Before Trè Samuels auditions for Australian Idol judges Marcia Hines, Kyle Sandilands and Amy Shark this Sunday, the 26-year-old has already lived a remarkably full life – with a career that began when he was just 10 years old.
“I started a YouTube account at 10 and randomly started posting music covers,” Trè tells TV WEEK.
“At 12 I posted a single titled ‘Man I Want to Be’ which caught the attention of Atlantic Records in New York. I got flown out to New York with my father and they didn’t end up signing me as an artist, but they signed me as a songwriter to Warner Chappell.”
Over the years, Trè has written for some of the industry’s biggest artists, including R&B artist Chris Brown.
That early opportunity led to a whirlwind few years, including a meeting with former American Idol judge Simon Cowell about joining a boy band. There Trè caught the attention of a modelling scout – a chance encounter that quickly turned into a booming career in Los Angeles, USA.
“We went to the agency and we ended up signing the same day,” the Melbourne native recalls. “Then I was walking for Prada and after that Prada show, a million shows came through – a random door has always opened.”
Despite working alongside major artists, Trè eventually parted ways with his record label – a decision driven by mounting pressure and declining mental health.
“I was stuck in a really bad management deal at the time,” he explains. “Things got quite messy. It obviously had me in a bad mental health position. It was bad timing and I had a lot of learning to do.”
In Trè’s words, “everything happens for a reason”. When one door closed, another opened. Returning home led him back to his childhood sweetheart, Victoria. Today, they’re married, raising two daughters, Silas and Annie.
“We had always kept in touch when I was overseas, and we’d always come back together,” he says with a smile. “She’s always been the one – and now we have two beautiful daughters. They are the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”
Now, after years spent creating behind the scenes – he’s credited as one of the writers on Chris Brown’s 2020 hit “Go Crazy” – Trè is stepping into the spotlight himself.
Will his Idol audition be enough to earn him a Golden Ticket?
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