Making it to the finals of the Australian talent show The Voice Kids is a “dream come true” for Chris Lanzon, one of six chosen out of 8,000 children who auditioned. Chris, 14, whose parents are Maltese, did not think he would make it so far.
“Eight thousand kids all around Australia auditioned for the show and only about 100 were selected to do their blind audition,” he told Times of Malta.
“There were a lot of really talented singers. I was very surprised when all three of the coaches chose me at my blind audition. Now I’m in the final six and it is like a dream come true.”
The Voice Kids premiered in June and features former Spice Girls singer Mel B, twins Joel and Benji Madden – lead vocalist and lead guitarist in the band Good Charlotte – and singer-songwriter Delta Goodrem as coaches.
The show is part of The Voice franchise and began with auditions where the judges listen to singers with their backs turned and decide whether they want to coach them throughout the duration of their performance.
The Maltese are familiar with the Italian version of The Voice, which this year was won by Sister Cristina Scuccia, the Ursuline nun who took the coaches by surprise when she sung Alicia Keys’s No One during the blind audition.
Chris decided to apply in October as he had enjoyed watching previous seasons of the adult show. With this being the debut of The Voice Kids he thought he “might as well give it a go”.
The upcoming episode, on Sunday, is the final. All the shows are pre-recorded and, during this episode, the coaches will choose their top three performers and then open live public voting to choose the overall winner.
Chris’s father, Peter Lanzon, who was born in Malta and moved to Australia when he was seven, and mother Ingrid German, who emigrated 20 years ago, are excited and proud of his “amazing opportunity”.
“Chris started busking at a very young age and is very used to performing in public. He is very confident on stage, although he had never performed to such a large audience before and we’re sure he was a bit nervous.
“We were excited to see him on stage, under the bright lights and backed by such an amazing band, excited and proud but not anxious.”
Although initially a bit apprehensive of the commitment, Chris’s headmaster was also supportive and the show’s producers tried to slot in most of the recording and rehearsing during term breaks. Mr Lanzon’s boss also allowed him a flexible schedule.