ‘Winner’s Journey’ cover albums before you parted ways with the record label.

I don’t know that it was a raw deal — it was more that I made a conscious decision not to [release music]. I was scared that I wasn’t going to be represented to the public as the artist that I am. I love jazz and soul, and I got to do my own arrangements for my performances on the show. I loved that, and I wanted to showcase all that on my album too.

But that wasn’t what they wanted?

Yeah. So instead of going with the flow, with the ‘machine’, I resisted it and became more rebellious in terms of my attitude and my musical choices. That’s what artists do, but if you’re from Australian Idol, then maybe it’s not a good fit.

When did you realise it wasn’t going to work out with the record company?

It took a long time. It was a year or so for me to figure out what it was I wanted. I was naive about the music industry, I wasn’t sure how it all worked, and I wasn’t thinking about the business side of things. I went into a bit of depression, and by the time my record company and I came to a mutual agreement, I was too far gone. I walked away just knowing that I wanted to do things differently. I needed to find out who I was as an artist, by myself.

With Idol runner-up Matt Corby, who this year hit number one on the charts with his debut album.

So big shiny record deals aren’t really all they’re cracked up to be?

Oh, if I got a record deal now for my [current] album, it’d be great — you want people to hear your music, and I know there are compromises involved. But it’d have to be a completely different agreement — the album’s finished, and it’s exactly how I dreamed of it. It’s so different to coming off the back of a huge reality TV show and releasing an album formed from that.

You mentioned depression, and in the past you’ve spoken publicly about using drugs in your post-Idol years. Do you think that was a reaction to your Idol experience?

I think it had to do more with not believing in myself. When I won, I didn’t actually believe that I’d won. One side of me was saying ‘Yes, I’ve won! I’ve worked hard for this! This is such an amazing achievement!’ The other part of me was saying, ‘Am I good enough? Did these people even really vote for me?’ It was actually really hard to accept, so I felt a big detachment. I was really confused for a really long time, and it was really only about a year and a half ago that I discovered that belief in myself.

Channelling her dance diva with electro act Tune In Tokyo.

You’ve had a diverse musical output in the past 10 years — there have been dance tracks with Tune In Tokyo, and you recorded under the stage name ‘Nellie Bell’ for a while ...

Nellie Bell is another story altogether. When I changed my name to Nellie Bell, I did that because I wanted to be my higher self, my whole self — to have the confidence to say exactly what I want. Nellie Bell was kind of like my alias, because I wanted to be a person Natalie Gauci wasn’t at the time.

She was your Sasha Fierce?

Exactly! I just had to be Nellie Bell for a while.

You’ve got a new album, Pictures of Mars, out this year. What does it sound like?

It’s my heart and soul. The title track is one of the first songs I ever wrote before Idol, and I’ve always loved it. I produced the track myself, and I’m so proud of it. The album is very jazz, soul-influenced pop music. I’ve started playing guitar, and there’s even a few country influences on there as well. I crowdfunded the album in the UK where I’ve got a few fans — I managed to raise more than 10,000 pounds. I used Phundee, and I’d recommend it to any musician who wants to follow their dreams. It really empowered me.

Gauci says she’s grateful for Idol — but recommends crowd-funding to new artists.

So what would you say to a new artist if they had to choose between auditioning for a reality show or going the crowdfunding route?

Oh, I would say go on Phundee! It’s a different era now. Ten years ago, Idol was huge, and I’m so grateful it was, but it’s a different game out there now. You can be yourself as an artist from the start now, and you can stay true to yourself as you go on.

That’s where I am now. It’s a nice feeling to be free to be yourself — I think it’s what we all want in life.

Natalie circa 2017: “It’s a nice feeling to be free to be yourself.”

Natalie Gauci performs around Australia in the coming weeks, kicking off at Brass Monkey in Cronulla on January 12. Her album Pictures of Mars will be released this year. Check her website for tour dates and info.