Stan Walker named X-Factor judge
Former Tauranga boy Stan Walker has been announced one of four judges for X Factor New Zealand, which goes to air next year.
The Australian Idol winner has sold more than 80,000 albums in New Zealand, with triple platinum sales of his debut album "Introducing".
Walker says he knows first-hand how life changing a show like the X Factor can be.
He was working in a Queensland menswear shop and singing in church, when he auditioned for Idol.
Now the singer is a chart-topping pop star across Australasia, with a total of five gold singles, one platinum and one double-platinum in New Zealand alone.
"I know how it feels to stand up in front of judges and how much courage it takes," he said.
"I want to encourage anyone who thinks they have what it takes, but is too scared to give it a try, to get up and give it a go.
"Who knows, you may end up the next big recording star - it happened for me.''
The rest of the four-person judging panel will be revealed in the coming months.
