Australian Idol

It’s a long way from Nantucket to the Northern Territory. Just ask Meghan Trainor. She knows all about it.
The “All About That Bass” singer made the long haul for the forthcoming season of Australia Idol, in which she steps into judging duties for the first time.

There’s now town like Alice in the Australian outback, a place so remote, you would need to drive for more than a day to reach Perth, 1,550 miles to the west, or to Sydney, 1,722 miles east.

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It’s in woop woop, as the locals would say. The middle of nowhere.

And that’s where we find Trainor in a new promo from the free-to-air Channel 7.

In the sneak peek which can be seen below, the U.S. pop singer hits the trail to meet Naomi Gipey, a promising Indigenous singer and jewelry designer. “I’m here to find the next Australian Idol, so I came all this way to find you,” she tells the 22-year-old hopeful, who’s having a mild freak-out.

“My dream is to be a singer,” Naomi explains to the cameras. Australian Idol album Jessica Mauboy “is my biggest inspiration. Seeing her start on a similar journey and, like, the thought that could be me,” she says, holding back tears.

Gipey gets her audition underway at the sublime Simpsons Gap with a performance of Duffy’s “Mercy”.

Trainor joins artists Amy Shark, Harry Connick Jr. and shock-jock Kyle Sandilands on the series’ judging panel.

Australian Idol 2023 kicks off in January and will be hosted by ARIA Award-nominated singer-songwriter Ricki-Lee, who was discovered on the reality-TV show back in 2004, alongside former E! host Scott Tweedle.

Trainor’s pop career is resurgent with “Made You Look,” which marks her return to doo-wop. The single is gold-certified in Australia, where it currently sits at No. 4 on the ARIA Chart.

Watch the Australian Idol clip below.