Australian Idol 2026: Grand finale sees top 3’s Kalani Artis, Kesha Oayda, and Harlan Goode fight for crown

A former landscaper, a competitive skier and a musical theatre teen will be the three talented performers vying for the Australian Idol 2026 crown when the talent show’s two-night grand finale kicks off on Monday.

Kalani Artis, 23, Kesha Oayda, 21, and Harlan Goode, 19, are set to take the stage for the final time as the Australian public’s vote launches the career of one starry-eyed hopeful.

Judge Marcia Hines has been core to the Idol experience since its inception in the early 2000s, and couldn’t split the Top 3 as she praised each of their unique qualities.

Hines described Central Coast’s timid green thumb Kalani as “such a quiet individual, but with an extraordinary talent”, and declared she’s “been blown away since the first day we heard Kesha sing, and every time since”.

“Every once in a while someone comes along with outstanding talent and that’s Harlan,” Hines added of the driven Brisbane teen.

Along with a final showing from the Top 3, the grand finale will welcome live performances from a raft of Aussie music stars, including Vanessa Amorosi, Morgan Evans, Australian Idol 2004 runner-up Anthony Callea, and judge Amy Shark.

Unlike his competitors who have followed their childhood passions into adulthood, Kalani said he needed to convince himself that his music dream was worth pursuing after dabbling in high school.

“I backed off for a while, and I obviously went into the trade industry and stuff like that. It was always sort of touch and go with my music until one day I just sort of went, ‘This is what I’m going to do full time’, and locked in,” he told The West Australian.

“Ever since this experience and getting all this time repetition on this big stage, it’s solidified where I feel like I meant to be, and it’s given me a whole new sense of purpose.”

Cherishing each opportunity the show affords him, the gifted vocalist marked the experience with an “Idol 2026” tattoo on his ankle alongside good friend Kesha, and fellow Top 12 Harry Lamb.

Asked how the title would change his life, Kalani admitted he’s already living his dream.

”I feel like I’ve worked at something like this for the majority of my life, and I’m finally here, so I’m going to take it by the horns,” he said.

While the prospect of claiming victory is an all-consuming thought for the final three, Jindabyne’s Kesha is no stranger to scaling mountains as a talented skier but admits she does not see her stage competitors as rivals.

“You’d think with the amount of competing I have done in my life, I would be very much wanting to always end up at the top, but I think doing skiing from such a young age and competing in every single sport I possibly could get my hands on, it’s taught me to just be grateful and very supportive of people who are doing better than you in a competition,” she said.

Introduced to music through her father Nolen as a child, the powerhouse singer hailed the pair’s recent shared performance on the show for Heroes & Tributes Week as “probably the most memorable time of my life”.

After gracing the Jindy Idol stage aged eight, the alpinist is hoping to enter rarefied air on Tuesday night by achieving something not seen since 2007.

“We haven’t had a girl win in a couple decades, so I think the time is kind of lining up perfectly,” she said.

Far too young to recall Natalie Gauci’s crowning moment in season 5 is Harlan, who, at 19, is already a driven professional who knows what he wants.

With a background in musical theatre, the big ballad singer takes cues from modern pop stars Sabrina Carpenter, Sam Smith and Lana Del Rey as he sets his career ambitions.

“I just want to tour the world with my own music. I just love music, I love playing. I just want to continuously do that,” he said.

“I want to live overseas. I’d love to be in Europe, living there in the next couple years and working my absolute butt off so I can show an album, and it’s one of those album where it’s both melodically beautiful, but comes with that massive visual element of all the music videos and stuff.”

A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Harlan said lingering advice from American singer Josh Groban earlier in the competition taught him to “lead with kindness’, but to also be nuanced in his approach, because “no one remembers perfection”.

While the perfect finish to the competition is largely out of his control, the self-assured teen feels he’s already won.

“I’ve gotten so much out of this competition, and the whole thing’s just been positive. And whatever my outcome is, I know that it’s going to happen for a reason, and it’s going to help my career in any way,” Harlan said.

Along with the Australian Idol 2026 title, the winner will be claim $100,000 in prize money, an exclusive recording package with Hive Sound Studios, attendance at a songwriting camp with Sony Music Publishing, marketing and social media support from The Annex, and VIP tickets to the ARIA Awards and TV WEEK Logie Awards.

Australian Idol’s live Grand Finale takes place on Monday and Tuesday 7.30pm on 7 and 7plus.