At 40 years of age, Andrew Wishart realises that The X-Factor may be his final chance to make it in the music business.

“This is my last crack at it. I’m 20 and a little bit,” he says with a wink, “and I’m at the wrong side of 85 kilos.”

Andrew says he was inspired to audition by his four children – Tully, 14, Levii, 12, Bahlin, 11, and Indiah, 9. “I’m doing it for them,” he says, “it shows my kids to get out there and have a go at it.”

In fact, his children were the ones who suggested he sing Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ at auditions because it was younger and cooler. He only learnt the song the day before but he nailed it, impressing the judges with his soulful rendition. “You have a voice that I could record tomorrow,” Ronan Keating said, “you should be very, very proud of your dad. Absolutely brilliant.”

He says his wife of 15 years, Robbie, is his number one fan. The pair met when they were at school together in Bairnsdale in East Gippsland, Victoria. “We grew up in the same little town. We were always best friends before we got together.” Andrew says he’s been singing for as long as he can remember. “I remember singing along to records when I was younger and mum and dad used to flick the lights on and off to make it look like I was on stage.”

Along with playing in a band with good friends Frank and Rob for nearly two decades, he once came close once to securing a publishing contract. “I did do some recordings but nothing ever came out of it. I’m 15 years older than the nearest competitor. I’ve done the hard yards and a lot of gigs.”

In terms of weakness, he says it may be his “image.” “Not that I’d change anything about myself. And a little bit of self-doubt.”

Andrew, who now lives in Seaford, Victoria, works as a sales manager for hot nut vending machine company, Cupa Nutz. But his dream is to carve a career out of music. “How many people can actually say they love that they do for a living? I want to tell that nagging voice in the back of my head that I can actually do this for a living.”