Australian Idol winner Royston Noell has released his second single, “Dreaming:.
Noell won the reality singing competition following its revival last year, and released his debut single, “Invincible”, off the back of his triumph. Last Friday, he shared “Dreaming”, a deeply personal track created with Chris Chidiac.
“It’s such a personal song,” Noell acknowledges,” but it’s also fun – you can still have a dance to it. To really get the gist of what it means, you have to listen carefully to the lyrics, which I think is pretty cool as well.”
Noell’s single reflects back on a major crossroads in his life: should he take the leap and move to the ‘big smoke’ after finishing high school, to properly pursue his music dream, or stay home to care for his mum, who had been diagnosed with brain cancer?
“I asked mum if she wanted me to stay back a year and help out, ’cause she was starting to get really sick and my brother was her carer at the time, but she insisted, ‘No, I want you to go out and follow your dreams,” the Thanakwith and Wagadagam musician reveals.
Two years after he relocated to the city, Noell’s mother sadly passed away, but he insists he draws strength from knowing that she fully supported his career decision.
“I think she’d be really proud, actually,” he says. “I know she’s always with me. When I was on Australian Idol, I always asked her to protect me and make sure everything went well.”
In a touching moment, Noell returned to Mapoon, a remote Indigenous community in Far North Queensland, to film some shots for his single’s music video (watch below). “It’s really heartwarming seeing all the kids being so excited, and I’m so glad I get to be this beacon of hope.”
Following his single release, Noell is thinking of the future, with a trip to the US imminent. “I feel really excited and I’m keen to continue on this inspirational journey… there’s so much I wanna give and no dream is too big.”
Royston Noell’s “Dreaming” is out now.
