Ronan Keating: Returning The Voice Australia coach says this year's stars are ‘best I've ever worked with'
In the nine years since he last swivelled his red chair Down Under, the Irishman has enjoyed stints on the UK Kids and Germany's versions of the hit talent show, but insists the industry stars mentoring this season is unparalleled.
Keating first rubbed shoulders with Spice Girl Melanie C 30 years ago, has known global singing icon Richard Marx for two decades as a collaborator, and was quick to recognise the talent of Aussie singer Kate Miller-Heidke upon their recent introductions.
'For me, the bunch this year is by far the best bunch I've ever worked with of all the shows I've done,' he told The Sunday Times.
'The talent, the legendary status, just the fun that we're having as coaches together and the chemistry between us all has been brilliant.'
Asked to place a blanket over the foursome's collection of mastered genres, Keating suggested Marx, Mel and himself were cut from a similar pop-embossed cloth, while Miller-Heidke brought a unique folk flavour that had permeated into the group.
With his career rooted in shared success, and his long-time pals cut from a similar pop-embossed cloth, the singer pondered how the quartet might stack up on tour together, with Miller-Heidke's folk flavour also thrown in the mix.
'I think we could definitely meet somewhere in that kind of pop folk feel, which would be pretty bloody cool,' he said.
'I think we could call ourselves Folk Up.'
Now 48, it's a little frightening to think Keating's solo chart-topping singles When You Say Nothing At All, and If Tomorrow Never Comes, were released in the late 90s and early 2000s.
And if that doesn't make you feel old or nostalgic, it underscores the speed in which emerging stars are forced to grow up amid the music industry's maelstrom of overnight travel, endless touring, and constant media commitments.
A recent documentary aired on Channel 7 highlighted the star's journey from starry-eyed, blonde Dublin teen with charm to international music headliner as a key figure in Boyzone's success.
While image, charisma, and saleability arguably held the same value as talent itself at the turn of the century, the industry veteran hopes Australia's newcomers can strike the right balance.
'It's not just about a great voice. You're looking for character, you're looking for a voice that you could absolutely pick out on the radio and say that is x, y and z — that is who that is,' Keating said.
'So to be defined like that is really what we're trying to find.'
Nowadays, being a unique performer is rarely enough. Artists are encouraged to maintain an active presence online, drip feeding fans a trail of their whereabouts or latest projects.
But the singer insists there's no blueprint to making it big, and offered advice for the next generation: 'Don't follow the crowds'.
'As an artist, you have to be unique. So if you're copying what someone's doing on social media, you're already too late,' he said.
Tied to Australia by more than just his career, Keating shares children Cooper and Coco with his second wife Storm, an Aussie TV producer whom he met in 2010.
Marrying in 2015, the pair seek any opportunity to return Down Under when their jet-setting schedule permits.
'When I was asked to do The Voice, I thought, absolutely, great for me to be down with the family,' Keating said.
'And I love the culture, I love the people, the climate, the food. There's just so much to love here.'
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The Voice Australia: Perth boy band THR3PM hope to find perfect harmony after months of vocal setbacks
It's never easy to nail an audition in front of four established singers and a studio audience, but the task will be three-times as challenging for Perth-based boy band THR3PM when the trio hit the The Voice Australia stage for the first time tonight. Comprising solo artists Brandon Calladine, 31, Clifton Hurt, 38, and Darren Saldanha, 36, the group began jamming together in 2019 and found perfect harmony through their shared acoustic, R and B, and soul flavours. However, the performers were dealt a major blow months ahead of their blind audition when members Darren and Brandon were struck down by vocal cord issues. 'We were out of singing for a good seven, eight months maybe, and it kind of put a stop on everything, and we felt like we lost all our momentum,' THR3PM told The West Australian . 'It was kind of a tough time, because not only were we not performing as a group, we were just not doing music as much in general.' Bringing their individuality together to form a trio, they feel their connection and friendship comes across on stage because they share hobbies, and a few jokes, off it. As the singers did not find each other solely through the local music scene. Brandon and Clifton met at another audition several years ago when Clifton had just moved to Perth from Chicago, with the pair forming a duo. However, two grew to three when Darren attended a yoga class run by the American, and was soon invited for a jam session after the pair got to chatting. 'We thought, 'why not make this a bit of a trio?' And that's how it kind of all started,' they said. With late nights and years partying now largely in their rear view, the trio opt for 'ginger tea after gig' to nurture their instrument — a little different to the 90s scene that launched the careers of The Voice coaches Mel C of the Spice Girls and Ronan Keating of Boyzone. With the daunting task of also impressing global sensation Richard Marx and Aussie talent Kate Miller-Heidke, the group said it's impossible not to feel the weight of experience and expertise of those in the room despite their chairs facing the other direction. 'We grew up watching these kinds of shows, and when you walk out on stage... they just all have that aura around them,' they said. Watch THR3PM's blind audition on The Voice Australia tonight from 7.30PM on Channel 7 & 7plus.
