PEOPLE LOVE TO HATE Jack Vidgen tells
‘The Voice’ favourite reveals how he’s staying strong in the public eye
Five years out of the spotlight, and now all eyes are back on Jack Vidgen. While the 22-year-old, whose show-stopping performances have advanced him well into the finals of this year’s season of The Voice, is no stranger to fame and widespread attention having won Australia’s Got Talent at the tender age of 14, it has still “been an adjustment”, Vidgen admits to WHO. “I haven’t done anything publicly in such a long time so it’s been a lot, but it’s definitely been positive,” he explains. “Since my audition aired, it’s still overwhelming the amount of support and love there’s been. It’s been amazing. [But] I [also] like laying low, I’m quite a low-key person. There are two sides to me, there’s one side that’s a little showy and there’s the other side that’s really introverted.”
Things have changed so much since you were last in the spotlight. What’s been the biggest difference for you?
Back then, Instagram was just starting, it was barely even a thing. The biggest element is how much the media has changed and everything is just so accessible, and people [have] much more of a platform to have an opinion, which I think is good. Social media can be used for really amazing things, so I’m all for it. But in terms of other things changing, my voice has changed. I’ve changed. As a person I’ve grown. Obviously, my appearance has changed as well – naturally it would from 14 to 22.
Why do you think people are so interested in you looking different? I think because it’s been so long and everyone remembers me as this little 14-year-old boy; people have this idea of me in their head, which is great and
I want to bring that 14-year-old boy with me, I don’t want to forget that boy. He’s still there, he’s just grown up.
Have you given any advice to your competitor Jordan Harvey, who is 14?
I know Jordan and he’s the loveliest boy. He has the loveliest family. He’s got an amazing support network so I think he’ll be great.
You went to LA by yourself around that age. Would you recommend that?
I wouldn’t recommend doing that. I think it was more me specifically, my circumstance, and it was mostly my own decision to go overseas to LA alone. I blocked everyone out. I’d blocked a lot of my family out, I left them all in Australia and went over to LA, and I was trying to hustle and put myself in this little bubble, which is hard when the people who love you can tell when things are going south. They’re the ones to pull you out of it, but those people weren’t around and
it was hard, but I did have to face that and realise that myself and pull myself out of it. I was like, “What are you doing, Jack? You need to go back to Australia.”
So you came back five years ago.
I was just very driven and I wanted to do what I wanted to do and that’s how it was meant to be. And if I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t be here on The Voice now. I needed to do that and then have time off to get my love of singing back.
How are your family and friends feeling about you being in the public eye again? Everyone is so supportive. My friends and family, they’re such a supportive group of people and they just want me to do what makes me happy, and that’s what I’m doing. They couldn’t be happier. They’ve been coming to the shows and supporting me.
[For a while] they were questioning me like, “When are you going to do it again?” Like they know me, they know this is the only thing I really love to do. It’s the only thing that brings me joy so they were like, “You need to get back into it at some point.” In the past your mum was really proactive behind the scenes in your career. How involved is she now?
My mum’s been cheering me on from the sidelines still and she’s my biggest supporter, she’s been coming to some of the shows and kind of laying low and watching and being that lovely mama bear that she is. But I’m 22 now, I’m in the driver’s seat and I’m doing it for myself. It feels healthy.
You’ve been open in the past about your dad’s multiple sclerosis. How’s he doing? Dad is good, I saw him a few weeks ago. I was up in Queensland for a family wedding and I got to see him and spend time with him. I don’t get to see him that often. He is really proud of me.
What’s your perspective on fame now? Fame comes and goes, but what you’re in it for is the thing that matters: loving singing and making music. Loving to create needs to be there, otherwise the other stuff doesn’t mean anything. The reason I’m in it now is because I love music. I love singing, I love writing music, I love creative stuff. It’s not just singing. That’s the way I’m wired. I’m a creative and that’s the thing that drives me. If fame is part of that, then it is, if it’s not, it’s not. I now know myself [ better] and it’s been a long journey of discovering who I am and loving myself. My confidence has gone up so much as well. I feel like at my Blind Audition I was just this shy little boy but performing and getting to sing again, it’s just made the world of difference for me as a person.
Was it hard to share your story and what you’ve been through?
It can be, but I’m not the only person that’s gone through stuff, everybody does. I want to be someone that’s open about it and I encourage other people to be because that’s the healthiest thing. It just so happens that this was the time I was ready and I feel like the reason I share my story is only because it’s a healthy reason, it’s going to help people. I’ve already gotten so many messages through Instagram, especially from young people saying, “I’m gay and I’m not out and I’ve considered killing myself and your story has actually helped me not do it.” That to me is just beyond. Beyond. You probably needed someone like that? I did. I had those people, thankfully. It’s great that you can connect with people like that.
That’s the healthy part.
Yes, there’s definitely a dark side, too. That’s the part you ignore. I’ve kind of gone through it already, so I’ve got to get used to it again, but I understand that it comes with the territory, and I get that people really do love to hate. It’s unfortunate, but whatever floats your boat. I’m over here, I’m happy. That’s why I took so long off, I had to get to this place where I do love myself and I am happy with who I am. I’ve got my friends, I’ve got my family. The thing I cherish most in life is kindness and that’s what I aspire to every day, that’s my main goal. Does your coach, Guy Sebastian, help with that? Yes, definitely. Guy’s amazing. He says the exact same thing: don’t read the negative. You can’t listen to it. Out of 100 per cent of people, it’s probably two per cent that are negative and they’re the ones that have the loudest voices and they stand out to you, but the other 98 per cent is behind you and there to support you.
What are your plans for after
The Voice?
To sing and create music that’s going to help myself and help others and bring people hope, but I guess at the moment I’m just taking it day by day, round by round, song by song. I think it’s really great this time around, whenever my time does come to an end on the show, I do have that support now, for whatever comes afterwards. I’m an adult and I know more of what I want and I think it’s just a different circumstance.