Lee Harding, a one-time Australian Idol contestant, has returned to the world of music, appearing on The Voice on Sunday night.

Remember Lee Harding’s ‘Wasabi’? If you were around in 2005, then it was absolutely your jam for at least five weeks. If you weren’t, then it’s likely nothing more than a half-formed memory, likely spawned by memes and compilations of throwback clips on YouTube.

In July of 2005, 22-year-old Lee Harding auditioned to be a part of Australian Idol’s third season.

Having performed in a covers band prior to his appearance, the young rocker’s sound and image undoubtedly captured the essence of the era, performing tracks by Good Charlotte, Green Day, and even Limp Bizkit’s version of a George Michael classic on the show.

Following his elimination in November of that year (which saw him finish third), Harding released his debut single, ‘Wasabi’. Hitting #1 on the ARIA charts and staying there for over a month, his debut album, What’s Wrong With This Picture?, reached #3 in 2006 and soon saw him become a rather promising rising star.

However, after supporting the likes of Shannon Noll and INXS, Lee Harding slowly drifted away from the music scene, eventually being dropped by his label. Now, after more than a decade out of the spotlight, he returned to the airwaves thanks to The Voice this evening.

Performing a rousing cover of Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing In The Name’, Lee Harding managed to get all of the judges to turn around, ultimately teaming up with Boy George.

In an interview with 9Honey Celebrity recently, Harding revealed that a musical comeback is undoubtedly a hard road to trek, but one that he was willing to travel.

“It’s definitely a big leap to take, and it’s one of those things where you can say it’s been tried and tested, but didn’t work,” he explained.

“And to an extent I suppose that’s right, but at the end of the day I’m 14 years older, I’m a lot wiser, and it’s completely different to what I was doing the first time around, so it’s exciting for me to be able to do that, and come out as such a different artist to what I was.”

“It’s been 16 years since I started singing, I’ve upgraded my stage thrust a little; I’m still loving it,” Harding also revealed to Who. “My voice has changed. It’s stronger. I changed my genre from pop punk to rock.”

Check out ‘Wasabi’ by Lee Harding:

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