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4 hours ago
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"When I saw the first chair turn around, I started to burst into tears. My tears just kept dropping out of my eyes." Tears streamed down Charlie O'Derry's face before he could even finish his blind auditions performance on Sunday night's opening episode of The Voice Australia. The talented folk singer delivered a performance so raw and heartfelt, it brought the room to a standstill and had four seasoned pop stars - the show's coaches - wiping their eyes. Recalling the moment before it went to air on Seven, the 17-year-old from Port Macquarie on the NSW Mid North Coast said his performance was not his strongest work as a vocalist. But the moment carried a lot of emotional weight as he realised, in real time, that his dream was becoming a reality. "I have definitely sung my song better," he said, "but it was just all the emotions rushing through when I saw that I had actually made it. "I couldn't hold it together." Charlie earned a prized four-chair turn from the coaches on the popular talent quest's 14th season: Spice Girl Melanie C, Richard Marx, Kate Miller-Heidke and Ronan Keating. Overwhelmed by the experience, Charlie said the emotions took over the moment he saw the first coach turn around "When I saw the first chair turn around, I started to burst into tears. My tears just kept dropping out of my eyes - it was crazy. I wasn't really expecting to get any chair turns, to be honest. To see one turn around, I was bawling my eyes out." As the chairs continued to turn, the emotions only intensified. "To see all four [coaches turn around], I started to wipe my eyes, and I could barely talk. And then to look over at my family - it was a very emotional moment for all of us." In the blind auditions, coaches build their team of hopefuls based solely on their voice, without seeing the contestants. If a voice captures their attention, they hit the button and spin their chair to see the performer and signal their interest. When more than one chair turns, the artist gets to decide which coach to team up with. But if no chairs turn, the journey ends there. Charlie performed a haunting, slowed-down, and at times tear-filled rendition of Djo's 2022 hit End of Beginning. Soulfully delivered, Charlie's version of the synth-pop track struck a chord far beyond the music itself. Coach and Grammy Award winner Richard Marx turned his chair within seconds of Charlie starting his performance, with Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke spinning around soon after. Spice Girl Melanie C and Boyzone lead vocalist Ronan Keating turned their chairs just as Charlie finished singing. Keating, who teared up along with the rest of the coaches, walked up on stage to embrace the 17-year-old after his emotionally-charged performance. "I felt all of that," he said as he hugged Charlie. "That was beautiful." Marx described Charlie's rendition as "heartbreakingly beautiful", while Miller-Heidke labelled the teen's performance as "something pure and from the heart". "You just made me feel something that I've never felt in this chair before," she said. After he completed his goosebump-inducing performance, Miller-Heidke asked what led to such a powerful moment on stage. Charlie then shared his heartbreaking story about his dad, a former pastor and prison chaplain, who was left in a wheelchair after suffering a severe brain injury in a workplace accident. "Music is something me and Dad can do together...," he said. "My dad had an accident at work, pretty much half his brain is gone forever, and he suffered from really bad seizures everyday for a long time. "He [had] brain surgery last year, and the seizures have stopped. I gave music my hardest crack and it's really emotional to see it's paying off." The teenager, who gave up a promising footy path to follow his heart, said it was humbling to receive such praise from the coaches. "To have people who are that solidified in the music scene, with all the accomplishments each and every one of them has made, to see that I made them feel like that - and that they reacted like that to my voice and the way I changed that song - made me very content with where I am in my journey. "It has given me a lot of confidence." In the end, Charlie chose to be on Miller-Heidke's team. He said it was by no means an easy choice between four "amazing coaches", but in the end, the decision came down to his roots. "What they said to me after they turned around, I was still undecided," he said. "But it all came down to: I love folk music, I write folk music, and that's the career I want to have. "Kate had folk roots when she first started out, and I just felt like, with her performing at Eurovision, and with her experience as an opera singer, a pop singer, a folk singer - doing all these different genres of music and having incredible achievements