There’s no doubt The Voice has seen great success in launching the careers of a number of Aussie artists, proving the formula of mentoring by a big act no doubt works for many.
With such a great success rate, The Voice often draws the attention of those who might have had a previous run on reality TV.
Shows like Australian Idol and Australia’s Got Talent are long since gone from our screens, but the talents they unearthed often feel they have more to show and share with the Australian audience.
Here are some of the acts that found a second chance on The Voice.
Jack Vidgen (Australia’s Got Talent, I’m a Celebrity…)
Starting out young, singer Jack Vidgen has had decent runs across three reality TV shows – and he’s only 24.
At 14-years-old, Jack auditioned for Australia’s Got Talent with a rendition of Whitney Houston’s ‘I Have Nothing’ (apparently a popular audition song, see Johnny Manuel below). Judge Brian McFadden was so impressed he ran up on stage after the performance to kiss Vidgen’s cheek.
His stint on the reality show saw him likened to Australia’s Justin Bieber, and gained him international recognition. He took out the win, and was awarded $250,000 in prize money.
WATCH BELOW: Blind Audition: Jack Vidgen – Hello – The Voice Australia 2019. Story continues below.
Unfortunately, social media trolling led Jack to stop singing.
“After winning Australia’s Got Talent there was Facebook pages with death threats… life was hard… I stopped singing five years ago. I think I just burnt out. I just fell out of love with singing,” he told WHO at the time.
He returned to TV, performing on The Voice in 2019 for season eight, where he was coached by Guy Sebastian. He finished as a semi-finalist.
Jack then went on to appear on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me out of Here! in 2020. Although he was the first contestant to be eliminated, the experience kept him in the spotlight, and he is now set to release new music.
Chris Sebastian (Season one of The Voice)
Chris Sebastian took out the winning title on last years’ season of The Voice, however, he had taken a stab once before.
The musician, who had worked in production and song writing in between his seasons on the show, came back for a very successful second chance.
Chris, who is the brother of singer and Voice judge, Guy Sebastian, found his experience on the first season on The Voice really disappointing.
“I really didn’t want to [do the show] … They did a lot of things that they weren’t meant to, like after my performance they played my brother’s song. And the whole point was for me to have my own identity… So, it was a bit of a crappy experience,” he told The Music in 2016.
He is now enjoying a successful music career in the wake of his season nine win, releasing new music regularly.
WATCH BELOW: The Blind Auditions: Lee Harding sings ‘Killing In The Name’ | The Voice Australia 2019. Story continues below.
Lee Harding (Australian Idol)
Known for his coloured hair and eyeliner, Lee Harding made it almost all the way to the final of Australian Idol, placing third in 2005. He signed with Sony BMG not long after, releasing his debut album ‘What’s Wrong with This Picture?’ in 2006. The contract ceased the following year.
Lee returned to TV to join The Voice in 2019, joining Team Boy George after turning the coach’s chair with an explosive performance of Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Killing in the Name’. He made it to the semi-final along with Vidgen.
Natalie Gauci (Australian Idol)
Back in 2007, Natalie Gauci auditioned for Australian Idol with an original song and a rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’. Ian Dickson even told her that he thought she could win the competition – and that she did, with a winning performance of ‘Man in the Mirror’ by Michael Jackson.
Natalie would return to reality TV in 2020 to compete on The Voice, singing Sia’s ‘The Greatest’ at the blind audition.
She didn’t seem to enjoy the experience, saying she believed the show had become ‘soulless and commercialised.’
She was reportedly unhappy with her paycheck and the coaching given to her by Guy Sebastian.
Joe Moore (Australia’s Got Talent)
Runner-up on the 2012 season of Australia’s Got Talent, Joe Moore made his debut on The Voice in 2015 with a cover of Ed Sheeran’s ‘I See Fire’.
He joined The Madden Brothers’ team, and was coached through them all the way to the finale, where he came in second place to Ellie Drennan.
Johnny Manuel (America’s Got Talent)
By the time Johnny Manuel was named runner-up on season nine of The Voice, he was a seasoned reality TV contestant.
Beginning his singing career at age 14, signing with a label and going on to tour with N’SYNC. However, he wasn’t afforded many freedoms when it came to the music he created and performed, leading him to audition for America’s Got Talent in 2017 with ‘I Have Nothing’.
WATCH BELOW: Johnny Blows Everyone Away With Whitney Houston Big Hit | Week 5 | America’s Got Talent 2017. Story continues below.
Johnny moved to Australia to live with his partner, and to perform with friend Hugh Sheridan for the California Crooners Club project.
He joined The Voice for the ninth season, making it all the way to the final with Guy Sebastian as his coach. Unfortunately, Guy’s brother Chris would take out the win.