Flynn and his elder sister Sarah were raised in Coorparoo in Brisbane's east in a middle-class Catholic family with eclectic musical influences.

He was educated at St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace in Spring Hill, Queensland.

[1] Flynn performed his original composition "The Boy Had Trouble" in his Australian Idol (singing competition) audition in 2006, which landed him a spot in the Top 100.

This came as a shock, as he had not landed in the bottom three before this, and had been widely touted both on the show and in the media as one of the strongest contenders.

Flynn was invited back to the Tuesday night supplement to Idol, where he performed "The Boy Had Trouble".