Meet The Voice SA coaches

Much to the vein of the American show, coaches seem to specialise in specific music genres – but that does not mean they don’t have a wealth of
experience.

The four mentors are music goddess Lira, Kahn Morbee from The Parlotones, queen of the SA rock scene Karen Zoid and Afrikaans pop crooner Bobby van Jaarsveld. Van jaarsveld is following in the footsteps of his sister Karlien van Jaarsveld (who recently won the latest instalment of Strictly Come Dancing on SABC 3) to become part of a reality TV show.

Lira has been one of few South African artists who managed to carve a name for herself across the globe. She’s respected worldwide for her ever evolving fusion of jazz, RnB and soul. Her inclusion opens the door for music styles that are often overlooked for more pop sounds in singing  competitions like these.

Zoid is one of the most established artists in South Africa and has worked with any South African artists still performing today. From PJ Powers to
Zolani Mahola, she has collaborated with immense talent through the years. Her lyrical approach has ensured she was a chosen artist at
presidential inaugurations for former president Thabo Mbeki as well as President Jacob Zuma.

Morbee needs no introduction. He is the frontman for The Parlotones, one of South Africa’s most successful groups, backed with staggering album sales and tours all over the globe.

The four will be coaches on The Voice South Africa and mentor talent as they battle it out week after week for that coveted top spot. The blind auditions, where the coaches will sit with their backs to hopefuls, and where these hopefuls get judged solely on their vocal abilities will start next month.

The Voice consists of three phases: Once the best singers are identified at the countrywide open auditions, they go through to the Blind Audition phase, where four coaches – all professional recording artists in their own right – listen to them sing without actually seeing them. If a coach is interested in a singer, they push a button that swivels their chair around to face the contestant.

If more than one coach turns their chair, the contestant has the opportunity to pick which coach they’d prefer to work with. Once all of the
coaches have a set amount of singers in their teams, the show moves onto the Battle Rounds, where each coach pairs two of their contestants up to perform together, and then chooses only one to go through to the next round.

The last phase is the Live Shows, where the remaining contestants sing for the public’s votes, until one singer is officially named the winner of The Voice South Africa.

To enter you need to be over 18 and a South African citizen.

The Voice South Africa will hit our screens in 2016 and will be screened exclusively on M-Net, channel 101 on DStv.

Auditions take place:
Cape Town – Newlands Stadium on 17 and 18 October
Durban – Kings Park Rugby Stadium on 25 and 26 October
Johannesburg – Mark’s Park on 31 October and 1 November