A musical competition show based on a quest to find a great singer and turn them into a superstar is not necessarily the most innovative concept that one could come up with in 2016. Not only is it an exhausted idea, it is quite typical and predictable. So in August 2015, when Mnet announced that international reality show, "The Voice", was coming to South Africa, it got many excited at the idea, but a lot also questioned how it would differ from the various singing competition shows that we had seen on our screens before, such as "XFactor" and especially "Idols".
"The Voice" is a reality television singing competition based on the original "The Voice Of Holland". The concept of the series is to find new singing talent (solo or duets) contested by aspiring singers, ages 18 and over, drawn from public auditions. The winner is determined by viewers' votes and the series employs a panel of four coaches who critique the artists' performances. Each coach guides their teams of selected artists through the season. They also compete to ensure that their act wins the competition, thus making them the winning coach. The four coaches on season 1 of "The Voice South Africa" are Lira, Kahn Morbee from The Parlotones, Karen Zoid and Bobby Van Jaardsveld.
Like most viewers, my initial concern when I first saw the coaches was the issue of diversity. Not necessarily in terms of race ( as some would argue) but in terms of taste in music. We have two Afrikaans singers, a punk rock musician and an afro-soul sensation. Are we going to see a narrow choice of Afrikaners, rockers and afro singers? What about RnB, Hip Hop, Jazz, Reggae or even Gospel? Will they have a chance? Well, I am happy to say that the very first episode of the show managed to wipe those doubts out of my mind. Sunday night's contestants took us through a rollercoaster of soothing RnB vocals to edgy punk rock sounds and husky contemporary music. There was diversity in genre and in voice articulation, creating a pleasantly refreshing mood with each performance.
The show opened with a performance of Johnny Clegg's "Spirit of the Great Heart" by the coaches, which they rendered splendidly; reassuring us that they are certainly most qualified for the task at hand. When the first contestant delivered his performance, we immediately knew that the show was serious about talent and nothing less. It was interesting to see Kahn not turning his chair when Marcel Due Almeid sang The Parlotones' "Push Me To The Floor", making me wonder if he really didn't enjoy the performance or he didn't want to seem bias, and if Marcel chose the song in hope that Kahn would be his coach.
The chemistry between the coaches is a thrill to watch and their different personalities bring an exciting element to the production. Karen is easy going and wastes no time in deciding if she likes a voice or not. I think she turned for all the contestants. She is the nicest of them all. Bobby brings a certain cool to the table, like pressing the buzzer with his foot. Lira on the other hand is quite too selective in her choices. She took forever to bag a contestant and had every excuse under the sun to justify herself... "I'm too obvious for her", "I waited until too late", blah blah blah. And Kahn? Well, Kahn just won't turn his damn chair!!! By the end of the episode all the coaches were on two contestants and Kahn was sitting at one.
Lungile Radu makes the perfect presenter for the show, but then again he would probably make a great presenter for any music show. He has the edge, he has the vibe and he most certainly has the experience. He handles those presenting duties like a pro, something we wouldn't say for his co-host, Stacey Norman. For a while she was a no show on screen and then she turned up when we discovered that she is responsible for the backstage interviews as a 'v-reporter'. A first time TV presenter with vast experience in radio. It shows in her skills. She was like a deer in headlights, not quite sure whether to stop or run. She didn't know what to do with her hands or where to look. Her interviews with the contestants were dry and her body gestures make for a rather confusing watch; we don't know if she is coming or going. She makes the whole thing seem painful really.
With all that been said, The Voice South Africa is off to a great start. Very refreshing and entertaining. African television has a tendency of downgrading most international adaptations, so it is amazing to see this show maintain standard. From set design to overall production. "The Voice South Africa" also competes in the same time slot as Mzansi Magic's "Clash of the Choirs", a big contender of the same audience, to which it managed to come out top on ratings according to twitter trends.
"The Voice South Africa" airs on Mnet (channel 101) every Sundays at 1730.
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