Parallax performers chase grand final glory at Australia’s biggest singing competition

THREE of Geelong’s best young voices will take the stage at Australia’s biggest singing competition grand final this weekend.

Talented musicians Audrey Atkinson, Stella Humphries and Julianna Hicks will compete in Take the Mic’s junior musical theatre category.

The trio from Parallax Performing Arts said the stage is their happy place and, after months of preparation, they are ready to sing their hearts out.

Selected in the week before school holidays, the young performers have spent months practising at home alongside lessons with their teacher Fritzie Punsalang.

Audrey and Stella have been students at Parallax for several years and said the school has helped build their confidence as performers.

Julianna joined the school in 2025 and said it has quickly become one of her favourite places to be.

“I come in and I see all these smiling faces and it makes me feel like I’m at home,” Julianna said.

 

“It’s so fun and there are a lot of really nice people here. I feel like I am part of a family.”

During the early rounds of the competition, the girls submitted multiple pieces before being selected for their grand final performances on 26 July.

Audrey will perform Naughty from Matilda, a song she has been refining based on feedback from previous rounds.

The 10-year-old said mastering the English accent has been one of the biggest challenges, with her Australian accent sometimes “popping out”.

“I’m pretty happy with Naughty, because I’ve been working on my accents a lot and I think it’s a really cheeky song that matches my personality,” Audrey said.

For Stella, choosing a song came down to finding one that suited her voice and personality.

She will perform Monster from the Broadway adaptation of Disney’s Frozen.

“We looked at a few different songs, and we were trying to find ones that suit my voice and personality and everything,” the 10-year-old said.

“We submitted two and I did prefer Monster. I would be fine if I did the other one, but they selected Monster, so I was really happy. I just love that song.”

 

Julianna will perform a song from The Lightning Thief, the musical adaptation of the young adult novel Percy Jackson.

She said the upbeat and funky song not only suited her voice but reflected her personality.

While the performers have some nerves, they said excitement outweighs any pressure as they prepare to share their hard work with the judges and audience.

Having each other backstage will also make the experience more enjoyable, they said.

Reflecting on the trio’s achievement, Punsalang said they are deserving of their grand final places.

Dedicated to their craft and eager to learn, she said the students have been a joy to teach.

“I asked them all ‘Why do you want to join this competition’ and all of them said ‘We just love to perform’,” Punsalang said.

“I’m so proud of them. They are such naturally talented kids and they work very hard.”

Take the Mic is Australia’s largest non-televised singing competition and will hold its grand final at Chapel Off Chapel from 24 to 26 July.