Kalani Artis has been one to watch from the outset, with judge Amy Shark claiming his Australian Idol audition was the best she’d ever seen. But if it weren’t for a gift from his beloved Nana Sue, Australia might never have met the cool, calm and collected muso from the NSW Central Coast.

“Nana bought me a guitar when I was 11 years old,” Kalani, 23, tells TV WEEK. “I hadn’t touched it for a few years – I had been down in the dumps. As a teenager I got caught up in some stuff that didn’t agree with my brain and I ended up with psychological struggles.

Kalani left a career in landscaping to chase his musical dreams. (Credit: CH7)
“I locked myself away for a couple of years, just doing laps in my head. I felt very alone. Then at 14 I remembered her gift and picked it up again.”

Going from hiding in the shadows to performing in front of cameras, live audiences and world-renowned judges was a huge leap – but it’s one the former landscaping tradie has embraced, even while fearing those darker moments might resurface.

“In the back of my head I’ve been 100 per cent thinking about those vulnerabilities creeping back in,” Kalani explains. “But I’ve seriously impressed myself. I’m super proud of how far I’ve come on the show and how well I’ve handled it all. I ultimately feel like this is where I belong.”

And, of course, Kalani says he couldn’t have faced those fears without his biggest supporter – Nana Sue.

“I’d be lost without my nan by my side in this competition,” he declares.

“She’s the glue in my journey. Seeing Nan in the crowd, knowing that I’ve accomplished something super big, makes me feel very emotional.”

Australian Idol airs on Monday this week at 7.30pm, and will return next week after the Easter break on Channel Seven and 7Plus.