Many singing talent shows preceded it, but The Voice drew extra interest because of its unique premise – the judges would not be allowed to see who was singing. It meant no bias could creep in, the person singing could be tall or short, pretty or plain, young or old, and the judges would never know.
The only thing they would be judged on is the quality of their voice which is exactly as it should be. The show was a runaway success and soon spread from the UK across the world. Due to this success, it seemed only a matter of time before the talented kids of the world demanded their shot too and so The Voice: Kids was born.
The show has produced many extremely talented youngsters and there is none more so than Lara H. who performed Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off on the German version of the show in 2022. Lara was only eleven when she appeared on the show and she came a long way to be there. Lara is from the Czech Republic and her family travelled all the way with her to allow her to chase her dream. When the video starts, we see her family waiting, both anxious and excited as she goes onstage for her audition.
Lara looks precious, with blonde hair and blue eyes, perfectly dressed in a black leather jacket, blue dungarees and white trainers. She may be young, but she already has the spirit of a pop star. As the music starts, she bounces up and down and calls to the audience, “are you ready Berlin?” The judges laugh and respond well to this spunky start to her song.
It’s when she starts to sing that her star quality really becomes apparent. She injects passion and fun into the song, singing every word perfectly. She also shakes her hips, bobs her head and throws in little gestures that round off and add true expressiveness to a performance. Simply put, she has attitude and star quality by the bucket.
Almost from Lara’s first word, the judges begin to sing and dance along. Lara’s choice was genius as Shake It Off is such a fun, high-energy number and everyone knows the words. Lara throws in lots of great moments, like the little laugh after, “I go on too many dates, but I can’t make them stay.” She’s obviously having a ball while her poor mum has kittens backstage, desperate for one of the judges to press their button.
After a minute or so, Lara and her family get their wish. First, one chair turns, and then they all do a full house. At this point Lara can’t continue, she starts to cry with joy and being chosen. Judge Lena joins her onstage and gives her a high-five. Then she finishes the number with the judges singing along. It’s sad to note that Lara did not win the series but with talent like that it seems certain her musical journey is far from over. If you would like to see more from The Voice: Kids, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel.