Laura Gissara will be remembered by many as the Australian Idol contestant at the centre of vote-rigging allegations.
But she doesn't care, taking the ultimate revenge by releasing her debut single, 1970's Italian hit Ti Amo, through an independent label.
"That time was unfortunate and it's sad, but you become stronger from it and move on," said the 22-year-old Melbourne singer.
"I am proud of this single and not letting anything stop me."
Gissara, who made Idol's top 12 last year, sparked one of the most controversial moments in the program's history.
Following a mediocre performance, Gissara progressed to the next round.
At the same time it emerged her father worked for Telstra, which controls the viewer phone voting system.
The allegations of vote-rigging, which appeared on an unofficial fan website, made national headlines and were denied by her father.
Telstra conducted an internal investigation and the family was cleared of any wrongdoing.
"It was tough," Gissara said.
"My advice to this year's performers is not to crack under pressure like I did."
Gissara says the exposure and experience helped her grow in confidence as a performer.
The harsh public criticism also made her more determined to succeed.
"When you are as persistent and self-driven as I am ... I wasn't going to let one dodgy performance drag me down," she said.
"All artists have bad days and that's just the way it is."
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