Australian Idol: Karratha’s Cody James out to prove there’s talent in the Pilbara

Karratha’s Cody James is a big fish from a small pond out to prove he can swim under the bright lights of Australian Idol’s stage.

Reflecting on his journey from the outback to the competition’s top 21, James, 20, said he discovered he could sing while cruising down the open roads of WA’s Pilbara region with his family at the age of six.

“I just remember reaching through the centre console of the car and turning the volume up,” he told The West Australian.

“And I remember singing it, and thinking to myself in that moment, ‘Whoa, why can I sing like that? Why can I sound like that?’”

Soon after, the laid-back country kid was enrolled in guitar lessons by his musical mother despite admitting he “never even wanted to learn guitar”.

Grateful now for her encouragement, James said he then joined the ukulele club at school which quickly struck a chord with him.

And after initially shocking himself with his ability to hold a tune, the aspiring musician’s’ talent as a performer was soon validated by his parents at home after borrowing a ukulele and showcasing his craft.

“I played them I’m Yours by Jason Mraz, and I remember my dad was just so shocked that he went into the kitchen and was emotional about it. But I didn’t understand why he was even like that because I was so young,” James recalled.

“I remember my mum saying, ‘Oh, Dad just thinks it’s really good — he wasn’t expecting it’.”

Building confidence as a youth in front of class mates, the performer later found himself at pubs and open mic nights around town where his name began to spread farther.

Releasing his own single Interstate several months ago, James said positive feedback from his tight-knit community had instilled a deeper pride and connection to the place that raised him.

Impressing the judges at his audition with Vance Joy’s Fire and the Flood, the star was lauded as a “golden nugget” by judge Kyle Sandilands who had been “sitting in the red dirt”.

This week, the uncut gem will be pitted against fellow WA hopefuls in Fremantle’s Charlie Moon and Harriet Hawthorne, as well as Bunbury’s John Standley for a place in the top 12.

With only limited places available, James noted a palpable rise in pressure to perform.

“You can definitely sense in the air things are starting to amp up, and it’s getting down to it now,” he said.

“With top 21 performances just around the corner, you can sense that people are here because they they want to win, but to be honest, I want to win more, so it doesn’t bother me.”

Australian Idol continues Monday 7.30pm on 7 & 7plus.