Australian Idol season 7
The seventh season of Australian Idol began on 9 August 2009, to determine who would succeed season 6 winner, Wes Carr. Beginning amid controversy, judge Kyle Sandilands was replaced by Sony Music record executive, Jay Dee Springbett. It was the only season where the top four contestants were eighteen years old or younger. Stan Walker was declared the winner on 22 November 2009.
Overview
Format changes
, and Marcia Hines returned as judges; however, long-term judge Kyle Sandilands was sacked after causing controversy on his radio show prior to the premiere, although he was still present for the auditions as they had been pre-recorded some weeks earlier. On 23 August 2009, it was announced on the Idol show that the new judge taking over Kyle Sandilands' spot would be Jay Dee Springbett. Andrew G returned as host, with assistance from Ricki-Lee Coulter due to the departure of James Mathison. The first auditions saw guest judge Brian McFadden join the panel, and his then fiancée Delta Goodrem acted as a guest judge for the Sydney auditions.A further change was also decided for the Top 12 round eliminations. The Monday-night elimination show was axed in favour of a two-hour 'super Sunday' elimination/ performance show, in which a contestant was eliminated according to votes tallied the previous week, followed by performances.
Auditions
The auditions were held at the following locations:| Town/City | State | Arena/Area | Date |
| Darwin | Northern Territory | Crowne Plaza | 22 March |
| Cairns | Queensland | Shangri-La Hotel | 24 March |
| Mackay | Queensland | CQ University, Conservatorium of Music | 26 March |
| Tamworth | New South Wales | Tamworth Regional Entertainment Centre | 29 March |
| Bathurst | New South Wales | Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre | 1 April |
| Newcastle | New South Wales | Newcastle Jockey Club | 5 April |
| Perth | Western Australia | Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre | 19 April |
| Hobart | Tasmania | Hotel Grand Chancellor | 21 April |
| Adelaide | South Australia | Adelaide Convention Centre | 26 April |
| Albury | New South Wales | Albury Convention Centre | 28 April |
| Melbourne | Victoria | Flemington Racecourse Event Centre | 1, 2 & 3 May |
| Brisbane | Queensland | South Bank Piazza | 9 & 10 May |
| Sydney | New South Wales | Australian Technology Park | 16, 17 & 18 May |
Semi-finals
These aired on the week of 24 to 27 August, allowing viewers to vote. The "Wildcard" Performance Show followed on Sunday, 30 August, with live results revealed the following week, on 6 September.| Females | Males |
| Nicole Banks | Casey Barnes |
| Sabrina Batshon | Darcy Lee |
| Kate Cook | Nathan Brake |
| Kim Cooper | Seth Drury |
| Jamila Ioane | Adam Eckersley |
| Lucie Johnson | James Johnston |
| Aliqua Mao | Tim Johnston |
| Tenielle Muslin | Toby Moulton |
| Lauren Street | Scott Newnham |
| Ashleigh Toole | Daniel Raso |
| Marijana Topalovic | Stan Walker |
| Hayley Warner | Ed Zaidan |
Group 1
- Hayley Warner – "Cryin' Shame" '
- Seth Drury – "You Found Me" '
- Jamila Ioane – "For Once in My Life" '
- Toby Moulton – "Yellow" '
- Kate Cook – "Your Mama Don't Dance" '
- Stan Walker – "If I Ain't Got You" '
'''Wild Card Contenders: Hayley Warner & Toby Moulton'''
Group 2
- Ashleigh Toole – "Hurt" '
- Adam Eckersley – "All Fired Up" '
- Marijana Topalovic – "It Must Have Been Love" '
- Lauren Street – "You Oughta Know" '
- Casey Barnes – "Her Diamonds" '
- Nathan Brake – "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" '
'''Wild Card Contenders: Lauren Street & Casey Barnes'''
Group 3
- Daniel Raso – "You to Me Are Everything" '
- Aliqua Mao – "I Will Always Love You" '
- Nicole Banks – "Viva la Vida" '
- Jason Bartlett – "Tears in Heaven" '
- Scott Newnham – "Run It!" '
- Sabrina Batshon – "Hush Hush" '
'''Wild Card Contender: Aliqua Mao'''
Group 4
- Kim Cooper – "Waking Up in Vegas" '
- Ed Zaidan – "Foreign Land" '
- Lucie Johnson – "Sweet Dreams" '
- Tim Johnston – "Signed, Sealed, Delivered " '
- Tenielle Muslin – "Love Story" '
- James Johnston – "Crazy" '
'''Wild Card Contenders: Ed Zaidan, Lucie Johnson, Tim Johnston & Tenielle Muslin'''
Wildcard
- Lucie Johnson – "Boogie Wonderland" '
- Casey Barnes – "Never Say Never " '
- Aliqua Mao – "The Power of Love" '
- Lauren Street – "Low" '
- Tim Johnston – "Yesterday" '
- Ed Zaidan – "White Noise" '
- Tenielle Muslin – "Kiss Me" '
- Toby Moulton – "With or Without You" '
- Hayley Warner – "I Do Not Hook Up" '
Advancing to the Top 12 through the Judges picks: Casey Barnes and Tim Johnston'''
Weekly Song Themes
Group/Guest Performances
The Top 12 Finalists
Stan Walker
Stan Walker was born in October 1990. Although residing in Australia for the past three and a half years, Stan grew up in Hamilton and Tauranga, New Zealand. He works in retail. He has the Māori word ataahua tattooed on his neck.Hayley Warner
Hayley Warner was born on 23 January 1992 in Sydney. She was the lead singer of her band, Bleached Academy and worked in retail at a surf shop. She was also related to a young and upcoming New South Wales cricket player David Warner.James Johnston
James Johnston was born on 26 November 1990 in Wingham, New South Wales. He was a part of Starstruck in 2005, performing in front of thousands. He prefers the acoustic/rock style of music.Nathan Brake
Nathan Brake was born on 27 July 1991 in Guildford, Sydney. He was a student at the Australian International Performing Arts High School. He is the lead singer of his band, Ackolade. Nathan has since performed at a number of events including the 2009 Melbourne Christmas carols with Ricki Lee Coulter.Nathan Brake has an unofficial fan site Nathan Nation where upcoming events are mentioned and contains a forum for fans.