New Zealand Idol Retrospective
In 2004, New Zealand was blessed with the arrival of the phenomenal international Idol Franchise and thus, New Zealand Idol was born. Craccum reached out to the past winners of New Zealand Idol – Ben Lummis, Rosita Vai and Matthew Saunoa, to find out just what it was like and what they were up to now.
Season One: Ben Lummis
Tell me about your experience being on NZ Idol?
Idol was one of the best experiences of my life besides the birth of my kids and getting married.
How was it winning NZ Idol?
It was a very humbling feeling. The process lasted for 3 months and to win was a great honour.
What have you been up to since NZ Idol?
I have travelled a lot, married, had kids and living life. Still doing gigs and writing music with an EP to be released this year.
Has there been any negatives about winning NZ Idol?
There are always positives and negatives in life; I see negatives as challenges and chances to grow in character. After winning it was a learning curve, I was naive and rode the wave, everything was done for me. I’m older now and know I must lead my career or anything I do in life.
Do you think they should bring the show back?
Everybody loves a comeback
Season Two: Rosita Vai
Tell me about your experience being on NZ Idol?
My experience on NZ idol is one I will never forget. It was an amazing and intense experience. You never really know what happens in a reality singing competition until you are actually part of the process. Experiencing the music part of idol is one I won’t forget. I got to learn and have an opportunity to create music magic with Suzanne Lynch, Eddie Rayner and Adrianne. To have worked with them was an incredible journey. Week after week, they coached each of us to bring the best out of us. I quickly learnt to adapt, within 1 minute and 30 seconds the opportunity to leave it all on stage and never look back. The makeup and wardrobe was so much fun! Playing dress up was wild. Professional and so lovely. And then there’s the camera crew, the producers, the people behind the lens. They were insanely everywhere, I always wondered if they ever got sleep. Then again I don’t think anybody really does once you reach top 10 with a big mama project like idol. You are working non stop. Don’t get me wrong, there was fun somewhere in all this madness. The house we stayed in was probably one of the highlights of the experience. Papa Billy and Mama Leanne cooked for us, loved on us like we were their own kids. Whenever we came home to them after a tough night of eliminations, or our live performances they created an atmosphere that was a safe place. They were incredible idol house parents.
How was it winning NZ Idol?
A surreal moment in my life. I’ll be honest I never thought I would win.
Grateful to have been presented with so many opportunities to create more art and meet extraordinary people. I got to travel the whole of Aotearoa and thank so many people who watched the show and voted. Over the years I met some of my previous educators and some of my old singing students who are now crushing it in their own music journey. There was a lot expected of your time, to serve doing many events. I started to see my worth was the amount of what gig I was proposed to do. I felt loved by my peers, and everyone around me. But I was in my early 20s, trying to find who I really was. I was struggling with loving myself and dealing with my own insecurities. When these insecurities are amplified in public it takes a toll on your mental health. As surreal as it was, winning Idol was intense. I expected too much of myself. This is why it’s so important to have people around you that have your best interest. You are not a product, you are a human being and your well being is more important than your gifts. I always remind young people this.
What have you been up to since NZ Idol?
Since NZ idol, I wanted to have some kind of normality in my life again. So I went back to university part time to try and finish my music degree. But I travelled a lot with singing so studies were put on hold once again. 6 years ago I married the coolest dude on the planet. I continued working with some of the most incredible souls in theatre, music, workshops and mentoring fascinating young people. After finishing my EP in 2015, we left our humble abode in Wellington and set up camp in Sydney 3 years ago, living our best lives. I am a suicide prevention advocate using music to help people find their voice to deal with their anxiety and depression. I volunteer for an aged care facility through my church and I still work in the music industry. Every opportunity has served to sing out Hope. These last few years, the platform I have been gifted with has allowed me to speak life into others. There’s a whole generation of nuance singers/artists coming through and it’s important for us who have been there, to keep it real with them. The performance on stage and the hours in a studio is one factor, the major part is in between … LIFE. You sometimes don’t get a second chance. We won’t always get the following we want, or the sales we intended with our music. But your livelihood is so important. Music is a huge therapy in my life, so today it has more spiritual context.
Has there been any negatives about winning NZ Idol?
There were many challenges. I would forget that people all over the nation were judging me through a lens. I was in a house away from my family for weeks living with strangers who I was meant to compete against, but they quickly became more like family.
Life is not a reality tv show. There are no edits. Once I stepped out into the real world, I felt I had to earn my place in the music industry. There were many artists in the NZ music industry who were so kind and generous to me. NZ idol is a singing competition so there were many opinions of who I should be or look like as an artist. This part was difficult for me to embrace, and it was emotionally distressing for me to deal with. I had amplified a lie that wasn’t true and believed it thinking I needed to be something I was not. Later on I knew what kind of artist I wanted to be and the woman I boldly was created to be.
Do you think they should bring the show back?
No and Yes.
1. Every person that enters these auditions needs to know there is a small price to pay. You enter vulnerable and you may feel like this is your only chance to make it in the music business. Please know that it is not. As social media increases to microwave many ignorant thoughts in seconds. I am aware of keyboard warriors. I have fallen in that trap before. The bullying that happens online is atrocious, and sadly I’m talking about adults. For many people this competition will be overwhelming. TV producers do care about you but at the end of the day this is a business, and they have a show to produce. It’s an “enter at own risk” policy.
Your solid foundation of support of family and friends, will help you on your journey.
2. I am a huge sports fan. Whatever sport it is, I pick a team or a player and I’m on their side until the end of the race or tournament. The point I’m making is, we have seen families and friends gather around their televisions to support their teams. There is an upsurge of hope. That’s what it’s like with idol. Strangers at work suddenly start talking about their favourite singers each week. There’s now people in the staff kitchen who work in different departments talking about how their neighbours daughter travelled 5 hours from the east coast to make it to their audition. There is an uplifting side to all of this. A man whose worked his whole life in a mundane job to feed and educate his 5 kids but realises his passion and dream is to sing for a living. This is why these shows exist. For a chance. For a hopeful moment to wow the nation of Aotearoa. There is something nostalgic about idol. We look at what’s happening in the world and maybe, just maybe idol might be what we need that could ignite many people’s hopes and dreams.
Season Three: Matt Saunoa
Craccum reached out to Matt Saunoa on several occasions but was unable to reach him. After winning Idol in 2006, he released a single ‘Hold Out’ which, although reached number one on the New Zealand Music Charts, did not create enough commercial success to guarantee an album contract. Saunoa is now living on the Gold Coast where the Gold Coast Bulletin keep a firm report on his happenings. The Bulletin reports that Saunoa has been battling drug addiction and was jailed, then released from Jail in May 2019. As of last week, he has been reprimanded in custody again.
Special Mention: Michael Murphy
Ben Lummis and Michael Murphy fans were divided fiercely on who should win NZ Idol 2004. Although Murphy lost, he has had a famed Christmas in the Park career. Craccum decided however not to interview him, because this article is about the winners of New Zealand Idol, not the losers.