Will this be the year The Voice finally produces a star?
We sit down exclusively with all four coaches to discover whether the television talent show will result in a bonafide popstar or if it will once again only raise the profiles of those in the red chair.
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Created in Holland by the brains behind Big Brother, The Voice Of Holland launched on Dutch TV in 2010. The Voice has since become a global franchise, known for its superstar coaches in those spinning red chairs (from Miley to Kylie, Shakira to Tom Jones).
But there’s one nagging issue with the show: it has never unearthed a global superstar, unlike the Idol and X Factor franchises that have discovered the likes of One Direction, Kelly Clarkson, Little Mix, Carrie Underwood and Adam Lambert.
Most of the winners from the nine seasons of the Australian version – Karise Eden, Harrison Craig, Anja Nissen, Ellie Drennan, Alfie Arcuri, Judah Kelly, Sam Perry, Diana Rouvas and Chris Sebastian – no longer have their major record-label contracts, have drifted out of the public eye or are hustling on an independent level. But this year’s coaches believe there are hopefuls on the 2021 season who could be major stars.
“There are definitely artists this season who will make an imprint in people’s hearts and minds,” Jessica Mauboy tells The Binge Guide.
“There are so many stories that will blow people’s minds. And this show is just what we need right now.”
Rita Ora was impressed with the hunger of the talent discovered.
“It’s really something else,” Ora says.
“And between the coaches, we are focused on their incredible talents and how we can help them take that talent to the next level, giving them any feedback or direction that can make their artistry shine.”
Keith Urban points to artists such as Vera Blue, Prinnie Stevens and Luke Kennedy, who have forged successful careers since the show despite not being crowned winners.
“The Voice is first and foremost a TV show, not a record company,” Urban tells The Binge Guide.
“Part of it is watching the journey from someone coming on as a diamond in the rough, to becoming quite polished by the end. A lot of the show’s appeal is in watching that growth. Whatever they do after that, it really is so much up to them to follow through and make things happen. There are some people who come from The Voice who didn’t necessarily win the show, or they bailed after a few episodes and still go on to have good, solid careers.”
Guy Sebastian says the way the public now consume music has changed since the days of The X Factor and Idol, meaning contestants also have to adapt.
“I don’t see The Voice as different to any other vehicle to discover talent these days,” Sebastian says.
“If you had the stats on every person who’s ever been signed to a major label or been part of a talent-development program or whatever, how many of those will have major hits? There are only a few artists at any time who can do that.
“The Voice is a launching pad,” he continues.
“My career after Idol wasn’t guaranteed after my first album. But it gave me a good start... Everything is just a platform and it’s up to the artist to deliver on it; not everyone is going to win the show.”
Sebastian’s brother Chris was on season one of The Voice in 2012 and returned for the All Stars season last year – which he won, scoring a record deal with EMI. It’s one of the many second-chance stories for which the show is now famous.
“There are layers to what people deem a success,” Guy Sebastian says.
“Is a winner of The Voice winning ARIAs every year for the next five years ‘success’? Why is that the pinnacle? How about all the hundreds of artists who have been on the show who are now doing regular gigs, who have a more active fanbase and are earning a living doing what they love?
“There are so many of those micro-successes that aren’t talked about; careers given to people who didn’t have that before. And there are more people who will have their career boosted by being on the show this year.”
Where are they now? Three success stories from The Voice Australia...
Graace
The 2015 season saw Sydney teen Grace Pitts strike a chord with audiences when she sang a quirky rendition of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’.
She was knocked out in the battle rounds, but went on to make a name for herself on Hayden James’ platinum-selling single ‘Numb’. She now performs under the moniker Graace and is signed to Sony Music Australia.
Karise Eden
The show’s season-one winner went on to record three albums. At one point in 2012, Eden had four songs in the ARIA Top 5, the first artist to achieve that feat since The Beatles in 1964. Despite her success, Eden stepped away from the spotlight to focus on more intimate shows. She is working on a fourth album.
Vera Blue
Born Celia Pavey, she placed third on the show’s 2013 season, mentored by Delta Goodrem. After releasing the obligatory covers album under her own name, she reinvented her folk sound, veered into electronica and became Vera Blue in 2015.
As well as radio airplay, sold-out shows, and festivals here and overseas, she has had over 200 million streams of songs including ‘Settle’ and ‘Mended’, and collaborations with Illy (‘Papercuts’) and Flume (‘Rushing Back’).
The Voice Australia premieres tonight at 7pm on the Seven Network.
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