The Voice quarter-finals finished with a bang, leaving fans both amazed and outraged by the semi-final selections as fan-favourites didn’t make the cut.
The eight artists that will be competing in the semi-finals are Tika Cetinich (VIC) and Tommy Novak (NSW) from Team Richard, Taylor Beadle-Williams (NSW) and Yung Milla (NT) from Team Melanie C, Leyla Sabo (VIC) and The 60Four (SA) from Team Ronan, and Charlotte June (SA) and Daisha Auda (QLD) from Team Kate.
While the pointy end of the competition always brings disappointment, this year, Sporty Spice faced some backlash for her decision, with many fans questioning why Cleo Paladino and Jack Hughes didn’t make the cut.
“Anyone else think Mel made a mistake in who she chose to go on tonight?” one fan wrote online.
“Cleo should be in the finals. It was so bad who Mel picked,” another chimed in.
“Yes, I was surprised she didn’t pick Cleo,” a third replied. “But she made the right choice with Yung Milla. Cleo had better vocals than Taylor.”
Speaking to WHO, Cleo unpacked what it was like to just miss out on the semi-finals, her favourite behind-the-scenes moments from the show, and what being on The Voice meant to her.
Cleo admits ‘a small part of [her] was happy’
Cleo sang ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ for her quarter-finals performance and described her final moments on The Voice as “bittersweet”.
“I would have loved to make it to the final to show off more of what I can do,” she told WHO. “I was upset to leave on a sad song, but Taylor was my biggest competition for sure.
“Melanie C had to choose between two of her powerful female vocalists and of course it would have been the toughest decision for her.”
However, while this may come as a shock to fans, Cleo also admitted that she was “happy” to leave.
“I’m so grateful to have had the experience but in all honesty a small part of me was happy,” she said. “I had my moment, it lit a fire under me and gave me the push I needed to kickstart a career in music and that was my prize!”
She also reminisced on what it was like to have Melanie C as a coach and how close she was with each and every contestant.
“In rehearsals she’d give me a cuddle and tell me how amazing I was before and after I’d sing and I loved those more personal bits,” she revealed. “It really helped with my confidence.”
What being on The Voice meant to Cleo’s family
At the end of her The Voice journey, Cleo spoke about her dad, who has since passed away, and how much being on the show would have meant to him.
‘I grew up watching these competitions on TV with me, my little brother, mum and dad,” she said about her dedication to her dad. “I just kept thinking what he would be saying or feeling if he were to watch me on it.
“He would be showing me off to everyone — doing what any loving father would do.
“Growing up in a stubborn Italian household, being a singer wasn’t exactly encouraged but regardless, dad would have been super impressed. Hearing me sing big was a rare occurrence for my dad, as I was taught to focus on my studies, but this would have definitely loosened him up regarding my career goals haha.”
Cleo’s favourite behind-the-scenes moments
While Cleo’s time on The Voice might be over, she is so grateful for the friendships she made that will carry on.
“I spent so much time backstage with the magnificent, Enza Russo,” she revealed. “We got along like a house on fire.
“I made such great friends with Taylor, Jack, the 60 Four and Yung Milla. We would be together for a lot of the filming and travelling. Everyone was beautiful and I’m so blessed to have met them.”
Alongside these friendships, Cleo had so many favourite moments from competing, a stand-out being when Richard Marx reacted with “Ariana Who?” when she sang ‘God Is A Woman’ by Ariana Grande — her favourite song by her favourite artist.
“I’ve studied her way of singing forever,” she confessed. “And to be able to make her song my own — to which Richard so kindly reacted with “Ariana Who?” — hahaha I was overwhelmed with love and happiness.
“No one can compare to her but I received an incredible amount of hype for this performance.”
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