in every field - I thought she would help me become more of a well-rounded artist." "When I saw the first chair turn around, I started to burst into tears. My tears just kept dropping out of my eyes." Tears streamed down Charlie O'Derry's face before he could even finish his blind auditions performance on Sunday night's opening episode of The Voice Australia. The talented folk singer delivered a performance so raw and heartfelt, it brought the room to a standstill and had four seasoned pop stars - the show's coaches - wiping their eyes. Recalling the moment before it went to air on Seven, the 17-year-old from Port Macquarie on the NSW Mid North Coast said his performance was not his strongest work as a vocalist. But the moment carried a lot of emotional weight as he realised, in real time, that his dream was becoming a reality. "I have definitely sung my song better," he said, "but it was just all the emotions rushing through when I saw that I had actually made it. "I couldn't hold it together." Charlie earned a prized four-chair turn from the coaches on the popular talent quest's 14th season: Spice Girl Melanie C, Richard Marx, Kate Miller-Heidke and Ronan Keating. Overwhelmed by the experience, Charlie said the emotions took over the moment he saw the first coach turn around "When I saw the first chair turn around, I started to burst into tears. My tears just kept dropping out of my eyes - it was crazy. I wasn't really expecting to get any chair turns, to be honest. To see one turn around, I was bawling my eyes out." As the chairs continued to turn, the emotions only intensified. "To see all four [coaches turn around], I started to wipe my eyes, and I could barely talk. And then to look over at my family - it was a very emotional moment for all of us." In the blind auditions, coaches build their team of hopefuls based solely on their voice, without seeing the contestants. If a voice captures their attention, they hit the button and spin their chair to see the performer and signal their interest. When more than one chair turns, the artist gets to decide which coach to team up with. But if no chairs turn, the journey ends there. Charlie performed a haunting, slowed-down, and at times tear-filled rendition of Djo's 2022 hit End of Beginning. Soulfully delivered, Charlie's version of the synth-pop track struck a chord far beyond the music itself. Coach and Grammy Award winner Richard Marx turned his chair within seconds of Charlie starting his performance, with Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke spinning around soon after. Spice Girl Melanie C and Boyzone lead vocalist Ronan Keating turned their chairs just as Charlie finished singing. Keating, who teared up along with the rest of the coaches, walked up on stage to embrace the 17-year-old after his emotionally-charged performance. "I felt all of that," he said as he hugged Charlie. "That was beautiful." Marx described Charlie's rendition as "heartbreakingly beautiful", while Miller-Heidke labelled the teen's performance as "something pure and from the heart". "You just made me feel something that I've never felt in this chair before," she said. After he completed his goosebump-inducing performance, Miller-Heidke asked what led to such a powerful moment on stage. Charlie then shared his heartbreaking story about his dad, a former pastor and prison chaplain, who was left in a wheelchair after suffering a severe brain injury in a workplace accident. "Music is something me and Dad can do together...," he said. "My dad had an accident at work, pretty much half his brain is gone forever, and he suffered from really bad seizures everyday for a long time. "He [had] brain surgery last year, and the seizures have stopped. I gave music my hardest crack and it's really emotional to see it's paying off." The teenager, who gave up a promising footy path to follow his heart, said it was humbling to receive such praise from the coaches. "To have people who are that solidified in the music scene, with all the accomplishments each and every one of them has made, to see that I made them feel like that - and that they reacted like that to my voice and the way I changed that song - made me very content with where I am in my journey. "It has given me a lot of confidence." In the end, Charlie chose to be on Miller-Heidke's team. He said it was by no means an easy choice between four "amazing coaches", but in the end, the decision came down to his roots. "What they said to me after they turned around, I was still undecided," he said. "But it all came down to: I love folk music, I write folk music, and that's the career I want to have. "Kate had folk roots when she first started out, and I just felt like, with her performing at Eurovision, and with her experience as an opera singer, a pop singer, a folk singer - doing all these different genres of music and having incredible achievements in every field - I thought