I don’t think I have ever watched a full episode of The Voice, one of the many singing talent shows out there now.
But, thanks to YouTube, I can catch all the best parts of not just The Voice from the U.S., but all the different incarnations of the show around the world.
What I love watching is the ‘official’ replays of the blind auditions each of the show does. For those who have never seen it, the judges (usually three or four) sit with their backs to the stage while each singer comes out. For the auditions, each singer does a shortened cover tune. If a judge feels they want to coach that singer as the show continues through the process, they push a button on their desk, the desk turns, and they can now watch the singer for the rest of the performance.
If only one judge turns, it’s simple: They’re the coach. If more than one judge turns, it’s up to the singer to determine who they want as their coach.
I think I mentioned a few weeks ago about the singer on The Voice Australia who did a cover tune of Karma Chameleon in such a different style that Boy George, one of the judges and the original singer, didn’t recognize it for a while.
There are other times where the reactions of the judges are a lot of fun to watch. On an episode of The Voice Kids from Brazil, a 10-year-old named Luna Bandeira sang the Jackson 5 tune I’ll Be There. As she sang, the three judges were looking back and forth at each other, then they exchanged a few hand signals, and all three of them pushed their buttons at the same time.
Luna saw the three chairs turn, brought her hand up to her mouth for a second, but didn’t miss a beat.
On The Voice Britain, a pair of 16-year-old Irish twins sang Chiquitita and only got one judge to turn, but that’s all they needed. When they finished, as usual, all the judges’ chairs turned so they could chat with the singers.
When they introduced themselves as twins, there was shock on some of the judges’ faces, because the two girls did not look at all alike. They admitted they obviously were not identical twins.
One of the judges asked which of them was older. The taller of the two said she was, at which point her sister, with an almost pout-like look on her face, said, “By three minutes”, which with her Irish accent came out as, “By tree minutes.”
One of the judges pointed out the expression on her face and her comments and both girls laughed. What I didn’t hear any of the judges remark on was the older girl’s comment: “The best three minutes of my life.”
It’s little moments like that which keep me coming back to the YouTube channel for The Voice.