This journey has been a long time coming for her.

Being on Australian Idol is a dream come true for Kesha Oayda, who has swapped her skis in the Snowy Mountains for a microphone.

Ever since she entered the competition, she has blown everyone away. Now, she’s competing in the grand finale.

She seems right at home on the Idol stage, and for the 21-year-old, it has been a long time coming.

Scroll on to read more about her musical journey below.
Australian Idol is a dream come true for Kesha. (Credit: Channel Nine)

Who is Australian Idol star Kesha Oayda?

Kesha’s love of music was solidified when her father, Nolen, gifted her a guitar after she was born.

He is her biggest inspiration in life, and as a musician himself, has shaped her in many ways.

That’s why her performance with him during Heroes and Tributes Week, which earned her a spot in the finale, is her favourite in the competition.

“That’s just my way of beginning to thank him for everything he’s done for me musically and just my life on a regular day-to-day basis… It’s indescribable that feeling of being able to share the stage with a family member and someone he’s literally raised me,” she shared with New Idea days before the finale.

“It was absolutely incredible, it was very emotional.”

She got her first taste of singing competitions when she entered Jindy Idol when she was eight, so Idol was a no-brainer.

But away from the show, the ski slopes call Kesha’s name.

While her father pursued skiing professionally and her mother is also incredibly skilled on the slopes, it’s certainly in her blood.

Even though she considered going down the same path, her heart was always set on music.

“I just feel like this time of my life, I’m so ready for something like this, you know?” she told us.

“I’m ready to go on tour, I’m ready to start getting songs out.

“I’ve got these songs that I’m writing every day, and I’m just ready to really take it in my stride and do everything I can to put my name in the spotlight and show my music to as many people as I can.”
Kesha is ready to win Australian Idol. (Credit: Channel Seven)
Her passion for country music and farming life is woven through her stories, and the Snowy Mountains are always in the back of her mind.

“I do this for them and my community, and you can’t achieve your goals without support and love, and Jindy has backed me since I was a tiny eight-year-old,” she said.

Leading up to the finale, she exclusively told New Idea that she planned to perform a “huge song” that “every man and their dog knows”.

“The plan is to just go out there and try my hardest and enjoy it,” she explained.

“I think that’s been my secret weapon, which I discovered when I was in the bottom two, but I just went out and enjoyed it, and I think that that was a really big turning point in the competition that, as much as it is a competition, it’s doing something you love.

“So I’m really just going to take that with stride and and hopefully deliver what you know the world knows is is uh needs pretty pretty big stuff.”

Watch Australian Idol on Channel Seven and 7plus on Monday and Tuesday at 7.30pm.