The Voice Australia returned Sunday night for its 14th season, ready to unearth the nation’s next singing sensation – but before the first note was even sung, some viewers were already warming up their own vocal cords… to complain.
The grumble? Apparently, the red chairs have been overrun with foreigners. This year’s coaching line-up features Irish crooner Ronan Keating, British Spice Girl icon Melanie C, and 80s power-ballad prince Richard Marx – with Aussie art-pop queen Kate Miller-Heidke flying the Southern Cross flag completely solo.
“Only 1 in 4 judges is Aussie, that sucks,” fumed one X user, proving that nothing unites Australians quite like disagreeing with a TV casting decision. Another called the ratio “criminal”, which, for the record, is not an official offence under Australian law.
The outrage spilled over onto Instagram and Facebook, with commenters asking whether local talent has gone missing or is just stuck in traffic. “Love them all but only one Aussie… not sure that is a good choice,” sighed another fan.
Of course, this isn’t the first time The Voice has been heavy on imports. Back in season two, Delta Goodrem was the lone Aussie alongside Ricky Martin, Seal and Joel Madden. And in 2018, she flew solo again, repping for the homeland while Boy George, Kelly Rowland and Joe Jonas played musical chairs.
Last year’s line-up was a perfect 50-50 split between Aussies (Guy Sebastian and Miller-Heidke) and Americans (Adam Lambert and LeAnn Rimes). This year? Well, the international coaches do have Aussie credentials of sorts: Ronan Keating is married to an Australian, Melanie C has an Aussie boyfriend, and Richard Marx has toured here so often he probably qualifies for Medicare by now.
Despite the panel drama, the first night delivered some big performances, including a singing aerialist (because why just sing when you can also defy gravity?) and a primary school teacher whose flawless cover of Beggin’ had all four coaches reaching for their buzzers.
In the end, the show remains true to its core mission: showcasing incredible voices… and giving the internet something to argue about.
Image: Channel 7
