John Van Beek gave us goosebumps from the moment he belted out his cover of I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith on Australian Idol 2025.
Throughout his time on Idol, the 18-year-old from Western Australia has delivered some real show-stoppers, tackling Dancing On My Own by Robyn, Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, and Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis.
His version of Impossible by James Arthur was so good that Australian Idol judge Amy Shark even awarded John a FastPass, fast tracking him straight into the Top 12.
Now that he’s made the Top 10, could he be the one to take it all the way?
Here’s what to know about Australian Idol’s John.
Australian Idol’s John was a competitive gymnast
As we learned during his audition, John’s first true passion was for gymnastics. As a competitive trampolinist, he represented Western Australia three times, even placing third in the country, training five days a week with Olympic dreams in his sights.
Unfortunately (or fortunately?), everything changed for him after a devastating accident.
“I did a hard triple flip, landed on the frame, hyperextended and dislocated my arm,” he shared during his audition.
That moment forced him to rethink his path, with music being his silver-lining. “My love of music really started through all the ups and downs of my life,” John said.
Judge Marcia Hines even reasoned: “Because you’ve been injured, I think you appreciate what you’ve got more than most people who haven’t gone through trauma.”
But he’s been in the music game for years
His passion for music didn’t come out of nowhere. According to his Instagram, he started performing way back during recess in Year 8.
And before Idol, he was already working the crowds busking around Perth, hitting up spots like Yagan Square and the local Westfield.
If you were lucky, you might’ve even caught him showing off a few of his old trampolining moves mid-performance.
And he’s not just covering hits, he also writes original music, and from the teasers he’s shared, it sounds pretty damn good.
He apparently Studies at WAAPA
He might be a raw talent, but we think there’s some training to boot.
According to Perth Now, John is a student at WAAPA — the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, which boasts famous alumni like Hugh Jackman.
While Idol hasn’t really mentioned it, John has been tagged in photos surrounding the prestigious performing arts school, making us think he just might be studying there.
WAAPA is notoriously tough to get into, so clearly, the judges weren’t the only ones who saw potential in John!
How far will John go on Idol? We can’t wait to find out!