she would help me become more of a well-rounded artist." "When I saw the first chair turn around, I started to burst into tears. My tears just kept dropping out of my eyes." Tears streamed down Charlie O'Derry's face before he could even finish his blind auditions performance on Sunday night's opening episode of The Voice Australia. The talented folk singer delivered a performance so raw and heartfelt, it brought the room to a standstill and had four seasoned pop stars - the show's coaches - wiping their eyes. Recalling the moment before it went to air on Seven, the 17-year-old from Port Macquarie on the NSW Mid North Coast said his performance was not his strongest work as a vocalist. But the moment carried a lot of emotional weight as he realised, in real time, that his dream was becoming a reality. "I have definitely sung my song better," he said, "but it was just all the emotions rushing through when I saw that I had actually made it. "I couldn't hold it together." Charlie earned a prized four-chair turn from the coaches on the popular talent quest's 14th season: Spice Girl Melanie C, Richard Marx, Kate Miller-Heidke and Ronan Keating. Overwhelmed by the experience, Charlie said the emotions took over the moment he saw the first coach turn around "When I saw the first chair turn around, I started to burst into tears. My tears just kept dropping out of my eyes - it was crazy. I wasn't really expecting to get any chair turns, to be honest. To see one turn around, I was bawling my eyes out." As the chairs continued to turn, the emotions only intensified. "To see all four [coaches turn around], I started to wipe my eyes, and I could barely talk. And then to look over at my family - it was a very emotional moment for all of us." In the blind auditions, coaches build their team of hopefuls based solely on their voice, without seeing the contestants. If a voice captures their attention, they hit the button and spin their chair to see the performer and signal their interest. When more than one chair turns, the artist gets to decide which coach to team up with. But if no chairs turn, the journey ends there. Charlie performed a haunting, slowed-down, and at times tear-filled rendition of Djo's 2022 hit End of Beginning. Soulfully delivered, Charlie's version of the synth-pop track struck a chord far beyond the music itself. Coach and Grammy Award winner Richard Marx turned his chair within seconds of Charlie starting his performance, with Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke spinning around soon after. Spice Girl Melanie C and Boyzone lead vocalist Ronan Keating turned their chairs just as Charlie finished singing. Keating, who teared up along with the rest of the coaches, walked up on stage to embrace the 17-year-old after his emotionally-charged performance. "I felt all of that," he said as he hugged Charlie. "That was beautiful." Marx described Charlie's rendition as "heartbreakingly beautiful", while Miller-Heidke labelled the teen's performance as "something pure and from the heart". "You just made me feel something that I've never felt in this chair before," she said. After he completed his goosebump-inducing performance, Miller-Heidke asked what led to such a powerful moment on stage. Charlie then shared his heartbreaking story about his dad, a former pastor and prison chaplain, who was left in a wheelchair after suffering a severe brain injury in a workplace accident. "Music is something me and Dad can do together...," he said. "My dad had an accident at work, pretty much half his brain is gone forever, and he suffered from really bad seizures everyday for a long time. "He [had] brain surgery last year, and the seizures have stopped. I gave music my hardest crack and it's really emotional to see it's paying off." The teenager, who gave up a promising footy path to follow his heart, said it was humbling to receive such praise from the coaches. "To have people who are that solidified in the music scene, with all the accomplishments each and every one of them has made, to see that I made them feel like that - and that they reacted like that to my voice and the way I changed that song - made me very content with where I am in my journey. "It has given me a lot of confidence." In the end, Charlie chose to be on Miller-Heidke's team. He said it was by no means an easy choice between four "amazing coaches", but in the end, the decision came down to his roots. "What they said to me after they turned around, I was still undecided," he said. "But it all came down to: I love folk music, I write folk music, and that's the career I want to have. "Kate had folk roots when she first started out, and I just felt like, with her performing at Eurovision, and with her experience as an opera singer, a pop singer, a folk singer - doing all these different genres of music and having incredible achievements in every field - I thought she would help me become