Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Show helps contestants find a voice
‘The Voice South Africa’ allows some of the country’s best talent to break into the music industry
SAMANTHA Leonard is excited to be working with her idol, Karen Zoid.
Last Sunday the brunette from Kimberley wowed South Africans with a powerful performance on The Voice South Africa and scored four chair turns in the TV show’s blind auditions.
“Unbelievable performance, unbelievable vocal range‚ unbelievable everything,” Zoid told the 24-year-old singer after her rendition of Jessie J‚ Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s hit Bang Bang.
Leonard moved to Cape Town at 18 after she matriculated.
She studied at the Campus of Performing Arts ( Copa) where she studied music and performance.
This is where her break into the music industry began.
“Towards the end of my first year at Copa, I entered the Upstage Singing Competition, which I won.
“That is when The Barnyard Theatre noticed me and I was part of their shows for a year and a half. Every two months we would tour the country.”
But Leonard is certain everything up to that point was preparing her for her blind audition on The Voice SA.
“I was so lucky all four coaches turned for me. But I had my heart set to be on Karen Zoid’s team right from the beginning. I can relate to her life story, she shares so much of herself with you.
“She is the perfect person for me to learn from about being an artist and we have a similar style,” she said.
Leonard worked with another successful contestant, Bryce MacMillan and the two shot a video.
Leonard took to Instagram last week to post an image of the two with the caption: “A little sneak-peak behind the scenes of a video we shot today.
“Can’t wait to share it with all of you.” THE south of Joburg has been marred by negative stories recently, from xenophobic attacks to drugs and child prostitution.
But a glimmer, with a soulful voice, has emerged from these parts of the city to show some of the good and the talent that lurks there.
Bryce MacMillan, 28, secured himself a spot on Lira’s team in the penultimate episode of The Voice South Africa Blind Auditions on Sunday.
“The south is always perceived as a dangerous place, and mostly bad news comes from there. I can get why that is so. But in all areas around the world you can find all the negatives you find in the south,” said MacMillan.
“Much like all other places, the south has a lot of good as well. You can’t knock a place down for what is happening in it. There are still good people in the south, talented people,” he said.
MacMillan is an audio engineer and DJ.
His soulful version of NeYo’s So Sick was good enough for Lira to press her buzzer almost immediately.
MacMillan is always ready to hail his neighbourhood for his success.
“The south groomed me to be the man I am today. Growing up in Townsview, I had a lot of friends and we frequented The Glen shopping centre.”
MacMillan was very big on sport when he was younger. He would meet up with friends at a park to play football. He also played tennis, rugby and cricket, he said.
“I then found my passion for music and started hunting down open mics and karaoke evenings to get some practice within the music industry.”
There is only one round of Blind Auditions to go before the battle rounds commence.
● The Voice South Africa Season 2 is on M-Net Channel 101 every Sunday at 5.30pm.