The third episode of The Voice Australia for 2022 really has a bit of everything - drama, emotion, tears and a pet support snake!
But we’ll get to that bit later, okay?
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Voice singer’s statement of self-belief wows coaches
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We’re up to the third lot of Blind Auditions and the first person to step up to the plate is 27-year-old Victorian singer Emily-Jane Conidi.
She performs a powerful, life-affirming rendition of Keala Settle’s This Is Me, managing to turn all four chairs.
When Jess Mauboy asks who she is singing the song to, Emily-Jane doesn’t mince words, saying it was an “up-yours moment” to anyone who had ever bullied her or put her down.
Before her performance, Emily-Jane says she’s auditioning “to prove everyone wrong who’s said, ‘You’re too fat, you’re too ugly, you’ll never make it’.”
This is a song about Emily-Jane loving herself just as she is, for who she is, and damn the haters.
It’s an immensely empowering thing, this deep-rooted sense of self-belief, and all four coaches can feel it.
But Emily-Jane singles out Jess Mauboy as the coach she wants, and Jess is ecstatic.
“I deserve to be heard,” Emily-Jane says.
She sure does!
An episode of The Voice wouldn’t be an episode of The Voice without some tears, and this time they flow after 26-year-old Sydney singer Aleisha Gam sings a beautiful version of Adele’s Make You Feel My Love.
Aleisha’s mum has been undergoing treatment for oesophageal cancer for the past two years and Aleisha sings the song as a message to her.
After the song, Rita shares the difficulty of her own mother going through cancer, admitting it’s not something she talks about much in public.
The tears flow - from Rita, from Aleisha, in the audience, and from Aleisha’s mum, who is standing on the sidelines watching her daughter enchant the coaches.
She goes with Rita, clearly feeling an affinity, and Rita promises to help her bring deeply-felt emotion to every song she sings.
It’s a lovely moment.
One contestant who doesn’t get through, but really impresses the judges, is 24-year-old Sydney singer Jerrod Smith, who performs She Looks So Perfect by 5 Seconds of Summer.
He’s good, but not quite at the level the judges want.
They’re talking to him about what he needs to do to take it to the next level when Rita realises that one of Jerrod’s friends is standing on the sidelines, holding a snake.
It’s a beautiful black and yellow snake called Milly, and it happens to be Jerrod’s pet - an emotional support snake.
Rita is obsessed and decides she must have a moment with Milly.
Now, normally I am a bit fearful of snakes, but I must agree with Rita - this is such a pretty looking snake that I think I’d be running over for a bit of a cuddle too.
After 22-year-old WA-based surfer and lifeguard Sam McGovern performs a soulful version of U2’s Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Jess says he reminds her of an actor from The Blue Lagoon, with his corkscrew blonde curls, bare feet and startling blue eyes.
He has a unique voice and a very chilled, grounded presence, and both Keith and Jess turn their chairs.
But when Sam reveals that the first CD he ever owned as a kid was by Keith Urban, the die is cast.
He’s on Team Keith.
And while we’re speaking of Keith ....
The final artist to audition is 32-year-old Kiwi country singer Kaylee Bell.
She loves Keith Urban so much that she wrote her own song about him, and she decides to perform it as her audition piece.
So, yep, she’s singing about Keith, to Keith (oh, and Jess, Guy and Rita), but really it’s evident that her dream would be to work with one of her musical heroes as a coach.
All four chairs turn - Kaylee is fantastic, so talented, a natural performer with a wonderful voice, but everyone kinda knows she’ll choose Keith.
Until...
Jess Mauboy begins an impassioned pitch, and then she does the most unspeakable thing to date on The Voice: She ‘blocks’ Keith from having Kaylee on his team.
I am dumbfounded and the audience is SCREAMING. Whatt????? I get that Jess is competitive, but this is so unexpected!
In the video below, Jess Mauboy pulls bold move against Keith Urban
Jess Mauboy's bold move towards Keith Urban.
Jess Mauboy's bold move towards Keith Urban.
Keith looks stunned and shocked and a little bit angry (well, a lot angry - her calls her “Judas” after her bold move).
Kaylee, too, looks a little crestfallen, but she is gracious and, clearly recognising how much Jess wants her on her team, she goes with her as her coach.
I am shouting at the screen: THIS IS NOT COOL!!!
I am sure Jess will be a fabulous coach, but honestly, watching Kaylee and Keith work together would have been a dream.
Keith settles down slightly at the show’s end, but the last thing he says to Jess shows he’s still hurting.
“You’re uninvited to the barbie on Sunday,” he says.
OUCH.
Watch the unmissable new season of The Voice on Channel 7 and 7plus.
