The blind auditions, knockouts and battles are over. Bring on the live shows for The Voice! Here are the contestants coaches Delta Goodrem, Boy George, Joe Jonas and Kelly Rowland have chosen to go straight to the live competition and the four artists waiting for the public to vote one in as the thirteenth entrant.
TEAM DELTA:
Ben Clark, VIC
Age: 33
Knockout Song: ‘Bring Him Home’ (Les Miserables)
Battle song: ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’ (Foreigner)
The father of two and former member of opera singing group The Ten Tenors says he has a lot to prove. “My daughter Ivy is two and a half, and my son Owen turned one last week [and there’s] my wife Caitlin – we’re a happy tribe at home,” Ben says. “The most difficult thing about this work is being taken away from family and friends. But fortunately, a lot of the music I’ve been singing on the show, I’ve been able to use that emotion in my performances.”
Nathan Brake, NSW—WILDCARD
Age: 26
Knockout song: ‘Part of Me’ (Katy Perry)
Battle Song: ‘I Want To Know What Love Is’ (Foreigner)
His sensational battle with Ben scored him an elusive wildcard entry from Delta. But even without it, the ex-Australian Idol contestant fulfilled a dream when his partner Mitchell accepted his marriage proposal at the Blind Auditions. “He just gives me endless love and support,” Nathan says. “I couldn’t be more grateful for him.” After being a few knockbacks in his music career, he adds, “I feel like at this stage in my life, I know who to have around me. I choose the people and the energies where they only lift me up, they don’t bring me down. It’s been a journey to discover that. Most people go through that one way or another. For me it came through having to go out into the world on my own, experience what it’s like to be manipulated in the industry. I’ve learnt some lessons along the way and now I’m applying those lessons in life.”
Jacinta Gulisano, NSW
Age: 24
Knockout song: ‘What About Us’ (P!nk)
Battle song: ‘How Will I Know’ (Whitney Houston)
Jacinta might look like she’s got it all together but the former X Factor contestant—she was placed as part of a girl group in 2013’s season—has put a deadline on whether she should continue to pursue a professional singing career or study teaching at university. “I was almost going to give up,” says Jacinta, whose last self-funded trip to Los Angeles cost $10,000 but turned up little more than a few contacts. “I feel like still trying to break it at 24, it’s hit or miss,” she says. “It’s either going to happen or not.”
Trent Bell, QLD
Age: 27
Knockout song: ‘I See Fire’ (Ed Sheeran)
Battle song: ‘There’s Nothing Holding Me Back’ (Shawn Mendes)
Every season, Delta declares she has a rock star, and this year, it’s Queenslander Trent Bell. And before you ask, no, he’s not single. “I’ve been with my girlfriend for five years,” says the singer. No stranger to the spotlight, Trent was part of the X-Factor generated boy band The Collective in 2012, which had a hit with “Surrender.” Yet when the group dissolved in 2015, “I just didn’t see it coming,” Trent says. “I should’ve been real about it and planning the next 10 years, but when everything’s up here and it suddenly just ends, it takes a toll on you, a massive toll when you’ve worked years to get there.” Now, with Delta’s help, he’s moved on to the live shows. “It’s pretty hard for me to bring myself down—I’m still shaking,” he says of his battle victory. “On stage I get this massive adrenaline rush every time I sing.”
TEAM GEORGE:
Sheldon Riley, QLD
Age: 18
Knockout song: ‘Believe’ (Cher)
Battle song: ‘Diamonds’ (Rihanna)
George recognised a kindred spirit in fellow “drama queen” Sheldon, who recently relocated from Queensland to Sydney to overcome the bullying he experienced as a child and take solace in his music. But on The Voice, Sheldon also found a kindred spirit in his teammate and now wildcard, Mikayla. “I met her during the blind auditions and I knew there was something about her,” he says. “She’s a fighter. When we did get put up against each other at the battles, it was hard. I didn’t want to potentially beat someone I was here to inspire—she’s my audience. As much as people think I’m just here for “the gays’, it’s not that—I’m here for people who don’t feel like they belong.”
Mikayla Jade, SA—WILDCARD
Age: 18
Knockout song: ‘Nobody Knows’ (P!nk)
Battle song: ‘Diamonds’ (Rihanna)
Mikayla says she was viciously bullied throughout her schooling but is now determined to use her experience to help others. “That’s the main reason I came on the show,” she explains. “I want to empower other girls, boys, and women … I want to help people with my music, and if my story can do that, then I’m going to go for it.” An added surprise for Mikalya—the life experience involved in filming The Voice. “I came here for six days alone—I’ve never travelled alone in my life,” she says. “It’s been good for my confidence and to get the sense that I’m an adult now. I have to be able to look after myself. I’ve already grown up so much from being on the show.”
Luke Anthony, NSW
Age: 27
Knockout song: ‘Love Is A Losing Game’ (Amy Winehouse)
Battle song: ‘Aint Nobody’ (Chaka Khan)
Luke has auditioned for other singing shows over the years, but never got anywhere. This time, the professional singer says accepting his sexuality, and being totally open about it, has helped him crack it. “I didn’t come out till I was about 24, and a lot of my stabs at reality TV had been before that, when I had all these secrets,” he explains. “Getting to a point of self-acceptance isn’t that easy when you’re conditioned to believe something that isn’t your truth.” In fact, Luke adds, “Now there’s a vulnerability that shines through. When I sing a song now, there’s so much more life behind it.”
