Mzuki (real name Serenity Palomares) had us bewitched from the moment she stepped onto Australian Idol 2025, making her unique mark with a sick performance of Missy Elliott’s Get Ur Freak On, plus a taste of her own original rap.
The 28-year-old Melbournian has always had music in her soul, and according to her Idol audition, she’s been obsessed with it since the age of 12, when she first Googled “how to rap”.
Fast forward to today, and she’s dubbed herself the High Priestess of Rap, serving up a unique blend of hip-hop, pop, and some spiritual magic that has us spellbound.
But what else do we know about Mzuki? Let’s dive into her story before Australian Idol!
She was on X Factor!
That’s right! Australian Idol isn’t Mzuki’s first reality TV rodeo.
Back in 2014, Mzuki (who went by Serenity at the time) was a contestant on X Factor Australia as part of the girl group, XOX. Alongside Chaska Halliday, Nada-Leigh Nasser, and Tahnie Cristini, she made it all the way to the Top 10.
Here’s a little throwback of her her group performing:
She’s an actress, too
Mzuki isn’t just a music star, she’s also dabbled in acting. According to her StarNow profile, she was an extra on Ja’mie: Private School Girl. How *random*!
Her songs have been featured on some big shows
Turns out, Mzuki’s music already hit the screens long before Idol. Tracks from her Power Moves and Lifestyle EPs have been featured on major shows in the US, New Zealand, and Australia, including HBO Max’s The Hype and BET+’s The Family Business
Outside the silver screen her singles have also made the rounds on FBI radio, Triple J Unearthed, Cada, and Apple Music US. Not too shabby, Mzuki!
She’s already killing it on TikTok
Mzuki has already made quite the splash online. With almost 100K followers on TikTok, Mzuki shares everything from her pop-stardom journey to tarot readings and spirituality.
@itzmzuki ✨No hashtags ðŸ™ðŸ½ if you see this it's meant for you ! 🥂💕 followmyigforgoodluck ðŸ€
♬ Own Brand Freestyle – FelixThe1st & Dreya Mac
That’s right, she’s a spiritual healer
Music isn’t Mzuki’s only passion — we know from her audition she’s also deep into spirituality. As a tarot reader, manifestation coach, and self-proclaimed “Conscious Creator”, she encourages her followers to manifest their dreams.
She even brought tarot into her Australian Idol audition, flipping the Death card for Australian Idol judge Kyle Sandilands (yikes!).
So can Mzuki manifest an Australian Idol win? We’ll have to wait and see!
