Eurovision – Australia Decides artist Erica Padilla hits the right notes on Netflix's Building the Band

Erica Padilla during her solo performance during the Booth stage of the competition

Eurovision – Australia Decides own Erica Padilla makes a splash on Netflix's new music talent series Building the Band.

What is Building the Band?

Building the Band is a new American reality television singing competition that premiered on Netflix on July 9, 2025. The show brings together 50 aspiring musical artists who are tasked with forming six groups through a carefully curated selection process. As the competition progresses, groups face elimination rounds until one standout group emerges victorious, walking away with a grand prize of $500,000.

The series is hosted by AJ McLean, best known as a member of the iconic pop group the Backstreet Boys. McLean brings his seasoned stage presence and charisma to the role, guiding both contestants and viewers through the competition’s highs and lows.

Joining McLean on the show’s judging panel are three music industry powerhouses: the late Liam Payne of One Direction, Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child, and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls. Each judge brings a unique perspective and wealth of experience to the table, offering mentorship and critiques as the contestants work to form cohesive, high-performing groups. Together, they help shape the journey of these rising stars as they aim for the ultimate title.

Who is Erica Padilla?

Filipino-Australian singer-songwriter Erica Padilla rose to fame in 2022 when she was selected as the 11th artist to compete at Australia's own Eurovision national final Eurovision - Australia Decides with a chance to represent Australia at Eurovision in Turin, Italy.

The Melbourne-based TikTok star began singing at a young age, performing at street festivals and with the MiGen Juniors, an organisation that supports young vocalists in building confidence and stage experience. She later appeared on The Voice Australia, where, despite not turning a chair, she earned praise from the coaches and a warm reception from the audience.

At Eurovision - Australia Decides she earned her spot in the competition as the TikTok wildcard, where she got to sing her own song To The Bottom, which she co-wrote with her friend Ally Eley and sister Isabella. Padilla went on to finish in 9th place after some stiff competition going up against household Aussie artists.

In 2023 Padilla joined Australian Idol, where her TikTok viral rendition of River by Bishop Briggs earned praise from judge Meghan Trainor. The same year she made her live show debut in Melbourne, Erica Padilla - Live in Concert.

The young talent has released several singles and even dropped her debut EP somewhere near the end just this year.

**Article contains spoilers from here**

The Booths and First Looks

In the Booths stage of Building the Band, contestants audition without being seen. Each artist performs while the others listen from separate booths. If someone likes what they hear, they press a button to form a connection, opening the door to potentially forming a band together.

Erica Padilla performed a confident cover of Normani’s 2019 hit Motivation, impressing fellow contestants Autumn, Jenna D, and Noriella. After connecting during the booth phase, the four decided to form a girl group.

Their first challenge as a band was to perform Jason Derulo’s Want to Want Me, marking the moment they saw each other face-to-face for the first time.

The group then had just 24 hours to rehearse Love Yourself by Justin Bieber, which they performed for judge Nicole Scherzinger, presenting themselves as a newly formed band for the first time.

The Showcases

The next stage was rehearsals for the Showcases, where the bands perform live on stage together for the first time.

Padilla's group chose the name Siren Society and brought plenty of energy with their performance of The Pussycat Dolls’ hit Don't Cha, complete with sass and sharp choreography.

Despite their strong showing, Siren Society ended up in the bottom two, alongside Midnight 'Til Morning, after the audience vote. One of them will be eliminated, with the judges making the final call. But the result was left on a cliffhanger, to be revealed in the next batch of episodes.

Aussies taking over the show

Padilla isn’t the only Aussie in the competition. Two Australian artists, Mason Watts from Toowoomba and Conor Smith from the NSW Central Coast, are members of the boy band Midnight 'Til Morning.

Watts, a 2023 national finalist in TikTok’s Gimme The Mic, has already seen chart success. His remix of To the Moon and Back topped the ARIA Club Chart, earned over a million TikTok views, and reached No. 25 on TikTok Australia’s Rising Star Chart.

His debut EP The Afterlove was released through City Pop Records, home to Eurovision 2023’s Andrew Lambrou and pop artists JXN and Mia Rodriguez. Recently, Watts has collaborated with top Swedish producers Anton Engdahl and Kristin Carpenter (credits include Khalid, Jisoo, and Alan Walker). His latest project, the Space EP, came out in May, featuring Growing Pains, a track written in Stockholm during what he called “a quarter-life crisis.”

Mason Watts, Erica Padilla and Conor Smith at Netflix's Summer Break Event

Smith is no stranger to the spotlight, first appearing on Australian Idol in 2019 at age 16, joining Guy Sebastian’s team. He returned to the show in 2023 with a cover of MKTO’s Classic.

Next episodes of Building the Band

The next episodes of Building the Band drop on Netflix, Wednesday, July 23. That’s when we’ll finally learn who makes it through, Siren Society or Midnight 'Til Morning, after the episode seven cliffhanger. The upcoming batch, episodes eight through ten, will wrap up the series.

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