In 2007, Natalie Gauci won Australian Idol. Last night, she auditioned for The Voice.

In 2007, Natalie Gauci won the fifth season of Australian Idol, controversially beating one of the series’ most popular performers, Matt Corby.

Gauci, who went on to sign a record deal with Sony BMG Australia, later released her debut single, Here I Am.

But while the single shot to number two on the ARIA Singles Chart, Gauci soon disappeared from the spotlight.

Watch a snippet from Natalie Gauci’s performance on The Voice below. Post continues after video.

Last night, Natalie Gauci appeared on Australian screens once again.

Taking another shot at reality music television, the now 38-year-old faced coaches Delta Goodrem, Boy George, Kelly Rowland, and fellow Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian, for The Voice blind auditions.

Performing Sia’s hit, The Greatest, Gauci initially struggled to capture the attention of the judges.

In fact, it wasn’t until the final few seconds of her performance that Sebastian and Goodrem turned their chairs around.

When Sebastian first saw Gauci after turning his chair, he didn’t quite recognise her.

“I know I’m looking at you weird, but do I know you? Can you tell us a bit about yourself?” Sebastian asked.

“Uh, well, okay. My name is Natalie Gauci, and you might know me from another TV show called Australian Idol?” she responded.

Following the awkward exchange, Sebastian went on to criticise Gauci’s performance, telling her she “hadn’t nailed” the audition.

"You'll watch this back and think, 'I didn't love that bit'. There were bits where I thought, 'She hasn't nailed that'. But in the end, what I heard was vulnerability. As a coach, I'd love to help you rediscover why you fell in love with singing in the first place," he said.

In the end, Gauci ended up choosing Sebastian as her coach on the show.

Before her appearance on the show, the 38-year-old shared that her family were surprised to learn that she was auditioning for The Voice.

"When I told my family that I was going on The Voice, they automatically just assumed I was going on as a coach," she said prior to her audition.

"I have everything to lose, in a way, because I've already done it once. And now I have to do it again," she added.

"I really want to do it again, and I want to do it better this time."

Gauci, who virtually faded into obscurity after Australian Idol, shared that she struggled after winning the reality TV title.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Natalie Gauci (@nataliergauci) on May 18, 2020 at 8:57pm PDT

"Australian Idol was the catalyst to my career. It gave me the opportunity to be in front of millions of people really quickly," she told 9Now.

"I felt like winning was part of my destiny, but instead I was burning the candle at both ends," the new mum added.

"I wasn't prepared for the outside world and all that fame so quickly. I didn't know who I was anymore, so I turned to drugs and alcohol."

In 2016, Gauci spoke to New Idea, sharing how her relationships with her family suffered as she sought to capitalise on her Australian Idol fame.

"I took a lot of drugs and became paranoid," she told the publication.

"After that whirlwind I felt really detached... I wasn't being heard... I felt so alone."

 

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A post shared by Natalie Gauci (@nataliergauci) on Apr 18, 2020 at 2:30am PDT

Following last night's episode of The Voice, a number of viewers criticised the fact that a former Australian Idol winner was allowed to compete on The Voice.

"Why is there a former Australian Idol winner on this show? Enough of this. We want NEW, UNDISCOVERED talent," one viewer wrote on Twitter.

"She had a much better chance of making it big by winning Idol than off the back off this show," another said.

Explain to me why is there a winner of The Voice Armenia competing here? And why is there a former Australian Idol winner on this show?!! Enough of this. We want NEW, UNDISCOVERED talent!#TheVoiceAU

— HeatherCG (@HClesidia) June 2, 2020

Natalie Gauci is fantastic and it's good to see her back ... but she had a much better chance of making it big by winning Idol than off the back of this show, which hasn't created a single music star in eight seasons. #TheVoiceAU

— Brad Henderson (@bradhendosports) June 2, 2020

Natalie Gauci proving the process doesn’t work #TheVoiceAU

— Ben Ross ???? (@BJssoR) June 2, 2020

Last year, former Australian Idol contestant Lee Harding and Australia's Got Talent winner Jack Vidgen auditioned for the reality show.

Feature Image: Channel Ten/Channel Nine.

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