'Words can't describe how I felt, they really can't,' says 15 year-old Mark Vincent of the moment he was named the latest winner of Australia's Got Talent - joining the likes of Susan Boyle and Paul Potts, who have been made global superstars thanks to the Got Talent format. And not unlike those other famous discoveries, Mark turned out to be the series' real surprise package. When fronted by the fresh-faced teenager the show's judges certainly didn't expect the voice that was about to be unleashed. Fast forward to the grand final and Mark finds himself one of the final two contestants, heart in mouth, standing alongside 12 year-old singer Jal Joshua. 'There was a drum role, and my mind is going at a million miles an hour,' he remembers. '[Host] Grant Denyer says, 'The winner of Australia's Got Talent is Mark Vincent!' Oh my God, my whole body dropped with relief.' But it was a moment that almost didn't happen. A 13-year-old Mark had first auditioned for the 2007 series, immediately impressing the show's producers who promised to call. However, months later Mark and his family still hadn't heard from them. It was only when Mark decided to audition again two years later that he discovered producers had lost his original audition tape. 'They thanked me for coming back!' he recalls with a laugh. 'Really, I'm happy I didn't get in two years ago. Things happen for a reason and maybe I wasn't as ready then.' At age 15, Mark is already a veteran of the industry. His late Grandfather, Bruno Riccio OAM, realised Mark's talent as he sang along to Andrea Boccelli albums at the family's Italian restaurant at age nine. The boy soprano was soon taking singing lessons and before long Bruno was ferrying him to performances at markets, hospitals and charity balls, Mark's repertoire expanding to include swing and musical theatre numbers. Following his AGT triumph, a performance on Sunrise and a live-to-air plea from host David Koch that Mark deserved a record deal, Mark received an invitation to support Northern Irish vocal group, The Priests, at the Sydney Entertainment Centre - a rather daunting venue for a professional live debut. Mark rose to the occasion, and having received an incredible response from the crowd, soon found himself in a studio recording his debut album My Dream - Mio Visione. Under the masterful eye of producer/arranger Chong Lim (John Farnham, Kylie Minogue, David Campbell), the record is an eclectic mix of songs - covering decades and genres and making them all distinctly Mark's. 'He really knows what he's doing,' says Mark of working with Chong. 'He just thinks music.' Kicking off with the timeless 'Nessun Dorma', the album seamlessly takes in theatre favourites and modern classics such as Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' ' complete with a verse in Italian. Mark's rendition of 'My Way' is a revelation. It leaves the listener wondering if he might be a distant relative of Ol' Blue Eyes himself, showing he is every bit as convincing a crooner as he is a tenor. The song has special meaning to Mark as it was his grandfather's favourite, and Bruno asked his grandson to sing it at his funeral, saying the lyrics summed up how he lived his life. The funeral has so far been the only time Mark has performed the song in public. 'When I sang 'My Way' with the orchestra Chong shed a tear,' he admits. An organic interpretation of 'The Prayer' finds Mark giving a startlingly pensive delivery, while his flamenco-tinged take on the Andrew Lloyd-Webber-penned 'No Matter What', a hit for Boyzone, sees him team up with Australia's Got Talent runner-up Jal Joshua. Finally, there is Mark's version of the National Anthem, 'Advance Australia Fair', arranged by Tommy Tycho who was responsible for Julie Anthony's classic version of the much-loved song. 'The Australian Anthem has never been recorded by a guy on a CD before,' Mark says patriotically. Having achieved so many of his dreams, it's inevitable that Mark should dedicate his debut album to his hero - grandfather Bruno. 'He would be so proud,' Mark says. 'I can just imagine his face at the moment; he'd be on top of the world.'

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