M-Net has announced a local version of The Voice for a 2016 premiere. The announcement was made at an event in downtown Sandton today for members of the press and the advertising community.
The competition takes the form of multiple singing battles and live shows, judged by a line-up of four flashy and knowledgeable singing pros. The mentors haven't been announced yet but other details have been confirmed. Specifically the age limit which is non-prescriptive. Anyone above 18 can enter which opens up lots of new possibilities when it comes to the competitors.
People who've missed out on other opportunities can enter. Musicians who haven't been able to pursue a musical career can enter. The show is globally regarded as the series that attracts serious musicians.
The format of the show consists of a three-phase competition. Here's a synopsis in case you haven't seen it:
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 number 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.
The arrival of the show doesn't mean that Idols is going anywhere of course. M-Net has also announced that it's been renewed for a 12th season.
The Voice will air on M-Net exclusively but auditions are open to everyone round the country. Details about the dates, venues and prizes will be released in September.