Lachie Clue
Professional dancer, singer-songwriter and Australian Idol star, Lachie Clue’s life is filled with dance, music … and a surprising amount of footy.
Is it true that football played a role in leading you to dance and music?
My dad and brother were quite serious about footy but I was hopeless. I was part of a team for a couple of years but I wouldn’t say I played, as I’d be doing cartwheels or practicing my turns on the field instead. My mum would be in hysterics watching. But footy has led to so many of my life experiences.
“the story of how I started dance, at age 5, is the most random thing, especially as it’s now my job.”
The story of how I started dance, at age 5, is the most random thing, especially as it’s now my job. My parents were at a footy club event and they won a voucher for dance classes. My brother was a ‘play with trucks and throw mud at people’ kind of kid so they thought they’d see how I would go.
It’s crazy that there’s another coincidence, because I got into singing through footy as well. One day, a game was cancelled, so some people headed to our house. Being the diva I am, I saw that I had a new audience so I grabbed my lyric sheet from school choir and was walking around the house singing. A lady from footy, who we didn’t realise was a singing teacher, started singing too and we were like “OMG, she has the most insane voice”. She said that I had to come to do lessons and I still work with Cheryl to this day.
I believe in fate.
I believe in fate and think that all things happened for a reason but, even without these crazy stories, I think it was inevitable that I’d end up dancing and singing. As a kid, I was always glued to the TV watching the Wiggles, just jamming out. I was obsessed with The Fairies and knew all the lyrics. I’d play dress-ups around the house being camp and putting on a performance for no-one. Music gave me so much joy as a young kid that, either way, I would have found a way there.
Then, one of my first big professional shows as a dancer was with Katy Perry at the AFL Grand Final. Footy is weaving the needle! If I’m ever unsure about what to do in life, I’ll just go hang around a footy field, or I’ll cut up oranges for a tea and something might just drop into my hands.
You made the most of that footy club win! Please tell us about your years at PSD.
I started with jazz and tap for a few years, then I became a bit more obsessive with dance and started ballet with Miss Sandra. There was a kind of snowball effect of accumulating classes until I ended up there seven days a week. By my last year there, in 2023, I was doing all the different genres and styles.
My biggest highlight — not to sound clichéd — is all the friendships I made. The quote “Dance friends are forever friends”is so true. I met all my closest friends through PSD and I still have the support of a group of people I grew up with even though I’m no longer at the school. We are so close and connected from what we built at PSD.
“the quote – “Dance friends are forever friends” is so true.”
In one musical theatre performance, I was Captain Hook and one of my close friends, Skyla, was Smee. I was at her birthday a few weeks ago and wrote on her card: “You’ll always be the Smee to my Captain Hook’.
Concert time was always my favourite and the choreographic competitions really excited me with the chance to create my own routines and share them on stage. We’d have sleep-overs at friends’ houses creating routines with each other.
I did the Dance Step program so was assisting with classes, including Mel’s Open Ballet Class, where she gave me a few opportunities to teach a section of the class. From there I started teaching and, by my final year, I was teaching hip hop.
In my final year at PSD, which was also my Year 12 year, I did VET Dance at PSD. I started doing VCE dance at my high school but I’m glad I switched over as VET was so industry-focussed. A lot of the skills are things that were super helpful when I got to full-time dance and I still use today. There’s a great creative aspect to it, like choreographing a dance together, and we had solos created for us. Liv Gard did a little 80s jazz solo for mine.
Lachie with dance mates at VDF
Lachie as Captain Hook with good mates Skyla as Smee and Pippa as Wendy.
“concert time was always my favourite and the choreographic competitions really excited me.”
You went on to full-time dance at Ministry of Dance, headed by another alumni of the school, Jason Coleman? Was that always a goal of yours?
Full-time was always something I wanted to do and I remember going to Ministry of Dance as a kid for ballet exams and seeing the full timers and thinking: “That’s so cool!”. I’d also done a few classes with Jason Coleman when he came and taught at PSD and he also gave me a scholarship to do a summer school at Ministry when I was aged around 10.
But I also had other plans of going to uni to study business and marketing and, like a pendulum, I swung between the two options. My biggest challenge in life is surrendering to the idea that life is not a ticking time-bomb and to just take on opportunities rather than worrying about whether I’ll have time to do all the things. I’m trying to just do one thing at a time and live more in the moment.
Mel and Sandra were like: “Go audition!”. I want to pay gratitude for that, as they provided encouragement for me to be audacious and chase my dreams. They provided such a world of support.
