The 2007 Winner Of “Australian Idol” Has Opened Up About Her Time On The Show

"The only way I can describe it, is like being blind-folded and having someone dress you in the clothes that they think will suit you."

In 2007, Natalie Gauci beat Matt Corby to take the title of Australian Idol, becoming the third female winner of the series.

Network 10

While Corby is still a household name to this day thanks to his successful musical transition to Triple J hits, Gauci fell off the radar after her winner's single "Here I Am".

Ten years after her win, Gauci has opened up to BuzzFeed about her time on Idol, and what's next for her music career.

youtube.com

She touched on the struggles of dealing with her music label Sony BMG.

Sony BMG

"I worked hard for my label because I had a dream. Halfway through the year the dream wasn’t my dream anymore. I wanted my soul back. I lost who I was. And I spent the next 10 years looking for it," Gauci said.

Gauci also said she wished contestants were offered more support during and after the show.

Gaye Gerard / Getty Images

"I wish we had counsellors at the end of the show. I had people telling me what to do left, right, and centre and I felt like I didn’t have the right support. Even my mum said I had changed, that I wasn’t myself."

"I didn’t know how to work with a music manager – all I was told was that winning Idol is like having an arranged marriage, and that just confused me. A lot of it came as a shock to me. I was so naive to think that all my hard work was going to result in an album I wanted to make."

However, Gauci did stay in touch with former judges Ian "Dicko" Dickinson and Mark Holden after the show.

Patrick Riviere / Getty Images

"Dicko and I stayed in contact for quite a while after the show. I even trained him when I became a fitness instructor and helped him lose weight! I have also been in touch with Mark Holden and I know he has been supporting me on the sidelines all this time and following my career."

Over the past four years, Gauci has spent a lot of time travelling and finally feels like she's able to shake off the Idol tag.

Facebook: nataliegauciofficial

"I chose to live my life outside of the public world so I could form a new life for myself. Being famous is no longer something I strive for because unless I’m changing the world in a positive way, what’s the point?"

For now Gauci is concentrating on working on an autobiography, and has new music coming out this month.

natgofficial.com

But she also says she has no regrets about her time on Idol.

facebook.com

"It’s become a part of me and I love sharing my experiences with people. It’s in the past now and I’ve said thank you for all my experiences and I have forgiven myself for the mistakes that I made as well."

It's Rewind Week at BuzzFeed Oz! Go here for more '90s and '00s nostalgia.