When Australian Idol returns to screens this week, the “toughest” season yet is bursting at the seams with talent.
Among them is Perth-based 19-year-old Harriet Kenworthy.
An accomplished singer-songwriter who released her debut single, Flowers Laced With Vitriol, in November 2025 under the name Harriet Hawthorne, the teen is clearly destined for stardom.
In fact, she’s been compared by many to legendary musician Joni Mitchell – something she acknowledges as “high praise”.
Taking inspiration from the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Olivia Dean and Maisie Peters, Harriet says she could only hope to have the kind of careers they have.
“I am a huge Olivia Rodrigo fan. I love her,” she tells Woman’s Day.
“Musically and, like, in the way I song-write, it’s probably very similar.
“I’ve recently been really loving Olivia Dean and Maisie Peters,” she adds.
“People who are very much singer songwriters I really love.”
Idol audition was worth the wait
Having had a “real obsession” with the show since she was around 10, in hindsight, Harriet says she’s glad her parents didn’t let her audition until now.
“To be honest, I’m really grateful that they were like, ‘No, you’re too young,’ because I don’t know if I could have handled it at the time,” she explains.
Putting it out of her mind for “a couple of years”, Harriet was encouraged by a friend to send in an audition tape on the final day before the cutoff.
“I didn’t really think anything would come of it,” she insists, “but I was like, ‘Why don’t I just do it? Why not?’”
Not immune to nerves
Growing up in a competitive environment doing regular performances and being judged, Harriet says she felt prepared despite some nerves.
Still, singing in front of judges Kyle Sandilands, Marcia Hines and Amy Shark was no mean feat.
“I was pretty nervous for Kyle, just because I know that he can be pretty harsh,” she says.
“But also Amy as well, because I think she’s probably most similar to me as an artist.”
Dubbed the “toughest” season yet, Harriet agrees that the calibre of talent is incredibly high.
With more than five years of writing and singing under her belt, she can count herself among the uber talented contestants.
“I’ve always been a performer,” says the former performing arts high school student, who got a Music Artist Advanced Diploma at WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts) in 2025.
Move over, Taylor Swift!
Taking inspiration from her own life, most of Harriet’s songs are autobiographical.
“I like to sing my own songs because they are so personal to me,” she says.
She wrote her first single, Flowers Laced With Vitriol, when she was just 15, before finally recording it last year.
And that’s just the beginning.
While we’ll have to watch and see how far Harriet progresses on her Idol journey, should she win, she plans on spending the $100,000 prize money on recording a full album.
“I think I would, first and foremost, record an album,” she says.
“I have so much music sitting in the bank that I want to put out to the world, and I think the music that I do have is something that girls who are like me need to hear.”
But regardless of how far she makes it, the teen couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead.
“My life’s pretty up in the air at the moment, in a very exciting way,” she says.
“It’s kind of freeing to just kind of let it go in whatever way it goes.”
Australian Idol premieres Monday, February 2 at 7.30pm on Channel 7 and 7Plus. Watch it here.
