JUST months after chatting with customers and stacking produce at Skippy’s fruit and veggie shop, Redlands teenager Harlan Goode is still adjusting to life as one of Australia’s newest household names after starring on Australian Idol.
The 18-year-old Idol finalist says it was the support from home that kept him steady through the chaos of live television.
“It really was all your guys’ videos and all the different people’s support that really kept me grounded,” he said.
Meeting many of those locals at a recent Redlander of the Year event made the experience feel “full circle”.
“When the days got as long as 14 hours, having that connection back home meant everything,” he said.
Before Idol, Harlan’s life was a patchwork of hands-on work and community interaction, something he still values deeply.
He spent time doing manual labour for his parents’ property business and later working at Skippy’s fruit shop, where he says he learned just as much about people as he did about produce.
“At Skippy’s you spend all day talking to people and learning their stories,” he said.
“And working on job sites taught me hard work.
“That work ethic has helped me in music more than anything.”
Now, with management in London and late night calls becoming routine, he admits there’s no such thing as clocking off.
“But it doesn’t feel like work,” he said.
“That’s the weirdest part.”
Harlan credits much of his artistic identity to his community, especially the women who raised and mentored him.
“They completely made me who I am,” he said.
“My nan, my mum, and my music teacher, Mrs Moore … they gave me the foundational skills and then opened my eyes to what’s possible.”
As for the Idol experience itself, Harlan said he was surrounded by artists who inspired him daily.
Harlan will return to the stage close to home later this month, performing at the Redland Performing Arts Centre on June 27.
The show will give local fans an early taste of the original music he’s been developing behind the scenes.
His advice for young Redlands performers is simple.
“Just do it,” he said. “If there’s an opportunity, take it – because if you don’t, someone else will.”
