By Grace Frost
Wallan’s Kaitlyn Thomas is officially a top-50 contestant on television program Australian Idol, last week receiving a golden ticket after wowing the judges with her country performance.
Ms Thomas was all smiles while facing the celebrity judges panel – Kyle Sandilands, Harry Connick Jr, Meghan Trainor and Amy Shark – who were quick to compliment the thrifted denim jacket she and her mum had decked out with rhinestones specifically for the occasion.
Accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, Ms Thomas belted out her version of Gretchen Wilson’s country hit ‘Redneck Woman’, which Meghan Trainor dubbed ‘a hard one to sing’.
In an interview with grade six students Ruby and Matilda from Wandong Primary School on OKRFM on Thursday, Ms Thomas revealed she hadn’t anticipated Trainor being familiar with the song.
“[Meghan saying] that kind of threw me, I was not expecting that at all … I was like, ‘okay, well, I’d better not stuff it up now, vocals please behave’,” she said.
Ms Thomas’ vocals did more than ‘behave’, as she smashed the high notes and owned the stage with her country style.
Her performance had Trainor singing along, before Ms Thomas’ range and own twist on the song had the US singer dropping her jaw wide open.
“Watching her reaction when I changed it and made it my own, I think she was like, ‘damn girl’… it was just really humbling to get the feedback that I got,” Ms Thomas said.
Australian singer Amy Shark praised Ms Thomas for sounding authentic in her performance, telling her family afterward that ‘she crushed it’.
“I got to rock it out and they all absolutely loved it, which was amazing, and they said four ‘yeses’ quite quickly, which was really good. I was kind of shocked,” Ms Thomas said.
“Redneck Woman was a song that I’ve been performing for many years, so I was really comfortable with that song.
“I’m really passionate about women in music and women’s views … me being able to sing a classic female country rock song in front of Megan, Harry, Amy and Kyle was terrifying but also really exciting.”
Ms Thomas said watching her audition when it aired on television last week was ‘an out of body experience’, remembering the nerves she had faced walking to the stage and the joy of receiving a golden ticket.
Ms Thomas said she planned to keep her golden ticket for the rest of her life, with it now tucked away safely.
Ms Thomas had previously kept her ticket next to her a photograph of her grandmother, who played a major role in her beginning her Idol journey.
“My grandma passed away in 2021, and she was a big supporter of me and my music, so I did it for her because we used to watch [Idol] together all the time,” Ms Thomas said.
“She always used to say to me ‘Kait, why don’t you do it?’ I wanted to do her proud, that’s the big thing for me, and I know that I did make her proud.”
Ms Thomas said the support she had received since the audition had been ‘overwhelming’.
“I wanted to do really well by the Mitchell Shire and represent our talent out here because we have so much talent in our shire,” she said.
“Seeing all the comments and everything after and during the show, I was just overwhelmed.”
Ms Thomas said she was stunned to be recognised by residents after her audition aired.
“I was at Baker’s Delight today and they knew who I was. I thought it was really funny,” she said.
“I got bread, and she was like, ‘Oh my goodness, are you Kaitlyn?’ I’ve never had this experience before. Same thing when I went down to my coffee shop – I was like ‘what?’”
Ms Thomas has also been working hard outside of Idol, spending last year in the recording studio, with four singles ready to release and an album on its way.
“I’ve done a lot of trial and error over the past three years, and now I’ve really come into who I am as an artist. My new sound is very Shania Twain meets Suze DeMarchi from The Baby Animals,” she said.
“If I can live off and do what I love every single day, that’s success to me.”
Ms Thomas will now advance to Top 50 Week, where she said the stakes were raised to a new level.
“It’s Top 50 Week, and I also call it ‘Hell Week’ cause that’s sort of what it is,” Ms Thomas said.
“It’s testing every ounce of artistry and who you are as a person and it kind of gives you a glimpse of what the real music industry is.”
The next round is yet to commence, with auditions from across the country still airing.
People can watch Ms Thomas’ Australian Idol performance on 7Plus in episode two.
Musical duo Pink Envy, Yasmin and Yolanda Absolom, who are regular performers in Mitchell Shire, also auditioned for Australian Idol last week, singing Lady Gaga’s pop hit ‘Bad Romance’.
The twin act, formerly called FLAXXON, appeared in matching outfits, singing acapella, however were not successful in advancing to the next round.
Despite the result, Yasmin said the audition was a ‘life changing’ experience and a learning opportunity for future performances.
“I think if anything, it’s given us a bit more direction … as an artist, you’re always trying to become better than the last,” she said.
“I think we really gave it [our] all, left no stone unturned, but we can see more clearly where we need to be.”
