Passionate Irvine planning to return to X Factor stage
Midway through an interview, Invercargill man Joe Irvine breaks into song.
His passion for singing is obvious, but what has happened since he was eliminated from reality show X Factor NZ?
The former contestant has been travelling New Zealand and performing, and was back in Invercargill at the weekend.
‘‘I want this. I’ve always wanted to be a singer, and now I am.’’
After his elimination from the show, he went through a rough patch.
While there was support during the competition, there was none afterwards, he said.
‘‘You need a really big support network [when it ends].
‘‘I went through a bit of depression. But then I realised I’ve got a bigger life ahead of me.’’
Irvine’s journey as a contestant was rarely smooth.
He became known for getting tearful on stage, but perhaps one of his most memorable moments was being the target of a tirade from former judges Natalia Kills and Willy Moon.
‘‘While I was up there and she [Kills] was saying that stuff, I was just like ‘What? What are you going on about? I’m just going to smile and laugh at you’.’’
It was after the show that her comments really hit home, he said.
‘‘I felt really bad afterwards, it really did go in. I realised 500,000 people just saw that. I was gutted.’’
But looking back on the situation, he not only feels sorry for Kills but a kind of gratitude towards her.
‘‘I’m sad that had to happen with Natalia, but I’m pleased it got me out there,’’ he said.
He’s even planning to audition for the show again next year.
‘‘I know how it all works now, I know what to do.’’
But what would he do differently? ‘‘Be more calm.’’ Irvine’s popularity, particularly in his home town of Invercargill, is evident wherever he goes.
On Friday night he performed in a concert organised by fellow southern X Factor contestant Steve Broad. While Broad and other performers Lily Bayliss and Kayla Mahon garnered loud cheers from the crowd, it was Irvine who pulled in the loudest screams.
His introduction to the packed Southland Boys’ High School hall, was tongue-in-cheek – Broad and Boys’ High pupil Tim Young came out wearing suits and arguing over their ‘‘doppelganger’’ appearance. It was a style similar to the rant given by Kills.
Irvine finished the skit by arriving on stage, also in a suit, and singing Cry Me A River.
The crowd went wild and Irvine’s almost trademark emotion came out. The emotion was also evident after the show, when he was mobbed by fans eager for his autograph and photo – he was more than obliging, even to the point of being semichastised by fellow performers when it became clear the next show would be late to start unless he said goodbye to the crowd.
It’s clear he has come a long way since his early X Factor days.
When asked if he has thought about a back-up plan in case his career didn’t take off, he frowned and looked a bit blank.
‘‘I don’t have any doubt that I’ll make it. This is what I’m meant to do. I know who I am now.’’
I want this. I’ve always wanted to be a singer, and now I am.
Joe Irvine