Tonnes of talent
Australia’s wannabe singers are set to battle it out as The Voice kicks off on the Nine Network. The show’s host Sonia Kruger tells Danielle McGrane what to expect.
Until The Voice came along, Play School was the only TV show where a chair played such an important role. Now, coming into its sixth season on Australian TV, the Nine Network talent show has made its four red chairs almost as famous as the coaches who sit on them, although this year it could be hard to outshine Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland and ’80s pop star Boy George, who have both joined the show. The two superstars will be seated alongside returning coaches Seal and Delta Goodrem in the search for some of the country’s most talented people, and this season their net has been stretched far and wide. “They went a lot wider in terms of the search this year, not just to the capital cities but to regional areas, and I think we’ve got a lot more regional people in there,” the show’s host Sonia Kruger says. “There’s one in particular, his name is Sam and he sings differently from how he speaks. The chemistry between these four musical legends is as much a part of the show as the talented contestants, and Kruger has already seen some sparks flying. She may even find herself working as a referee once the live shows kick off.
Kruger: “There have been a few disagreements about certain things and I just wonder how it’s going to go when the pressure is really on in those live shows.”
He’s really ocker. The coaches think it’s hilarious because he’s like, ‘G’Day mate, stone the crows’, but when he sings he doesn’t sound anything like that. So it’s quite weird.” “There are a couple of moments between George and Seal – now they are both at opposite ends of those chairs so physical distance might have something to do with it – but they have disagreed on a number of things,” she says. But that tension is as much a part of the talent show as the music, and even Kruger is keen to see how it will all go. “The thing is that George is making me equal parts excited and nervous about the live shows,” she says. “I’m just watching this one play out. They’re very polite but there have been a few disagreements about certain things and I just wonder how it’s going to go when the pressure is really on in those live shows.” The coaches have an extra round to play with this year, with the introduction of the knockouts sandwiched between the blind auditions and the battle round. It means more people will go home before the live stages and it gives each coach the opportunity to steal an artist from another coach’s group.
