Only eight contestants remain on Australian Idol 2025 – but according to some fans, Gisella Colletti has it in the bag. And they’re not the only ones.
Last week, the 16-year-old singer from Perth personally received a message of support from US superstar Katy Perry for her rendition of “Firework”.
“That was honestly so, so cool,” Gisella tells TV WEEK. “I never really expected someone who is so big and so talented to reach out to me – a girl from Perth!”
The year 12 student has made major strides in the competition following her breathtaking Top 12 performance of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked.
The confident yet grounded performer tells TV WEEK that although she did “see a couple of comments” about being this season’s favourite, she hasn’t taken her eyes off the prize.
“It’s a really tough competition – there’s a really, really talented group of people [competing],” she says.
The youngest of this year’s hopefuls, Gisella hasn’t let her age hold her back, nor does she believe it’s a disadvantage.
After undertaking 10 years of singing lessons, the teenager says it was always her “dream to go on a TV show” like Australian Idol.
“I didn’t really think, ‘Oh, I should wait a couple years [until I’m older],’” she says. “I thought that at this point in my life I was ready to take that next step.
“It was my time to show Australia who I am.”
In her corner are an incredible support crew that includes her parents, friends and school community.
“My parents are in the audience every performance cheering very loudly for me,” Gisella says with a smile. “It’s good to have the backing of my family and friends, who just want the best for me.”
But despite her new-found fame and being a competition frontrunner, homework still comes first for Gisella!
“Whenever I get time off, I try to sit down and do the work,” she insists. “But my school has been very accommodating to the fact that I’m on a TV show.”
With just a few weeks until a winner is crowned, the teenager is already looking towards her future beyond the show.
“[It] would be an absolute dream for me to be a pop R’n’B singer,” she says. “I’d love to have that freedom to just sing songs and make songs of my own, and just be a singer.”
Australian Idol airs Monday, 7.30pm, and Sunday, 7pm, Channel Seven and 7Plus
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