It was the Big Day on Sunday, 7 July, when the winner of The Voice South Africa was announced during a live broadcast on M-Net.  After the Top 5 Talent were cut down during the progress of an Audio and Visual spectacular, host Anele Mdoda announced the Top 2 of this season, being Wild Card, Soné Joubert and Tasché Burger.

With one of her final, very fitting songs, Let it Be, Burger was announced the Winner, making newcomer to the Coaching Panel, Francois van Coke, this year’s winning Mentor.  Burger is South Africa’s first female winner of The Voice, following the wins of Richard Stirton and Craig Lucas in Season 1 and Season 2 respectively.

The Finale kicked off with the season’s top 5 Talent and the 4 coaches introducing the proceedings with a winner’s rendition of We Will Rock You.  Hopeful contenders in the running were crooner Eon le Roux and African princess Siki Jo-An, both from Port Elizabeth, together with the charismatic PJ Twins from the Mother City, making up the five-some with Burger and Joubert.

This year, all four of the show’s esteemed coaches were well represented by these incredible talent in the finale. Riky Rick was counting on Eon, LIRA, the PJ Twins, while Francois van Coke coached Tasché throughout the season. Coach Riana Nel was the only coach with two talent on stage – Soné and Siki Jo-An.  At the end, it was SA’s Afrikaans rebel, Van Coke, coaching the Winning Voice.

While the live audience waited for the results, some legendary and well-loved local vocalists were included in the line-up to perform during this live television broadcast, which included duets with each of the Top 5. For the first time in her illustrious career, Afrikaans music legend Laurika Rauch appeared on stage during a live television singing contest, breathing life into her iconic song, Stuur Groete aan Mannetjies Roux, a duet with runner-up, Soné.

South Africa’s Queen of Afro-jazz, Judith Sephuma, joined 3^rd place-winner Siki  Jo-An, with an apt song for two big voices, I’m Every Woman by Chaka Khan.  Season 2’s Caroline-Grace Brüssow and Eon raised the roof with Elton John’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me. Singer extraordinaire Timothy Moloi and The PJ Twins went for gold with Luther Vandross’ Impossible Dream, while not known as the winner yet, Tasché and her coach, Francois van Coke, blended their voices in their version of Toe Vind Ek Jou, a song by van Coke himself, recorded with Season 1 and 2 Coach. Karen Zoid.

Anticipating fans, as well as nervous talent back stage, were also entertained during the wait, by some goose-bump-inducing solos Jo Black and Roan Ash, who are currently both dominating the South African music scene.

Taché Buger, winner of the Voice SA 3rd Season, was determined by the voting public, after close to 10 million votes were received throughout this season.  M-Net’s Kaye Ann Williams told the media after the finale, that the voting process during such a talent contest, is a very important element of the show, as the margins between 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, were extremely tight.  “Tasché was a serious contender and front-runner throughout the voting phase of the competition,” she added.

Tasché, would have drove off with a brand new Toyota RAV4, but because she admitted to not having a valid driver’s licence yet, will have to get someone else to do this for her. “I will get my license very soon”, she joked while accepting the car keys.  Besides new wheels, and the very deserved Recording Contract with Universal Music SA, Tasché walks away from this competition with a Telkom tech bundle with a Huawei P30 Pro, a Tab M5 Lite, a router, and a Huawei Watch GT, Telkom data, and an Anti-Theft Backpack, Truworths clothing vouchers to the value of R100 000 and the title of The Voice South Africa.

Video: The Voice South Africa YouTube Channel

Photos: YIP Photography

The post Tasché Burger Wins The Voice SA appeared first on Stage and Screen.

By Louw Mulder

For a person not very familiar with the music of 73 year old Sixto Rodriguez, I was quite pleased to enjoy a well-entertaining experience at the first Live Show of this Rock and Blues artist, at the Ticket-Pro Dome.

The Dome was at full capacity and the show was exactly what you’d come to expect from Big Concerts over the years. I was amazed by the loud welcoming this Singer-Songwriter from Detroit, Michigan received, when the lights of the packed venue went out.

Backed by only a lead guitar, bass guitar and a set of drums, Rodrigues took the stage with his acoustic guitar, and with each song, more and more of the tunes became familiar. With a little disbelieve in myself, I was surprised by how well-known Rodriguez’s music is to his South African Audience.

His repertoire had songs like Crucify your mind, I’ll Slip Away, I Think of You and Only a Good Conversation.

The crowd-favourites was without a doubt laudable, when the guitar intro started. He also sang the title track of his first album released in 1970, Cold Fact, and a huge hit for Rodrigues from the same album, I wonder.

Young and old… Ok, young and also very old concert-goers were on their feet, as the sounds of probably his signature song, Sugerman, started to fill the dome. Movie lovers will associate this song with the 2012 Movie, Searching for Sugerman, which in itself won the Oscar for the Best Documentary Feature in 2013. Fans of South African Music will also remember this song, as covered in 1997 by Just Jinger, when the SA Rock industry took to full flight. The list of international acclaims inspired by Rodrigues, is endless.

To add to the variation of his show, Rodrigues surprised the audience with his very own cover versions of Elvis Presley’s Blue Suede Shoes, as well as a very emotional version of Elton John’s Your Song. A true crowd-pleaser was when he thanked the audience in Afrikaans, saying “Baie Dankie”.

The highlight for me personally, and probably the defining moment in creating respect for Rodrigues, was when he had to stop in the middle of a song, because of his guitar being out of tune. “I have to tune my guitar, because I want to give you a great song”.

This was truly an spectacular evening, and I am glad to have experienced Rodriguez, while I still could…

 Tour Dates:

Johannesburg: 29th January 2016 at the Ticketpro Dome

Durban:  31st January 2016 at the ICC Durban Arena

Port Elizabeth: 3rd February 2016 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium Outer Fields

Cape Town: 5th and 6th February 2016 at the Grand Arena, GrandWest

Presented by Jacaranda FM, Algoa FM, Bok Radio and Kyknet. Another Big Concerts Experience.

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