Mel and Sandra were like: “Go audition!”
Lachie as Willy Wonka
Being offered a scholarship to Ministry of Dance felt like a message from the universe and definitely locked-in my decision to do full-time. I’m super grateful to have received a scholarship.
During my two full-time years (2024 and 2025), I did so many cool things and I achieved a goal by being signed up to the Ministry of Entertainment agency.
I did the 2024 AFL Grand Final with Katy Perry. Liv Gard was there too and we had our big silver disks and pink jumpsuits. I still have mine in the cupboard, so it might be a Halloween costume one day!
Then, I was in a music video for Tones and I’s song Dance With Me, which won an Aria for best music video.
That led to doing a show with Tones and I at Rod Laver Arena.
I was part of the dance ensemble and it was a crazy experience hearing her fans screaming. It was super cool to see how the show was put together and see the band practicing. In one spot, I was right in front of the drum kit and feeling the energy of the band behind me was epic. I loved it.
It was so inspiring to see how Tones and I worked. Even though it was a stadium show, there was a massive catwalk and lots of parts were on that runway, so the audience were right there and you could really connect with them.
A lot of the others were like: “I’d love to be a dancer like this every day” but, for me, the whole time, I was like: “I want to be her. I want to be in the front of that runway with the mic.”
You wanting to sing at a stadium show is the perfect segue into talking about your music. Please share all!
During school, I sang in the school choir and then started lessons with Cheryl Beattie. By high school, I had a few tracks I was working on and had on my Triple J Unearthed profile. I did musical theatre at Ministry and my plan for this year (2026) was a big focus on music.
I auditioned for Australian Idol as I’d kind of always wanted to try the singing-show thing! I saw an ad on Instagram so decided to audition. I made it to the Top 24 so I’ve ticked that off my bucket list! It would have been great to keep going but I’m quite satisfied with what I got out of it.
” I made it to the Top 24 so I’ve ticked that off my bucket list!”
Lachie made the top 24 in Aus Idol season 2026
When I saw that Anastacia, the singer of my audition song, was with the judges, I was like ‘Oh, my god’ and just tried to keep breathing. Then, it was so cool to connect with the other artists. Everyone was so sweet and supportive. I guess I try to bring the values and community of PSD into auditions and other competitive environments.
Everyone was so sweet and supportive.
Idol taught me a lot about subjectiveness and overcoming fear of judgement. It’s inevitable that some people will love what you do and others won’t. That’s the thing with music and art. There’s no right or wrong, it’s just a matter of opinion.
Being on national TV in a million people’s loungerooms and having moments that weren’t so perfect got me over my fear of perfectionism and fear of failure. After a moment of: “The world’s over, my career’s over”, I went to bed, I slept, I woke up, I was still breathing and my coffee still tasted the same. Once you do fail at something, you realise it isn’t that bad.
In terms of my music, Idol helped me strengthen my artistic direction by working out the type of music I want to make and put out into the world. And also the music I don’t want to make. When I was in high school, my approach was very commercial and focussed on radio, thinking about what’s blowing up and what’s trending. But, now, it’s about the story I want to tell and the music I want to make. This way, I’m not fixated on the stream numbers or stats because I’m already satisfied that I’m happy with what I’ve created. Now, I think: “This is so sick, it doesn’t matter if others don’t align with it.”
Idol helped me strengthen my artistic direction.
I write all my songs completely by myself in my bedroom at home. It’s such a therapeutic thing to sit down and write by yourself as there’s no fear of judgement and no limits to what you can say or how deep you can go. I love collaboration as well but, for my own projects, this process works best to get a level of honesty and rawness. There’s such beauty and release in that.
“my first single, Naked, is a track from an upcoming EP called Hindsight.”
“having moments that weren’t so perfect got me over my fear of perfectionism and fear of failure.”
Lachie Clue with Liv above and right at the Katy Perry AFL grand final performance and below with classmates performing Miss Sandra’s famous Tarentella
My first single, Naked, is a track from an EP called Hindsight. I’m an independent artist and have been working this year with a couple of producers from Mount Eliza called Magic Mountain Records. I’m obsessed with Naked and am super proud of it.
I’ve performed the new tracks at some acoustic gigs and I had organised a band for a bunch of shows, but then things came up …
Would those ‘things’ be being offered a contract for a cruise ship?!
