The blind audition rounds are coming to an end in The Voice. So far, the mentors, Espen Lind (51), Ina Wroldsen (38), Yosef Wolde-Mariam (45) and Jarle Bernhoft (46) have fought for more talent on their teams.
One of them is Viktoria Birkeli. She enchanted all the mentors with her version of the song “Jealous” by Labrinth.
Now her blind audition has reached close to half a million views YouTube.
– Sick experience
At the time of writing, her performance has been viewed over 482,000 times. When TV 2 calls Birkeli, she says that she has occasionally checked comments and views.
When one of the other contestants, who is in the competition, shared how many people had seen her blind audition, Birkeli double-checked her own performance.
COINCIDENCE: Viktoria Birkeli discovered that her blind audition had gone viral by accident. Photo: Thomas Andersen/TV 2
Then she discovered that close to half a million have seen her performance.
– It was a sick experience. There are so many! Oh father, I thought. There is so much that I cannot understand that it is true. I kind of felt it, but it’s just fun. I really enjoy it, says Birkeli to TV 2.
Make a comeback for two reasons
It is not the first time Birkeli has participated in The Voice. When she participated in 2019, she made it all the way to the duel rounds, and quit just before the live broadcasts were due to start.
Now she’s giving it another try for two reasons – her grandfather and new mentor.
When Birkeli participated in 2019, it was to his grandfather’s wild cheers.
– I honestly think it was one of the highlights of his life. It was so much fun. He was glued to the screen, and loved to see such young people sing and perform so well. We made a really good connection because of that.
Last February, the grandfather died. Birkeli says that it was a difficult grieving process, but that she gradually recovered – especially because of The Voice.
When she saw that the program was looking for new participants, and that Jarle Bernhoft (46) was a new mentor, she couldn’t pass up the chance.
– I feel that this year I want to pay tribute to grandfather. In addition, Jarle is a mentor, so if you had to sign up for one year, then it was now, she states.
How far Birkeli will reach this time is still unknown, but she has no doubt that she is ready for revenge.
Used the time well
Since her previous The Voice participation, Birkeli has trained as a skin care professional. She has made good use of her years and has become a singing teacher. When she was on stage last time, she took an important experience with her.
– Now I understand why the mentors say that you should come back in a few years, if you do not progress. It is so true. Now I feel it is completely different. I know myself much better, and have gone into this with a different mindset and confidence than I did last time, she says and elaborates:
– I was unaware of what I was getting myself into, and was perhaps not fully prepared for everything that was going to happen. It was so overwhelming. Now I’m a few years older, and feel that the presence is there much more than last time, she says.
Compared to the previous participation, she feels more motivated to bet everything on the music.
– I feel everything has built up to this. It has been a really motivating period for me, and getting such good feedback at the blind audition gave me extra motivation.
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