Australian Idol: Gisella Colletti reaches celebrity status at Corpus Christi as friends rally behind her

Forget Taylor Swift, at Corpus Christi College, Gisella Colletti is the name on everyone’s lips.

The 16-year-old Year 12 student is still in the running to be crowned this year’s Australian Idol but she’s already reached celebrity status at the Bateman school.

Her face adorns the walls of the library and her classmates are her biggest fans, rallying WA to get behind the teenager and vote as she prepares to sing her heart out in the grand finale.

“I’m rallying behind her because she’s one of my closest friends, and she’s incredibly talented, and she works so, so hard. She just really deserves to win,” Zaria Timson, 17, told The West Australian on Tuesday.

Zaria said she and Gisella had been friends since Year 7, and watching Gisella get through to the top three was incredible.

“WA has a much smaller population than everyone else, and for WA to have such an amazing, talented person win would be really amazing and really inspiring,” she said.

Alexander Dempsey has been in a band with Colletti since Year 8 and said it was important for WA to rally behind the singer and vote because not only is she extremely talented, she is also a kind and giving person.

“She’s a good person. She’s very generous. Never heard her say anything mean to anyone,” he said.

“She deserves it because she’s such a good singer. She’s trained really hard since like, she was five.”

Corpus Christi College has tag-lined an online campaign “BringIdolHomeToWA” to support Gisella.

She secured her spot in the grand final after her powerful rendition of Eric Carmen’s All by Myself, dazzling the judges and the audience.

Gisella became the last West Australian left in the series when fellow Perth singer John Van Beek, 19, was eliminated during the final-eight round.

Gisella will sing in the grand final against New South Wales’ Lilysh Retallick, 17, and the Sunshine Coast’s Marshall Hamburger, 19.

The two-part finale will be held on Sunday and Monday.

If Gisella takes out this year’s title, she will be the first West Australian to be crowned the Australian Idol.