His name may not be entirely original, but Elvis Blue, Idols season-six winner, is turning heads since he took to TV’s biggest reality show’s stage.

His soulful musicianship won the nation’s votes and as soon as he’d won the coveted crown – rather than soak up the limelight – he headed straight for the studio with Benjy Mudie from his new creative home and record label Universal Music. What transpired was the recording of his album in a world record-breaking 29 days.

The self-titled debut is streets ahead of any of the albums produced for any of the previous local five winners of the TV phenomenon. Think pop/rock songs composed by some of the world’s most successful songwriters, as well as a healthy dose of Elvis’ own compositions  – the result is a hit album with award-winning potential.

The biggest, so far, is without question ‘Things My Father Said’ – the track that took him to the winner’s podium at the finale. The second and current single, ‘Lighthouse’, is doing well in confirming staying power. Watershed’s lead singer Craig Hinds contributed a track (‘Little Hero’), as did SAMA-nominee Cofield with ‘Only Wanna Be With You’. There’s even a Bob Dylan classic, ‘To Make You Feel My Love’, which he first performed at one his Idols auditions.

Once just another contender, Elvis Blue is now a bona-fide winner with an image as slick as his music.

Image: UNIVERSAL MUSIC