TONIGHT is the big final for the TV talent show The Voice with the final four set to do battle in front of millions of viewers.

But while all the attention is on tonight, the search for the stars of next season’s series has already begun in Southampton.

More than ten hopefuls from across the city came to showcase their vocals in front of a Voice talent scout at the Academy of Sound and Music in Chapel Road.

If the singers impress the show’s producers from their recorded demo tapes at the scouting, they could take part in the blind TV auditions in series three next year.

This will mean being judged by a panel that includes pop legend Tom Jones, American producer and singer Will.i.am, British pop diva Jessie J and The Script lead singer Danny O’Donoghue.

The results of the auditions will be announced later in the summer.

Debbie Brien was one of the first to showcase her ability. She said: “I was really nervous before I came here, but I thought it went well and I did OK.”

Natalie Falton 21, from Swaythling in Southampton sang the Colors of Wind from the 1995 Disney film Pocahontas.

She said: “I love The Voice and it would mean so muchif I could getto be on it one day.”

The current series saw Southampton’s 24-year-old CJ Edwards lose out to finalist and bookmakers favourite to win the final Leah McFall in the battle rounds.

Now Leah will face-off against country singer Mike Ward, Andrea Begley and Matt Henry tonight on BBC One in a two-hour show at 7pm.

 

Marcus Smith, 19,
from Langley, near
Southampton
Marcus is the lead singer of
rock alternative band
Elements. He went to Our
Lady in St Josephs Primary in
Lymington and then went
Noadswood Secondary School.
Originally he was a drummer
and also played the piano. His
first passion is sport and he
loves playing basketball,
taekwondo and swimming but
a big knee surgery after he
dislocated his knee, meant he
had to give up sports.
Just after he had his leg
injury he discovered singing
and was the lead singer of
forbidden centuries and then
became the lead vocalist and
guitarist of the indie-band the
driveways’.
His musical hero is Ville Valo
who is the frontman of Finnish
rockband HIM. Away from
singing he is a lifeguard at
Applemore Leisure Centre.

 

Debbie Brien, 21, from Eastleigh
Debbie is used to the stage she has been singing for
two to three years in front of an audience; in 2012
she came first in the first round of Eastleigh’s got
Talent. For the The Voice talent scout she sung the
famous 1964 song by the Animals called the House
of the Rising Sun.
She just finished a five year degree in music
performance at the Academy of Music and is currently
looking for a band where she can be a lead vocalist.
Away from the stage she is a barmaid at the Acorn
Club in Fair Oak.

 

Natalie Falton, 21, from Swaythling
Natalie has been singing since
seven when she was in Mansbridge
Primary School. She joined her first
band when she was 13 called
almost famous. At secondary school
at the Quilley School of Engineering
in Eastleigh she was in a band where
she was lead vocalist.
Her musical hero is Jimi Hendrix
and her favourite style rhythm and
blues. She then studied a foundation
degree music performance and
vocals at the Academy music and
sound. She is now lead singer of
sometimes I afro, who play gigs across Southampton. Her
job does not take her far away from music as she works at
Guitar Central in the Bargate and also as an assistant at the
Academy of Sound.