Chang Po Ching, QLD
Age: 26
Knockout song: ‘Try A Little Tenderness’ (Otis Redding)
Battle song: ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ (The Beatles)
He might have been born with sight in only one eye, but the big-hearted Chang, a married dad to two kids who also works with troubled kids at Brisbane’s Juvenile Detention Centre, has taken the long view on life. “Growing up for me was really hard, but for me to come out of it and be where I’m at now is an example of what I call body modification/heart purification,” he says. “Let your inner self drive you, rather than what you see in the mirror.”
TEAM JOE:
Sally Skelton, QLD
Age: 19
Knockout song: ‘Skyscraper’ (Demi Lovato)
Battle song: ‘The Chain’ (Fleetwood Mac)
Fans rejoiced when 19-year-old Sally returned for another shot at The Voice. The Queensland teen, who lost out on a finals berth last year to rumoured one-time boyfriend Bojesse Pigram, has consistently wowed the coaches from her four-chair turn and standing ovation in the Blind Auditions. She’s now ready for the hard work to really begin. “It’s a big leap to take, to go back again, and to get back to where you want to be—it’s a weird feeling,” she says. “This is new territory for me because I flew home this time last year, like, the day after!”
Homegrown, QLD—WILDCARD
Ages: Kasey (15), Katelyn (20), Liam (18)
Knockout song: ‘Sweet Creature’ (Harry Styles)
Battle song: ‘The Chain’ (Fleetwood Mac)
The O’Donoughue siblings grew up on a cattle station in Far North Queensland where they developed a love of music, and their sweet country sound, as a unit. “With any brother and sister team you have bickering,” says Katelyn. “We have the occasional fight, but we always get through it. It’s nice that we get to experience this as a family.” As for coach Joe surprising them with a wildcard bid, she says, “It was a bit insane. We thought it was time to go home, power-walking out, and then he yelled out ‘Homegrown!’ It was really cool.”
Aydan Calafiore. VIC
Age: 17
Knockout song: ‘Side to Side’ (Ariana Grande Ft. Nick Minaji)
Battle song: ‘Uptown Funk’ (Mark Ronson Ft Bruno Mars)
Although Aydan is a returning contestant on The Voice, he remains one of the youngest singers to compete and was once also cast as the youngest member of the rebooted Young Talent Time when he was just 11. Now focused on a professional career, “I dropped out of Year 12 this year because school was never the place for me,” he says. “I knew I couldn’t do Year 12 and music, so I decided to go with my gut and take a leap of faith into music.”
Ben Sekali, NSW
Age: 24
Knockout song: ‘I Want You Back’ (Jackson 5)
Battle song: ‘One Last Song’ (Sam Smith)
Ben, a youth worker with indigenous and foster care kids, had long thought his pursuit of a singing career was a different passion. “Music is my bread and butter and the youth work is separate to that,” he says. “But eventually I just thought, ‘If I can do it, they can do it, and if they see that on TV, it could be a mad future for them too.’”
TEAM KELLY:
Sam Perry, WA
Age: 28
Knockout Song: ‘Survivor’ (Destiny’s Child)
Battle Song: ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ (The Rolling Stones)
He was always going to be a controversial inclusion in the competition. But international DJ and ‘loop artist’ Sam is eager to prove he belongs. “It’s all fun and games until Boy George gets hurt,” Sam says with a laugh. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I’ve never been in music to compete or try to be better than anyone. I still don’t see this as a competition. I’ve come here to just perform and do my best.” Sam originally learnt his craft at school, mimicking sounds in the classroom, which was alternately viewed as cool and unusual. “I’m a bit of an introvert,” he concedes. “I never used to fit in, but now I love not fitting in.”
0AP D’Antonio, SA—WILDCARD
Age: 35
Knockout song: ‘Across the Universe’ (The Beatles)
Battle Song: ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ (The Rolling Stones)
AP, a professional indie blues and roots musician, has been singing and playing guitar since he was 10. Now married and raising a family, AP says his Voice journey is all about making 8-year-old Adelaide proud. “I want my daughter to know that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve what you want to achieve,” he says. “If I think about my daughter when I sing an emotional song, I’m liable to tear up.”
Bella Paige, VIC
Age: 16
1Knockout song: ‘It Will Rain’ (Bruno Mars)
Battle Song: ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ (Demi Lovato)
Not only did Bella come in second on The Voice Kids, she also represented Australia in Junior Eurovision in 2015, singing a song written by coach Delta. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing— in 2014, Bella’s parents got divorced and she hasn’t seen her dad in more than three years. “That’s why I think being on The Voice is so incredible,” she says. “[It] allows me to leave everything in the past and move forward. I want to be a voice for others. I know I’m not the only one that’s gone through challenges.”
Brock Ashby, NSW
Age: 24
Knockout song: ‘Million Reasons’ (Lady Gaga)
Battle Song: ‘Waves’ (Dean Lewis)
2Brock, a ‘body transformation coach,’ revealed on the show that his first time singing in public was at his mother’s funeral when he was 12. “My family pushed me to sing it at the funeral and I’m glad I did because it proves to me the power of music and song and expressing yourself,” Brock says. “Every performance is to make her proud, and it’s as if she was listening to me sing for the first time.” Since then, he has channeled his grief into writing music with the guitar his father handed to him when he was 11. “For me,” he says, “music is a release.” —with reporting by Alana Wulff
See the contestants in action when ‘The Voice’ live rounds start Sun., May 20 at 7 PM on Nine and read more about the show in WHO.
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