Kiwi Trojahn Tuna won a lot of hearts with his impressive debut on X Factor Australia, none more so than judge Iggy Azalea.
After Azalea flirtatiously referred to him as "daddy" while suggesting he "pick her up", Tuna bashfully laughed away on stage without flirting back.
Speaking to Tuna on the phone in Adelaide where he lives, I had to ask - if she were single and he were too, would he want to date her?
"Definitely, bro. I don't think any guy wouldn't be!" he replies emphatically.
Video of Tuna's performance and interaction with Azalea was viewed by a huge online audience, but it wasn't until he stopped singing that he realised she even enjoyed it.
"When I was on stage, her face was pretty straight, so I thought she didn't like it. She didn't show any expression at all. Then when she reacted after it, it was a bit of a shock," he says.
"Then she said I should go pick her up. They didn't show it on TV, but the other judges then all said I should go and pick her up right there. But I thought I better not, I just tried to stay composed."
He'd already been on record saying he'd like to give Azalea a tattoo and says he's a fan of her music - well, some of it.
"I like her, she's got some good songs - but she's got some not so good ones as well."
If there's one thing he could say to Azalea now?
"Probably just... do you wanna hang out?" he laughs.
Tuna says he was a little nervous when he started singing on the show and as such, could have been better, but is still very happy with his performance.
He describes his musical style as soulful R&B with strong reggae influences. His three favourite musicians are Bob Marley, Usher and August Alsina.
Tuna says he grew up with a close family in Waimana of the Bay of Plenty, his mother a singer and his father an artist - passions which shaped him and his siblings.
"We all draw, we all tattoo and we all sing. We have to thank our parents for that, for these gifts that we have," he says.
His parents also spoke Te reo Māori and taught him from an early age, for which he is hugely grateful.
"Especially being in Adelaide, it's difficult to stay speaking Māori, because the Māori population is quite small here. But my brother lives here and we speak it when we can, and I have a couple of other friends who speak it as well."
The 23-year-old is a successful tattoo artist who inked Jennifer Lopez's ex-partner Casper Smart during his visit to Australia with the pop star. But he says he's more eager for a career in music than anything else.
"Ultimately, my biggest passion is singing and making music. That's what I really want to do. Whatever happens in X Factor, I'm going to use it as a stepping-stone, keep doing my own thing and riding the wave, get myself out there and do it enough to make a living."
Tuna's second performance can be viewed on X Factor Australia on TV3 this Saturday from 7pm.
Newshub.
