Australia's Missy Higgins slams music idol show during ARIA Awards

SINGER-songwriters Missy Higgins and Ben Lee scooped the pool at the 2005 ARIA Awards last night, heralding a backlash against the hype-fuelled rise of reality TV pop stars in the Australian music industry.

Higgins was crowned Australia's latest pop princess, winning five gongs in the ceremony at Sydney's Superdome.
The chart darling, who scored her big break on Triple J's Unearthed competition, claimed to be a breed apart from Idol's ARIA winners of recent years.

"There's a lot to do with image in Australian Idol," she said.

"Obviously when you enter your music into Unearthed there's nothing to do with what you look like or how you present yourself on television or what you dress like. It's all to do with your composition and the way that you perform."

But last year's Idol runner-up Anthony Callea hit back, defending the program as a legitimate kick-start for performers seeking their big break.


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"It's a great launching pad for artists out there," he said.
"People can bag it, people can say what they want but at the end of the day there's not many opportunities.

"What's the difference coming from a radio competition or a television soapie? It's just another way of getting out there."

Higgins celebrated her massive haul by humping the Hoff, who presented her with the big one - Album of the Year.

"I never imagined that I'd be able to kiss David Hasselhoff on the lips and then dry hump him, but that happened," Higgins said.

Read more at News.com.au