August 31st

Studio time with INXS: Andrew Farriss is a genius and his songwriting is so mature and vested in the future. The new INXS stuff… my jaw dropped when I heard it. Made me realize how driven I am to win this thing and get to sing these amazing songs on a new record and tour the world. Whomever wins this is the luckiest person on the earth for all I'm concerned. Wait till you hear the new INXS. It will blow away all your expectations - brilliant beyond anything else on the radio. Madly genius.

Performance Day: Each show is getting more and more intense. We started the show yesterday with some drama and then Ty kicked the night off with a blistering performance of "You Can't Always Get What You Want." That set the bar really high for the rest of us. When it was my turn to perform, I was unusually calm. My focus was dead-on and the band was so tight. I felt humbled by the magnitude of the song and all the musicians backing me. As the song progressed I started getting more and more emotionally involved with the lyrics. It took everything I had to hold it all together and be a professional. I saw snapshots of my life flash before my eyes like a hologram and I had to stop them before they tore me up. It was a deeply personal moment for me that happened to be viewed by millions of people. This is truly one of the greatest moments of my life.

The highlight of the other performers was Suzie doing the EPIC “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I think she deserves the encore once again. The last 8 weeks I have been flying by the seat of my pants. Life has never been better!