Two Meath acts on The Voice this week
It’s the final blind audition and our coaches need just two or three acts to fill their teams. This is when it gets difficult, they are anxious that they have enough space just in case the potential winner is still out there! This week Una’s cousin auditions, we have a singing taxi driver, animal lovers, a contestants from 2013 and a settled Traveller who could give Kelly Mongan a run for her money!
Animal lover Sean Byrne is from Navan. The 21 year-old is studying zoology in Trinity and has owned snakes and frogs. He will be singing Damian Rice’s Coconut Skins. He plays guitar and as he leaves the stage Una takes the guitar and shows off her skills as a guitarist.
62 year-old singing taxi driver Kevin O’Brien from Meath is honouring a special promise he made to himself. His wife who died from breast cancer four years ago, 10 days later his mother died, so it was a difficult time. He put together a bucket list and singing on the Voice is on that list. He wants to give it all he can.
19 year-old Aisling Moore is hoping Rachel will hit the red button having grown up as a massive S Club 7 fan. The student from Mulhuddart in Dublin is studying music in Maynooth, and will be singing Break Free by Ariana Grande.
28 year-old Alex Sykes is from Belfast and works in the family business running a beauty salon. She has some experience of TV talent shows having got to Bootcamp in the XFactor in 2009, can she make it through to the Battles? Singing Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly.
Mary Ward (25) is a single mum and proud settled Traveller from Waterford. Mary loves to sing country music and sings to her five year-old daughter Selina Marie. Singing Sam Cooke Bring it on Home will any of the coaches choose her?
Another Waterford native is 24 year old Nicky Wicks. Nicky auditioned through the 2fm Wild Cards and got a resounding three yeses from 2fm DJs. Nicky is quite the character and says he has never been able to hold down a job as something happens in the universe every time he gets one – ‘my last boss I was working for broke his leg twice, another boss had a breakdown and another went back on the bottle and missing for a couple of weeks’’… so he hasn’t had the best luck in terms of employment. He left home when he was 16 and slept rough a few times and he has a girlfriend who lives in New Jersey. He met her online and hasn’t met her yet but he knows he hasn’t been ‘catfished’ as they have video chatted! Singing Thin Lizzy’s The Boys are Back in Town.
Joshua Russillo (22) from Balbriggan has come along with his aunties and uncle for support. He lost his mother and best friend four years ago tragically, they family house also burnt down last year so he has had a tough few years. He is wearing his mum’s watch and engagement ring round his neck, singing Firestone by Kygo.
Next person vying for one of the few remaining places is Armagh lass Eimear Crealey (20) she is a classical singer has a lot of experience singing as is in musicals. Singing Run Away by Galactis she is going to slow this dance song down and hope it will impress the coaches.
20 year old Katelyn Molloy from Galway has a rich musical heritage, has performed on stage to 10,000 people with Declan Nerney and is Una’s second cousin. Una has no idea she is here to audition. Singing Taylor Swift's Love Story, will Una recognise her voice?
Ciara Freeman is 24 and from Warrenmount in Co Down has just come home from living in Spain. She considers herself a dramatic human being so has done a lot of musical theatre. Singing Womack and Womack's Teardrops.
Alison Rush (20) made it to the Blind auditions in 2013 but failed to get through to the Battles. She went away, took all the coaches’ comments on board, started gigging around Galway and feels she is a stronger performer now. Singing We Don’t Have to Take our Clothes Off will 2016 be her year?
Can 18 year old Michaela Hogg use her experience to make it through to the Battles? She sang in Croke Park at the senior hurling final in front of an audience of 82,000 and won Scor Encore two years ago. She has been waiting till she turned 18 to enter The Voice and her chance has finally arrived. The Mullingar lass will be singing You Can’t Hurry Love by the Supremes.
Series 5 Episode 7 – Final Blind Audition
Sunday 14th February RTÉ One 6.30pm