From public servant to the national stage: Canberran muso making her mark on Australian Idol

A Canberra musician has found a home on stage – and she’s rapidly rising through a national competition.

On Sunday, 23-year-old Emma Jones made the top 21 on Australian Idol, joining a group of musicians hailing from across the country.

“It does feel surreal. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” she tells Region.

“[The other entrants have] been really lovely and really talented – and also really unique.

“Everyone comes from different places, different upbringings, different careers, so seeing how that’s influenced them makes me appreciate music in general.”

Her time on Idol is the latest step for the musician who has long been picking up a microphone and performing.

“I feel most like myself when I’m on a stage; I feel really comfortable when I’m in front of an audience.”

Her creative life started when she was a child, writing poetry before she turned her hand to songwriting.

“I loved music, but I didn’t really know that translated into me having a gift for it. I just loved listening to it,” she says.

“Curiosity led me to go, ‘Is that something I could replicate?'”

A “handful of teachers” encouraged her to consider pursuing music, with Emma going on to play at a range of gigs and festivals.

Just like a bunch of now-Canberrans, Emma made the move to the bush capital from Wollongong to work in the public service several years ago.

But music was always on her mind.

“While I was doing that, I had a bit of an internal battle with whether I wanted to really give music a go,” she says.

“I’d done gigs since I was really young, but always had another job on the side, and it got to a point where I [thought that] if I’m going to do music, I need to just fully commit to it.”

For Emma, it’s exciting to bring her adopted home along on her musical journey.

“It’s such a vibrant scene there. I remember, when I first moved to Canberra, seeing a glimpse of how everyone sort of was super intertwined,” she says.

“There’s so much space for creatives in Canberra, which is something I wouldn’t have expected but was definitely a pleasant surprise.”

While the Idol competition has put her on a bigger stage, Emma says she’s keen to take it – and her music career – one day at a time.

“The limit is where you place it, and I want to work really hard and take it as far as I can,” she says.

“For every opportunity, I’m truly grateful. I don’t take any of it lightly or for granted.”

Australian Idol is currently airing on the Seven Network and on the 7plus streaming service.