Australian singer Sheldon Riley has popped up on the new series of American Idol with a stripped back look and a new outlook on life.
Riley, who first found fame on The Voice – Australia where he impressed coach Boy George with an emotional take on the Culture Club song Do You Really want to Hurt Me, has gone on to appear in many different TV talent shows.
Alongside being recognised for his singing, Riley also became equally known for his elaborate costumes that usually included masks.
“I kind of created this character that dressed up like crazy, the most avant-garde, the most high-fashion, in crystals and diamonds, and it was the thing that made people see me.” he told judges Lionel Ritchie, Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan.
Alongside multiple appearances on The Voice Australia, Riley went on to appear on America’s Got Talent and represented Australia at Eurovision in 2022.
To impress the judges Riley sang Matt Corby’s Brother, earning him a Golden Ticket to Hollywood for the next stage of the competition.
Riley spoke to OUTinPerth back in 2021 and discussed his upbringing in a religious family, and how songwriting was allowing him to reveal more of himself. Graeme Watson asked at the time, who is the real Sheldon Riley behind the mask?
“The real Sheldon Riley is super-introverted. I’m extroverted on stage, but I guess its just another side of me, and all parts of me are the real me.”
“I find by covering myself in this high fashion and creative stuff, it almost allows me to reveal myself even more to people that really wouldn’t get to see.”
