MUSIC MAN SINGS HIS OWN TUNE
SdfasdfasdfasdfasdfAppearing as a judge asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfon Seven’s reboot of Australianidol, asdfasdfasdfasdfasdfharry Connickasdfasdf,jrwritesisn’tafraid Xxxxxxto say what he really thinks, writes Siobhan Duck
AFSDFASDF asdfasdf asdfasdf asdfasdf asdfasdflthoughasfasdfdfdfharryasfasdfasdfasdf Connick Jr is asdfasdfasddfagloballylaudedasdfasdfasdf singer, musician asdfasdfasdfandactor,asdfasdfhesaysasdfasdfasdfasd he’s not so sure asdfasdfadfhewouldhavedf had what it takes to win Americanidol. asdfasdfasdasdfasdfasdf
“When I came out on the scene, I was SDFASDFAD playing jazz music and I don’t think Idol is SDFASDF interested in that,” he admits.
“I think Idol is about finding a pop superstar, and I probably would have been a bit too rebellious to last too long.”
He’s shown far more longevity as an Idol franchise mentor and judge. Connick Jr spent three years alongside Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban on the American panel and now reprises that role as a judge on Australian Idol, joining Amy Shark, Kyle Sandilands and Meghan Trainor to unearth a new pop star as the series makes its return to television after a 14-year absence.
Times have changed since those early days of Australian Idol, when radio personality Sandilands openly critiqued young contestants (such as season four runner-up Jessica Mauboy) on their appearance. But the shifting social landscape hasn’t made Connick Jr think twice before dishing out constructive criticism. “It’s actually a lot harsher, and a lot more painful, to hear things that are specific to the musical performance than saying ‘I don’t like the way you look’ or ‘That hurts my ears,’” he explains.
“I would never change anything about what I say because I’ve always tried to be truthful and specific to the performance.”
Over the years, Idol has introduced the nation to a long roll call of talent including Mauboy, Guy Sebastian, Courtney Act, Rob Mills, and Ricki- Lee Coulter (who co-hosts the reboot).
The last time that Connick Jr sat on an Australian TV judging panel, he made headlines around the world. As a guest on variety series Hey Hey It’s Saturday in 2009, the New Orleans singer took great offence to an act involving blackface. Visibly uncomfortable, he slammed the performance and later received a public apology from host Daryl Somers.
The controversy from the live segment was dissected for weeks afterwards in the media and sparked a wider conversation about entrenched racism in pop culture. “I didn’t know to what extent what I said had an effect on things [in Australia],” Connick Jr admits, especially because he had left the country shortly after his appearance and didn’t see the reactions to his comments in real time.
“But I have heard people say that a dialogue started as a result of that and the people I’ve spoken to were appreciative that this conversation actually exists.”
Connick Jr recalls telling Somers that night: “‘Listen, I have to speak about this.
I can’t be a part of something that was directly related to a piece of American history that was very painful for people in my country.’
“I have heard over the years that this was something that many
Australians found important enough to want to discuss further,” he adds.
“And if I had anything to do with that conversation, then I feel very proud about that because it’s a painful thing to discuss it. But it’s something that I think we need to continually discuss.”