As Australia’s first year of participation in the Karaoke World Championships, the excitement grew as the search continued to find our first KWC representative. Our inaugural champion would be travelling to the other side of the world to compete against singers from around the world.

Incorporated into the highly successful Wintersun National Karaoke Idol Challenge, the Australian Grand Final, featuring finalists from 9 different states, was held during the Wintersun Festival on Saturday, 11th June, 2005. Singers from around the country performed songs from the 50s & 60s in keeping with the Wintersun theme. They dressed to impress and a great time was had by all.

Our first national Karaoke World Champion was Kelee Buswell from Bunbury, WA. Kelee recorded her winning song, ‘You’re My World’ for the 2006 edition of the annual Wintersun CD and performed alongside ‘The Drifters’, Ross Wilson & Digger Revell at the final Wintersun concert the following Monday. Six weeks later, she was jetting off to Heinola, Finland for the international finals.

After arriving in Helsinki, Kelee, still with her cheer squad in tow, made her way to Heinola, a small, quaint Finnish town approx. 1 1/2 hours away. It was at the Heinola Summer Theatre that the 3rd annual Karaoke World Championships were taking place. Singers from around the world converged on the small town to compete, including Elsie Ratima who had travelled all of the way from New Zealand.

After 3 days and 4 rounds, Kelee had made it through to the top 5 singers in the world. After the 5th and final round, Kelee was announced in 5th place, doing herself and her country proud in their first KWC competition.

Shortly after, the organisers of the Thailand Karaoke World Championships trials extended an invitation to the top 5 male & female winners of KWC 2005 to perform in the ‘KWC Lights Up The Night In Bangkok’ tsunami fundraising concert – an event that would be attended by the Princess of Thailand and the proceeds of which would go towards the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. Kelee graciously accepted her invitation and soon found herself on her way to Bangkok, Thailand. The black tie event was held at the Shangri-La in December, 2005 and was televised to audiences throughout Thailand on the eve of the 1st anniversary of the tsunami.

In 2006, the Karaoke World Championships Australian Trials branched out into its own event, giving singers the opportunity to perform songs from any genre.