When 21-year-old Wanwue Tarpeh heard her name called at the latest Australian Idol elimination, her emotions were torn. Though it signalled the end of her time on the show that introduced her to lifelong friends and industry mentors, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her Idol journey was just the start of something bigger.
“No one wants to be out of the competition, but I’m actually doing extremely well, surprisingly,” Wanwue tells TV WEEK.
“I’m just reminicising about all the great times I had and the oportunities that this experience gave me, from working with industry professionals to performing regularly and absolutely loving it. I just had the best time.”
This week, Wanwue wowed the judges with her performance of host Ricki-Lee Coulter’s “Can’t Touch This”. With back up dancers and a self-written rap thrown in, Wanwue had Ricki-Lee and Australia cheering her on. She says it was one of the biggest honours of her career so far.
Despite the performance being the best she’s ever done, it sadly wasn’t enough for her to land the most votes and she was eliminated from the competition.
“When I heard I was in the bottom two, I was not really surprised. It was a shock, but I kind of had a gut feeling,” she admits.
“But everything has to come to an end. When one door closes, another opens and I know what is mine will find me. So I believe my journey was meant to end here, and that there’s something coming up for me, and this had to close for it to open up. And I’m just excited to see what it is.”
Chatting with Wanwue, it’s clear she has a perspective well beyond her years. Her grounded outlook comes from taking the time to step back and reflect on what the Idol experience truly meant — not just in the moment, but for her future.
“I feel really blessed from the experience on the show because I know not everyone has a good time on reality TV, but my time was amazing,” Wanwue says.
For the 21-year-old, the biggest challenge was shifting her mindset.
“I had to come to terms with the idea that reality TV doesn’t define you, and it’s not a true reflection of the industry, it’s just a stepping stone,” she explains.
“This show is an incredible platform, but my challenge was getting out of my head and allowing myself to fully embrace the experience, instead of constantly worrying about going home. Once I did that, I was so much happier.”
Now, Wanwue is focused firmly on what comes next: Continuing her studies, getting to work and hopefully finding an agent or a manager to represent her as she kicks off the next stage of her career.
“This is just the jumping-off point,” she says. “I don’t see it as the end of my music career — I see it as the beginning.”
You can follow Wanwue HERE and don’t forget to tune into Australian Idol on Seven of 7Plus.
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