‘I was a pain’: Why Idol judge Marcia Hines takes the ‘kind’ route

AUSTRALIAN IDOL (series return)
Coming soon, Seven

Singer and Australian Idol judge Marcia Hines never imagined she’d still be in Australia more than half a century after moving here from America in 1970 as a teenager to make her stage debut in an Australian production of Hair.

Marcia Hines on Australian Idol: She remembers what it’s like to audition.Credit:

“No, girlfriend, please. I came for six months!” she says with an uproarious laugh.

Hines believes her early experience has strongly shaped how she approaches her interactions with the contestants on Idol, as even decades on she still keenly remembers how it feels to be standing in the position of the audition hopefuls.

“People refer to me as the ‘kind judge’ and it’s not that I’m kind, it’s just I think that if you’re going to criticise someone you should give them constructive criticism. These kids have been brought from obscurity, they’re put on television and they look like a deer in the headlights sometimes.

“So try to give them something that they can work with. I was 16 when I came here, and I was a pain in the ass, I’m sure, and all I did was ask questions. The people that I was around, they were very good to me and explained things because I knew nothing about the industry.”

Mark Holden (left), Hines and Ian “Dicko” Dickson were the original judges of Australian Idol.Credit:

Australian Idol was an instant hit when it arrived on television in 2003 on Ten, launching the careers of Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy, Casey Donovan, Matt Corby and more, and running until 2009. When the singing competition was rebooted in 2023 on Ten, original judge Hines did not come back on the main judging panel, but only as a guest judge, a decision she took in her stride.

“So they had the return of Idol after years and they didn’t ask me. So what does one do? I bit the humble pill and just thought, OK, cool, I didn’t get the gig.”

However, the following year the fan favourite was invited back to be a main judge alongside singer-songwriter Amy Shark and radio host Kyle Sandilands. “It felt great,” says Hines of the return. “It just felt like I’ve gotten back on the horse that I knew.”

While Hines and Sandilands had known one another from the first iteration of Idol, Hines became acquainted with Shark a little differently - via film star Russell Crowe.

Hines with her fellow current Idol judges Kyle Sandilands and Amy Shark.Credit:

“We all lived in the same building at one point and Russell said, ‘Oh, there’s a girl you’ve got to meet, Amy.’ I met Amy and I really liked her. She was doing very well and coming up and was just a cool chick. It’s always good to meet women in this industry. She’s a solid human being.”

Hines is excited about the calibre of singers the judging trio have found for the upcoming season. “We’re very pleased with the talent we’ve uncovered this year. Like, wow. And we wonder whether or not we’ve drained the talent – hell no! Australia is very talented.”

For modern-day contestants Hines is aware that getting a break into the music industry is radically different to when she got her start, particularly with the rise of social media.

“It’s such a different monster to the one I first encountered. The industry changes and you just have to go with the changes that happen. And, yes, you can become famous online. Is it right? No. Is it wrong? No. It’s just 2025. I think music continually metamorphoses and so the way you become famous changes greatly, too.”

As to how Hines herself might have fared in a competition such as Australian Idol, despite being crowned TV Week’s Queen of Pop by popular vote three years in a row during the ’70s, she’s reluctant to speculate.

“I don’t really do hypothetical thinking, so I don’t know. But if it was the only way I could do it, I’d do the best I could. Coming here at 16 wasn’t easy, so if that’s what I had to do, I would do that.”

Now at 71 years of age Hines remains as busy as ever, in the past year alone not only judging Australian Idol, but also appearing in the musical of Grease and continuing to perform live in concert. Asked if she has any plans to hang up her hat down the track she’s quick to respond.

“I’m going to be very honest, I think I’ve been incredibly blessed - and I’ve worked my butt off. I love what I do. People say, well, are you going to retire? And I say, then garden or what? I’ll always be in the industry in some way, shape or form as long as I can.”

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