The Voice Australia 2026 has come to an end, with this year’s winner making history in more ways than one.
Yung Milla has been crowned as the winner of The Voice, earning $100,000 in prize money and an all-inclusive recording development package, including recording, mixing, production, mastering and access to Australia’s leading A&R (Artists and Repertoire) and label services.
The Marranunggu hip-hop artist from Darwin is also the first rapper and Indigenous Australian to win The Voice Australia.
“I think you being on this show has changed what The Voice means,” his coach Melanie C said. “Historically, we’ve always thought of a big singer, but it’s about having a voice and using it very powerfully.”
And that he did. From his Blind Audition through to his ground-breaking semi-final performance of Land Down Under and show-stopping Grand Finale (where he sang a rendition of Tupac’s Changes), Yung Milla has set out to share not only his story, but the story of his people, his struggles, and life in the Northern Territory.
“I actually did not expect it,” Yung Milla told WHO. “Coming into The Voice at the start, all I wanted to do was tell not only my story but everybody back home; share the struggles, help other people if they resonate with it, and that was the main goal.
“But as I progressed further in the stages, I started to want to win more. I wanted to bring that trophy home, and yeah, we did it. It happened last night!”
While Yung Milla’s win has sparked plenty of excitement from fans, some viewers still have their gripes with the result. Or, more specifically, the genre that earned him the title.
Yung Milla spoke about just how powerful the rap genre is, particularly for younger generations, and what winning The Voice means to him and his community.
Fans have mixed feelings about Yung Milla’s win
As expected, the reaction to Yung Milla’s win has been anything but unanimous.
Some viewers were disappointed to see The 60Four miss out. One fan called the group “robbed” and questioned whether the voting results were right, while another said they had “lost faith” after seeing other singers sent home.
The biggest point of debate, though, was Yung Milla’s genre.
Some viewers questioned whether rap belonged on a singing competition at all. One particularly unimpressed fan declared it was “the last time I’ll be watching The Voice” because “it’s not a RAP COMPETITION!”
Another argued that Yung Milla was “great in his genre” but said they couldn’t agree with the result because “there’s no singing ability in rap”.
But plenty of fans backed Yung Milla
But plenty of viewers saw it very differently.
There was also plenty of excitement over Yung Milla’s historic win. He became the first rapper to win The Voice, as well as the first Indigenous Australian artist to take out the title.
Others pointed out that the competition is called The Voice, not The Singer. They said Yung Milla deserved his place in the finale just as much as any other contestant.
One fan admitted they weren’t usually into rap but had been won over by Yung Milla’s performances, particularly the meaning behind his lyrics. Another praised him for writing and arranging his own music, saying that originality could help make him a star.
And then there were the viewers who were simply thrilled to see him take the title.
“I think rap has more true meaning than any other genre,” one fan wrote. “I think the right person won.”
Another celebrated the significance of the moment, writing that it was a “big WIN for INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIA!”
Some viewers are still debating whether rap belongs on The Voice. But Yung Milla has sparked a bigger conversation about what the competition is looking for in an artist.
Why Yung Milla believes rap is so powerful
For Yung Milla, rap is about much more than the genre itself. The newly crowned winner wants to use his music to give younger audiences something more positive to connect with.
“I think the younger generation, the youth, they’re so influenced by rap music but they’re influenced in the wrong ways,” he told WHO.
“There’s a lot of violent rap music that is popular these days and I just want to drift them into a different way of, I guess, more positive rap and more rap that they can relate to because it heals you, music heals you.”
For the Darwin artist, that connection also runs deep within his culture.
“We’ve been doing this in my culture for 60,000 years and I’m just making it in a different way and I think it’s the strongest tool to hit the soul,” he added.
For Yung Milla, winning The Voice is about more than taking home the trophy. It’s a chance to bring his story, his culture and his version of rap to an even bigger audience. And if the reaction to his win is anything to go by, Yung Milla has certainly got viewers talking.
Now, with the title officially his, all eyes will be on what he does next.
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