By Danielle Davey
Winning the highly coveted Golden Ticket, a rising Dromana star wowed Australian Idol judges and beat thousands of hopefuls to secure a spot in the Top 30 of this year’s competition.
Lachie Clue’s composure on learning the original singer of the song he’d chosen to perform was a guest judge at his audition speaks volumes for his professionalism. Steeling his nerves, he delivered a soulful arrangement of Anastacia’s I’m Outta Love. Judges remarked on his tone and falsetto, and Anastacia herself admitted “getting chills”. Meanwhile, in the wings, Lachie’s laconic grandfather – part of his support crew – declared: “He sounds all right.”
Family, friends and – perhaps surprisingly – footy have played key roles in the 21-year-old’s success. While his profile as a singer has been raised, dancing has long been at the forefront.
Lachie entered the world of dance as a five-year-old after his mum successfully bid on free dance classes at the footy club’s silent auction. By his own admission, he was the kid who spent matches doing cartwheels while his teammates followed the ball. Realising dance might be more his thing, his mum signed him up at Peninsula School of Dance. Beginning with jazz and tap before progressing to ballet, he continued his tuition at the school, later teaching classes in his teens. More recently, he graduated from Jason Coleman’s Ministry of Dance; Jason himself is an alumnus of Peninsula School of Dance.
Coincidentally, footy also got Lachie into singing at the age of nine. When his brother’s match was called off due to rain, a few team members were invited back to Lachie’s house with their parents. An impromptu singalong revealed his voice, and one of the mums – who just happened to be a singing teacher – enthusiastically encouraged him to take lessons with her.
His lack of stage fright can be explained by years of experience and taking part in several large-scale productions, including performing as a backup dancer for Katy Perry at the 2024 AFL Grand Final pre-game entertainment.
Despite his elimination from the reality show last month, Lachie remains positive about the future. He’s a firm believer in the expression ‘rejection is redirection’ and has a mature philosophy that prevents him from getting hung up on setbacks. “Sometimes you might knock on the door but it doesn’t open,” he said. “That just might not be the door for you. It doesn’t take away from all the things you’ve already done.”
Despite the glitz of the dance world, this talented young man is far from superficial. Beyond singing and dancing, he’s a thoughtful songwriter too. A collection of his original songs will be released later this year through Mount Eliza’s Magic Mountain Records. Titled Hindsight, the seven-track EP features songs inspired by a retrospective look at his life.
For Lachie Clue, Australian Idol was just part of the journey; there’s still plenty more to come. Fans keen to join the ride can follow him on Instagram @lachieclue
