The Battle rounds give the talent a chance to demonstrate what theyโve learnt under their new coaches, who choose songs they believe will show off each talentโs ability. With that in mind, we look at some of the Battle songs that showed our talent in a whole new light!
Everyoneโs favourite engineer, Marco Basson, battled Anchen Groenewald with Maroon 5โs โSugarโ.ย Marco had auditioned with the pop hit โJealousโ by Nick Jonas, while Anchen had gone the quieter route with Lukas Grahamโs โ7 Yearsโ. Coach Bobbyโs choice of โSugarโ gave them the chance to show some sexiness, and Anchen got to move around on stage. We like!
Aston Wylie auditioned with Ellie Gouldingโs โLove Me Like You Doโ, a pop ballad with soaring notes, while Luke Lovemore chose Sealโs โCrazyโ, which showed off his growling voice perfectly. But it was R.E.M.โs โLosing My Religionโ that brought out the best in both of them during their Battle: Aston demonstrated that he can hold his own with a rock song, while Lukeโs growl reached swoon-worthy heights (or is that depths?) Great choice, coach Lira!
Speaking of Lira, she scored another hit with โFirefliesโ by Owl City for Spha Mdlalose and Amanda Faku. During her Blind Audition, Sphaโs beautiful clear voice carried her version of Aretha Franklinโs โSay A Little Prayerโ. Meanwhile, shy accounting student Amanda dazzled all four coaches with her husky voice on John Legendโs โOrdinary Peopleโ. Owl City might have been a slightly unusual choice, but it absolutely suited them. It showed us just how powerful Amandaโs voice is, and weโre beginning to believe that thereโs not a song that Spha canโt sing.
Christy-Lyn Marais and Fatman is an unusual duo under any circumstances, which is perhaps why coach Kahn put them together. Christy-Lynโs version of Simon & Garfunkelโs โScarborough Fairโ, especially with her harp, was altogether ethereal. The larger-than-life Fatman went for classic rock, singing the Marc Cohn standard โWalking in Memphisโ. Their performance of Keaneโs โSomewhere Only We Knowโ was sublime, with Christy-Lynโs crystal clear high notes harmonising beautifully with Fatmanโs deep voice. Nice one, Kahn!
These twoโs auditions made every millennial feel nostalgic: Chico Muya gave us a great version of โWonderwallโ by Oasis, while PJ Pretorius made a strong impression with โYellowโ. Coach Karen took them back to Generation X with the Bruce Springsteen classic โSecret Gardenโ. They sat on stools during their goosebump-raising Battle, which allowed everyone to focus on their โdelicate, mesmeringโ performance, as Lira put it. Yes, weโre secretly just a little bit in love.
Emma Ellis stole hearts when she forgot the lyrics to the Plain White Tโs โHey There, Delilahโ and Karen joined her on stage. Christie Woolmingtonโs rendition of Colbie Caillatโs โBubblyโ showed off her pure tone. Theyโre both excellent singers, but very different to Christina Aguilera, whose hit song โBeautifulโ they performed during their Battle. Impressively, they showed just how powerful their own voices are during their version of the pop ballad.
Samantha Leonard and Armand Joubert gave one of the most impressive Battle performances with โI Believe in A Thing Called Loveโ by The Darkness. Sure, Samantha had impressed with Jessie Jโs โBang Bangโ in her Blind Audition, and Armandโs version of Ariana Grandeโs โInto Youโ scored him four turns. But it was their high-energy, 110% rock rendition that raised the roof. Good on you, coach Karen.
Join The Voice SA conversation on โThe Voice SAโ Facebook page, via Twitter on @VoiceSA and @VoiceSA on Instagram using #TheVoiceSA, #TeamBobby, #TeamLira, #TeamKahn and #TeamKaren hashtags. The Voice South Africa is produced for M-Net by AMPN and sponsored by Dialdirect.