Rocker Dean the talk of Meandarra

The singing sensation may have narrowly missed out to 15-year-old Marlisa Punzalan, but he's still a star in the eyes of his home town, particularly after he made a quick trip home before the big announcement was made.

With X Factor coach Natalie Bassingthwaighte in tow, the cheeky rocker performed four songs last Wednesday at Meandarra's Royal Hotel in front of a fanatical crowd of 500 - five times the town's population.

Royal Hotel manager Emily Jamieson said regardless of the result Dean had already made the town very proud.

"This is a very big thing for the town; it has put us on the map," she said.

While Emily has known Dean since primary school when he was a drummer in his family's band, she said there were many excited teenagers who came out to see him perform.

"He's still exactly the same as he always was," she said.

"But everyone all screamed. There were some girls here that were very excited to see him. They were all taking photos and getting signatures."

Western Downs Regional Councillor Ray Jamieson said it was the biggest crowd since the town celebrated a triple milestone in 2009, which attracted more than 1000 people, also adding that Dean had remained grounded.

"He's always had a sense of humour and that same demeanour he conveys is certainly the way I remember him as a child," he said.

"He's a bit bold with his sense of humour, much like his dad."

Before he performed late afternoon outside the Royal, Dean visited his father and took Natalie for a horse ride on Condarra, a property near Meandarra.