THE VOICE: Moodie will keep singing
Even though Michelle Moodie’s journey on The Voice South Africa was short and sweet, it’s been one of the highlights of her life.
A few weeks ago, Moodie landed a spot on #TeamKahn, but she didn’t make it through the second stage following a battle on stage against another member of the same team.
“The people I have met and the friends I have made have just added so many memories to all I have learned,” said Moodie, who is a local resident.
”What I have experienced on The Voice, no money will ever be able to buy.
“The support I have received in my community alone has been overwhelming.
”I am deeply grateful and very blessed to have been a part of this incredible show.”
For Moodie, the best part of the show was meeting and working with the unforgettable Vicky Sampson, Khan’s assistant coach.
“Getting to know the woman behind the beautiful voice which I have admired for so long was such a treat,” said Moodie.
“Not only did she teach me so much about my own voice, but her strength and humility shines through and is something I took away with me. She is very inspiring.”
The toughest part of Moodie’s journey was competing in the battle round.
She and her battle partner, Francis Bowers (they sang Elton John’s Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me), had become close friends.
“It was really hard for me to separate my friendship from the strains of the competition,” she said.
Moodie and Bowers remain friends, as do many of the other friends she made on her journey.
“What’s truly remarkable about The Voice experience is how we all became family, everyone who made it to the television show truly loved and cared for one another,” said Moodie.
Other than having learned so much about her own voice, the biggest lesson Moodie learned was humility.
“Being surrounded by superstars and famous people could so easily go to a person’s head, but watching them and getting to know them really opened my eyes,” she explained.
“Kahn, Lira, Bobby and Karen, together with all their assistant coaches and the producers and directors, were the most down-to-earth people.
“They proved to be just regular people, like you and I, who happen to make their living selling their music.
“There was nothing false about them and it just made me realise that, through everything, all I needed to do was remain true to myself and be grateful for every little blessing which came my way.”
Standing on that huge stage during the battle round, having sung her heart out for all those hundreds of people, then listening to all the coaches say such wonderful things about her, was a very proud moment for Moodie.
“I was glad it was over, I’d done it and I’d given it my all,” she said.
““To be honest, I thought I’d heard wrong when Kahn announced my battle partner as the winner. When it sank in a feeling of failure took over.
“I had wanted it all so badly, but then a wave of calm came over me and I realised that I had just experienced it all.
“I had just completed something which I have wanted all my life and I did it to my best ability and I had touched so many lives; I didn’t win the competition, but I won a whole lot more.”
If you have been blessed with a voice and if music is who you are, Moodie encourages you to enter the second season of The Voice South Africa (should there be another season).
“No matter what your age, no matter what you look like, take a chance,” she advised.
“It’s okay if you’re shy or if you don’t do well in crowds, or even if you have no microphone technique, because you will be taught all you need to accomplish your dream.
“It’s a very special experience, a chance of a life time, something you will treasure forever.”
So many people have told Moodie that she must enter The Voice South Africa again – and she just might.
“Singing is my happy place, so I will never give up and I will most likely carry on entering competitions like this until I’m in my 60s,” she said.
“I would really like my daughter to enter The Voice when she turns 18; she has a very special voice and I’d love for her to also have this wonderful experience.”
What’s next for Moodie, she’s not too sure. There is talk of recording an album with an old friend of hers from the cabaret business.
Moodie has also made contact with a singer/songwriter who would like her to sing his songs.
In the meantime, she will keep doing the gigs which come her way.
“I will never stop singing – that I know for sure,” she said.
Moodie thanks her children, family, friends, colleagues and her entire community for the incredible support she has received.
“Boksburg should be called ‘The City that Cares’,” she said.
”The comments and kind words I have received from so many people have overwhelmed me.
“I’m very blessed to have had each and every one of you touch my life in the way in which you have. You truly know how to make an ordinary woman feel like a rock star. Thank you all so much.”
THE VOICE: Michelle lands a spot on #TeamKahn
