This season on American Idol, an Australian singer named Sheldon Riley has impressed the judges. The 26-year-old singer has a history on several other talent shows, although he looked a bit different than he does now.
American Idol Star Sheldon Riley’s History on Talent Shows
During the recent Hollywood Week round of American Idol Season 24, Sheldon Riley was chosen by the judges to be part of the Top 30 contestants still in the running to win the show. During his audition earlier this season, Sheldon alluded to his history on other talent shows.
When he was just 16 years old, Sheldon auditioned for Australia’s version of The X Factor. He was initially eliminated as a solo artist in the bootcamp stage of the competition, but Groups mentor Iggy Azalea invited him back to form a boy band called Time and Place. The group was eliminated in the first week of live shows.
Sheldon Riley later appeared on The Voice Australia in 2018, earning a four-chair turn for his cover of “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me” by George Michael. Sheldon chose to join Boy George’s team. He finished the season in third place. Sheldon returned the following year for an all-stars season, this time performing with his face covered. He was eliminated in the Semifinals.
Fans in the United States probably know Sheldon Riley best for his masked persona, which he used during his time on America’s Got Talent Season 15. He impressed the judges in his audition with his performance of “idontwannabeyouanymore” by Billie Eilish, but was eliminated in the Quarterfinals.
He returned to the AGT stage for Fantasy League in 2024, competing on Mel B’s team. During his first performance of “Tattoo” by Loreen, Sheldon removed his mask. He returned for the Semifinals, where he was unfortunately eliminated from the competition.
In 2022, Sheldon was selected to represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest. He performed the track “Not the Same,” finishing in 15th place out of 40 countries competing. The same year, the singer appeared on The Masked Singer Australia as Snapdragon, finishing in second place.
For American Idol, Sheldon has chosen to perform without a mask. Keep watching Season 24 Monday nights on ABC to find out how far he goes in the competition.
Words by:
Jill O'Rourke Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit
