It hasn’t been an easy road for former Australia’s Got Talent winner Jack Vidgen, who rose to fame on the 2011 season of the competition. After his stint on the show, Vidgen jumped on a plane to Los Angeles – and at 16 years of age, a full year of “trying to make it” left him feeling disheartened, longing to return home and step away from the music industry. Now, at 22, he says “living a normal life” has brought him back to a greater reality and he’s ready to tackle music again, this time on The Voice.
WATCH: Jack’s audition for The Voice
Why did you choose to come back?
Singing is the only thing that brings me joy and happiness, and it’s been the only thing in my whole life that’s done that. I’ve needed these years out of the spotlight to grow up and be my own person and form my own views and beliefs. I haven’t really sung anywhere else apart from in the shower or in my living room for five years. I’ve kind of been on this journey, discovering myself as a person so I had to put music aside for a while.
What have you done in the past five years?
I moved over to LA by myself when I was 16 and I tried to do my thing over there and hustle. I did it for a year and got to the point where I needed a break – I was putting so much pressure on myself. It just wasn’t healthy anymore. I had to step away. I had to come back home, I needed to do things like see my friends and hug my mum, see family and get normal jobs and live a normal life.
How has your voice changed?
It’s definitely deeper. [Laughs] I used to get up there and sing my face off and just belt it out. I definitely still love doing that, but at the moment I’m really loving capturing beauty and pain and sorrow. And trying to portray that through my voice.
You’ve come under fire for changing your look. Have you had lip filler?
Oh yes, a hundred per cent. I think it’s best to do whatever makes you feel good … That’s the thing with me over the years I’ve been looking for my identity. I’ve been trying to find myself again and I’ve definitely experimented with filler and whatever, and there’s no denying that. I think it’s pretty obvious. [Laughs] I’m so used to seeing those articles, because to me it’s not a big deal. To me, lip filler is like makeup, it’s like doing your hair … It’s not permanent. I’ve never had any kind of plastic surgery or anything like that. I think it’s each to their own, whatever makes you happy. It’s such
a small thing for me. [Laughs]
How you do you deal with the haters?
If they want to talk about it, they can talk about it. [Laughs] I can’t stop them. In that respect I try to keep to myself and listen to my friends and my family, they know me. I know myself, the thing that I cherish the most is kindness, just be a good personand that’s what I try to do when I wake up every day. I know myself, I love myself and I think when you get to that point, it doesn’t affect you as much.
You can read the rest of the article in this week’s WHO magazine
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