more of a well-rounded artist." "When I saw the first chair turn around, I started to burst into tears. My tears just kept dropping out of my eyes." Tears streamed down Charlie O'Derry's face before he could even finish his blind auditions performance on Sunday night's opening episode of The Voice Australia. The talented folk singer delivered a performance so raw and heartfelt, it brought the room to a standstill and had four seasoned pop stars - the show's coaches - wiping their eyes. Recalling the moment before it went to air on Seven, the 17-year-old from Port Macquarie on the NSW Mid North Coast said his performance was not his strongest work as a vocalist. But the moment carried a lot of emotional weight as he realised, in real time, that his dream was becoming a reality. "I have definitely sung my song better," he said, "but it was just all the emotions rushing through when I saw that I had actually made it. "I couldn't hold it together." Charlie earned a prized four-chair turn from the coaches on the popular talent quest's 14th season: Spice Girl Melanie C, Richard Marx, Kate Miller-Heidke and Ronan Keating. Overwhelmed by the experience, Charlie said the emotions took over the moment he saw the first coach turn around "When I saw the first chair turn around, I started to burst into tears. My tears just kept dropping out of my eyes - it was crazy. I wasn't really expecting to get any chair turns, to be honest. To see one turn around, I was bawling my eyes out." As the chairs continued to turn, the emotions only intensified. "To see all four [coaches turn around], I started to wipe my eyes, and I could barely talk. And then to look over at my family - it was a very emotional moment for all of us." In the blind auditions, coaches build their team of hopefuls based solely on their voice, without seeing the contestants. If a voice captures their attention, they hit the button and spin their chair to see the performer and signal their interest. When more than one chair turns, the artist gets to decide which coach to team up with. But if no chairs turn, the journey ends there. Charlie performed a haunting, slowed-down, and at times tear-filled rendition of Djo's 2022 hit End of Beginning. Soulfully delivered, Charlie's version of the synth-pop track struck a chord far beyond the music itself. Coach and Grammy Award winner Richard Marx turned his chair within seconds of Charlie starting his performance, with Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke spinning around soon after. Spice Girl Melanie C and Boyzone lead vocalist Ronan Keating turned their chairs just as Charlie finished singing. Keating, who teared up along with the rest of the coaches, walked up on stage to embrace the 17-year-old after his emotionally-charged performance. "I felt all of that," he said as he hugged Charlie. "That was beautiful." Marx described Charlie's rendition as "heartbreakingly beautiful", while Miller-Heidke labelled the teen's performance as "something pure and from the heart". "You just made me feel something that I've never felt in this chair before," she said. After he completed his goosebump-inducing performance, Miller-Heidke asked what led to such a powerful moment on stage. Charlie then shared his heartbreaking story about his dad, a former pastor and prison chaplain, who was left in a wheelchair after suffering a severe brain injury in a workplace accident. "Music is something me and Dad can do together...," he said. "My dad had an accident at work, pretty much half his brain is gone forever, and he suffered from really bad seizures everyday for a long time. "He [had] brain surgery last year, and the seizures have stopped. I gave music my hardest crack and it's really emotional to see it's paying off." The teenager, who gave up a promising footy path to follow his heart, said it was humbling to receive such praise from the coaches. "To have people who are that solidified in the music scene, with all the accomplishments each and every one of them has made, to see that I made them feel like that - and that they reacted like that to my voice and the way I changed that song - made me very content with where I am in my journey. "It has given me a lot of confidence." In the end, Charlie chose to be on Miller-Heidke's team. He said it was by no means an easy choice between four "amazing coaches", but in the end, the decision came down to his roots. "What they said to me after they turned around, I was still undecided," he said. "But it all came down to: I love folk music, I write folk music, and that's the career I want to have. "Kate had folk roots when she first started out, and I just felt like, with her performing at Eurovision, and with her experience as an opera singer, a pop singer, a folk singer - doing all these different genres of music and having incredible achievements in every field - I thought she would help me become more of a well-rounded artist."
