Hot on the tail of her November 2024 Schools Spectacular debut, Year 12 Billabong High school captain Iilysh Retallick will be hitting Australian TV screens tonight as a 2025 Top 30 Australian Idol vocalist.

Iilysh is one of the youngest contestants to have made it through to the next round of this year’s Australian hit show with her soulful rendition of the Alanis Morrisette hit, ‘You Oughta Know’.

The musically talented student, who has been singing since she was just eight-years-old, wowed the judges with Kyle Sandilands remarking the performance was “unexpected, unbelievable, unforgettable”.

Iilysh told the three Idol judges she was inspired by rock music, which shone through in her performance.

“As a young girl, I discovered how people can be moved by music and that everyone can connect through the power of song,” Iilysh said.

“I found that singing brought me comfort, and an escape from everyday worries.”

Iilysh knew what she wanted from a young age, deciding almost 10 years ago that music was what she wanted to pursue.

“My dad started filming the two of us performing duets together for Facebook, and the town loved it, and we’ve just kept going since then,” she said.

Iilysh is living the small country-town girl in the big city trope as she temporarily swaps Culcairn, a town with just shy of 1,500 people, for Sydney.

“I’m still in absolute awe; thanks all so much for your support, it means the world to me,” Iilysh posted on her Facebook page.

The Billabong High School community is behind its school captain, with Principal Julie Bowen sharing that they are “so proud of her already”.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and she’s already doing so well,” Ms Bowen said.

The Australian Idol Top 30 Week starts this week on Channel 7.