Peter FitzSimons has called for the Australian national anthem to be changed after Dylan Wright’s performance at the State of Origin divided viewers on Wednesday.
The 2024 Australian Idol winner delivered a stripped-down, guitar-based rendition of Advance Australia Fair to a packed house at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Following the performance, Peter argued that the anthem should be changed after one viewer slammed the singer’s interpretation of the song.
‘I thought the rendition of our National Anthem was awful. Why not just stick to what it’s meant to sound like?’ the user wrote on X.
Peter reposted the comment and said: ‘Either that, or get a decent anthem to work with, and there can only be one choice: I am, you are, we are Australian.’
Other viewers also took umbrage with the singer’s ‘diabolical’, ‘hipster’ interpretation of the anthem written by Scottish-born Australian composer Peter Dodds.
However, other stars including Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O Henderson defended Dylan’s ‘remarkable’ performance.
‘That is remarkable. The football crowd will let you know immediately if you are doing the right thing or the wrong thing and they loved it,’ Kyle said on Thursday.
Jackie agreed, adding: ‘I think that guy should sing the anthem at every single event there is.’
Australian Idol singer Ricki-Lee Coulter also praised Peter’s performance on Instagram, writing: ‘Absolutely nailed it!!!!!’
Meanwhile, other viewers also flocked to social media to compliment Dylan’s soulful interpretation.
‘I really enjoyed the version of the Australian anthem,’ wrote one viewer.
‘Can we make that version the official anthem from now on?’ added another.
‘That anthem, though…. I absolutely loved it,’ commented a third alongside a red love heart emoji.
‘Ok I actually like this acoustic version of the anthem,’ added one more.
‘Quite possibly the best rendition of the national anthem I’ve ever heard,’ wrote another.
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