Australian Idol 2024 lost its most unique contestant on Tuesday, March 5 when TJ Zimba was eliminated from the competition alongside Tyler Hammill, 21.

While winning is the pinnacle of success for many of the other contestants, 24-year-old TJ was orchestrating a completely different game plan.

“That’s where I feel like I played this real smart, right?,” he told Chattr in an interview the morning after his elimination. “Because I was producing my own tracks for the whole show, I felt like I built myself into all of the tracks. So, when I do release my own music you’re not like ‘Oh, this sounds nothing like when he was on Idol because no matter what song I got, I made it sound like I wrote it.”

Continuing, TJ said he felt like that was his “upper hand”.

“I was never thinking about leaving Idol. I was always thinking about, as an artist, how can I use this platform to launch myself?”

Australian Idol’s TJ Zimba responds to Kyle Sandilands

Judges Marcia Hines and Amy Shark commended TJ on his distinctive style and the capability to create a complete masterpiece without relying solely on vocals; however, Kyle Sandilands, beg to differ. And even though he acknowledged he was “great”, he said he was “not superstar, great”.

“I’ll tell you one thing you need to know,” TJ said. “If your dream doesn’t offend anybody, you’re not dreaming big enough. I feel like I tied everything I learned and turned it into positive energy.”

Speaking about negativity in general, he said: “Any negative energy that comes my way, I can turn that into positive matter and use that as fuel. You’re telling me I can’t? I want to show you why I can.”

What’s next for TJ Zimba?

Even though he was eliminated, TJ felt like he was the first Idol in history to be “excited to go out in the world”, admitting that there was more to his “end goal” than just the music.

“My end goal is to build hospitals and build clothing brands and clothe people who can’t afford clothes and help people who can’t afford health care,” he said. “I feel like music is a gateway for me to be able to help people and make people feel something. Make those without voices yell and make those who have been told to be silent to speak up.”

Finally, the Karratha resident hopes that he has “shaken up the industry enough to be ready” to go out there in full force to “change the world”.

“I am the first and only TJ and I’m about to show the world that!”

Australian Idol continues at 7.00pm on Sundays and Mondays and Tuesdays at 7.30 pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.

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