Kesha Oayda spills on what really happens behind the scenes at Australian Idol. Credit: IG/australianidol

The Australian Idol grand final had waves of excitement and suspense that kept us on our toes, with constant ad breaks almost killing us (and the two finalists). While we know the energy is electric in the studio for the contestants, for all the fans watching at home, what happens to the winner after the cameras turn off remains a mystery.

However, newly crowned Australian Idol winner Kesha Oayda toldf WHO about her historic win and what actually happens behind-the-scenes when the cameras turned off.

What happens when the Australian Idol winner is announced?

Speaking to WHO after her Australian Idol win on Tuesday night, Kesha spilled all the surprising and unsurprising formalities that take place after an emerging music star is suddenly launched to fame.

After she was announced as the winner, Kesha admitted that she “went blank for a second” after hearing her name, feeling “pure and honest shock”.

The reality of knowing “Australia was backing [her]” sunk in.

While our TV screens abruptly ended, Kesha told WHO that the chaos continued for her behind-the-scenes.

“It was just straight into my family and friends rocking onto the stage and the other contestants,” she said. “That was absolutely amazing. Having that love from every corner of the stage was incredible.”

However, after the excitement, things quickly turned to business/.

“Hair and make-up were [then] on that stage, doing me up and making sure I looked alright,” Kesha explained. “It was straight away photos. [We] went up to the room, did a couple interviews, social media bits, and then it was straight into chatting through my schedule for today.”

Luckily for Kesha, after the formalities ended, everyone from the judges to the hosts celebrated her win and the end of their Australian Idol together.

“Then I had a really nice dance and celebration with everyone and it was a really, really memorable time,” she said. “I’m really grateful I got to experience this with all the other contestants and the judges and the hosts, it was just a really, really lovely time.”

What other behind-the-scenes moments did we miss?

According to Kesha, this wholesome energy was a running theme behind the scenes for the entire season, as pre-show rituals hyped up the contestants before their time on the national stage.

“Outside the show, it’s very nerve-wracking, you know,” she admitted. “You hear the crowd and you’re getting your ears done and you’re so nervous.”

To calm their nerves, all the contestants had a secret dance party behind the curtain before each show began.

“You know what actually was really fun that we got into?

“The last month or so, we brought a speaker down,” she said. “It’s something beautiful, we brought a speaker down and we just played really fun songs, and we’ve just all been dancing and it kind of eases you into a performance.”

“You’re like, yeah, I’m dancing to people’s music, they’re going to dance to mine, it’s cool.”

This allowed all the “competitiveness” to be taken out of the show, easing contestants nerves.

It was pre-show rituals like this that reminded Kesha why she joined the show in the first place.

“It takes that competitiveness out of it and you’re all just doing it for yourself and to watch each other flourish and I think that’s a really special connection we all have.”

What’s next for Kesha Oayda?

The winner of Australian Idol 2026 receives a recording package with Hive Sound Studios, a song writing camp with Sony Music Publishing, marketing and social media support from The Annex and VIP tickets to the ARIA Awards and TV WEEK Logie Awards.

Speaking to WHO, Kesha mentioned that she’s also hoping to collaborate with incredible musicians like Brad Cox, release original music, and “share [her] life, [her] story and [her] art with people.”

We can’t wait to see what the future holds!

Source: https://www.who.com.au/entertainment/reality-tv/australian-idol-2026-winner-kesha/