I’ve signed a 10 month contract on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship called Spectrum of the Seas. I’ll be in the dance ensemble and am understudy for the lead male role of Marco Polo for a show called Silk Road. I’ll be in Miami, USA, in September 2026 for rehearsals, and then the ship is based in Shanghai.
There are so many different factors that go into whether you get a contract. Everything has to be in perfect alignment and this was one of those times.
My Ministry of Entertainment agent called when I was mid-conversation with my best friend about my decision to close the dance and musical theatre chapter of my life while I focus on music. Literally mid-conversation, my agent rang me!
I did weigh it up, considering whether this was going to be a step forward, or a pause on me achieving some of the other goals I wanted to achieve this year. For a long time, booking a contract was a massive goal of mine and I believe that things fall into your lap for a reason, so sometimes you need to switch things up!
I figured it is another thing on my bucket list and one that’s best to tick off while I’m still young. I also haven’t travelled much so I’ll get to go to a bunch of countries, and get paid doing it! I’m super excited and think it will be really fun.
It seems odd to ask about the future when you’re about to embark on a cruise contract but have you thought about what will happen once you are on dry land again?
Even though I’ll be in the middle of an ocean for most of the next year, having my single and EP released before I go feels like I’m leaving a little piece of me back here at home. Even though I won’t be performing, people can still listen. So that’s cool.
“I’m leaving a little piece of me back here at home.”
Once I’m back from the cruise, I’ll be ready to launch into more music. I’ll be excited to play shows with the live band. I’m planning to write a lot while I’m away, so hopefully I’ll come back and jump in the studio to record new stuff.
Even though you didn’t go to uni to study business and marketing, it seems like you’re learning a lot about these areas through your performance career?
Something I’ve learned is that talent takes up such a small portion of what you do and the rest is all the other stuff. A business mindset is important when you’re reading contracts, working professionally and networking.
Even during full-time dance, you’re working with people every day who will potentially book you once you’ve finished, so being mindful of how you’re presenting yourself and the personal brand you’re putting forward is important in both dance and music. I love talking with different entrepreneurs and I have friends who are guns at marketing and are in the influencer world. Maybe I’ll go study this formally one day but, for now, it’s something I find super fascinating.
What do you love most about PSD?
I describe PSD as a performance school. There’s not a lot of schools that do as many performances, with musicals, mid-year and end-of-year concerts then, in amongst that, we’d be doing performances at community events and industry events like VDF and Masters Choreography.
There’s not a lot of schools that do as many performances as PSD.
In Ovation and Industry, we learned how to write a performance CV and got head-shots taken. There’s not many schools that include that. We also had so many great workshops with teachers who are big in the industry, like Mike Snell, Hara Papoulias, Romy Vuksan (who is currently on Broadway as Dance Captain of & Juliet), and Scott and Tim from Scimm. Having those connections and exposure to different performance events is a really big thing.
For so many people, PSD has been a home-away-from-home, and a way of escapism. Dance and music are such healing things, especially for young people, where the world is crazy and so much is out of your control.
I want to express my gratitude for how PSD is a safe space where people can be authentically themselves, feel loved, embraced and part of a community. The fact that they’ve been able to preserve and sustain that for 65 years is such a crazy accomplishment.
I want to express my gratitude for how PSD is a safe space where people can be authentically themselves.
2024 trip to USA included classes in LA and dancing again at Disneyland
My family is not from the dance and music worlds at all. PSD is where I grew up and how I discovered who I am. If it wasn’t for being part of that accepting and loving environment, where I felt I could be myself 100 percent of the time, I wouldn’t have gone on to achieve the things I have.
A lot of young people at high school are told that their dreams are unrealistic, so to have teachers support dreams and goals is such a big thing. PSD have embedded this sense of nurturing audacity. No idea was ever too big or too crazy.
All the PSD alumni and their achievements speak to this. The reason so many students have gone onto great things is because they’re not afraid to dream big or chase audacious goals.
Will we see you at the 65th Anniversary Gala?
I will have already set sail ☹ I was so excited about the Gala – I’d planned a full-on shalala singing performance and I had the most gorgeous outfit planned – a full suit and blazer with all these rhinestones on it. Where am I going to wear my rhinestones? Maybe I’ll wear them on the boat!
Lachie, you will be missed at the Gala but we are loving watching every step of your full and joyful life filled with music and dance.
Story by Vivienne Pearson. Vivienne is a freelance writer who writes feature stories for newspapers and magazines, as well as engaging content for business and causes.