Jakob Poyner watched contestants in awe on Australian Idol when he was growing up, and has decided to throw his hat in the ring.
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The 18-year-old from Narooma has been selected to audition for broadcaster Kyle Sandilands, ARIA Award-winning singer-songwriter Amy Shark, and Grammy award-winning singer-songwriters Meghan Trainor, and Harry Connick Junior.
The caravan maintenance worker, who has a soft-spot for country music, will have his audition air this week on Channel Seven.
"At first I was very nervous, but once I got there, I eased into the audition," he said.
A passion for music developed when Jakob was in primary school, where he got a guitar, and spent many lunchtimes in the music rooms playing it.
Once he got to high school, his love of singing was ignited.
When he is not working on caravans, the aspiring singer performs at wineries and pubs around Narooma.
"I enjoy seeing other people happy, I enjoy playing and seeing other people smile and sing along," he said.
For the audition, the young performer brought along his guitar and a song folder, and his mother and a friend of hers came for moral support.
He admitted that he brought along the folder because he sometimes found it hard to remember words, but used it as a guideline.
One takeaway aside from meeting Kyle, was the friends he made with ambitious performers at the auditions.
He was also thankful for the feedback from the judges.
Jakob will sing in the hopes of being given a golden ticket, which guarantees him a spot in the top 50.
Fifty will have to perform again, where 24 will be chosen.
Twelve will then be selected to perform in the live performances, and the public votes weekly to decide who is named the next Australian Idol.
The winner receives $100,000 in prize money and a recording contract with Sony Music.
The show is hosted by former contestant Australian Idol Ricki-Lee Coulter and entertainment reporter and presenter Scott Tweedie.
Australian Idol continues at 7pm on Sunday, 7.30pm on Monday and Tuesday on Channel Seven and 7plus.
Learn more about Jakob by following him on @jakobpoyner_guitar via Instagram and Jakob Poyner on YouTube.
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Briannah Devlin
If you have any tips, please send them to Briannah.Devlin@austcommunitymedia.com.au, or call 0439142204.
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