Having chosen one of Aerosmith’s most challenging ballads to audition on Australian Idol, Perth’s John Van Beek said he was met with an agonising silence after he finished singing.
“I finished my audition and there were about 10 seconds of silence at that point I thought oh no I’ve stuffed it. I’ve just made fun of myself on national television,” Van Beek said.
“Then the judges started giving me their feedback — I feel shivers right now thinking about their comments from my audition.
“I got this reassurance; these big stars — Kyle, Marcia and Amy — have seen something in me, they have faith in me, and they want to help me.”
The 18-year-old WAAPA student was one of the first competitors on the new season of Australian Idol to walk away with a coveted “Golden Ticket” and three yesses from judging trio Amy Shark, Kyle Sandilands and Marcia Hines
Van Beek’s cover of Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing was described by Shark as “captivating”.
“It is such a famous song, and I wanted to show it in a different light and show the judges how I can connect through a ballad,” he said.
“I was connecting to a past relationship; it is a very loving song. Yes, we fell apart but for the majority of those two years together it was amazing.”
A former gymnast, Van Beek turned to performing after an injury cruelled his Olympics dream, and has sung in choirs, including with Guy Sebastian at Telethon last year.
“I’m a very energetic person and my nerves come out through my body so I was getting in the zone and doing what I would do as a gymnast,” he said.
“I was quite nervous as there was a lot at stake. I thought what if I made a mistake, my career might have been ruined.”
Australian Idol continues on Monday night, from 7.30pm on Channel 7.
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