Three Māori contestants reach The Voice Australia’s semifinals

Jaedyn Randell (Waikato), Jaydin Shingleton (Ngāi Tahu), and Letitia Butler (Ngāpuhi) have made it to the top eight in The Voice Australia and will compete for a spot in the finals this weekend.

Butler is a semifinalist on LeAnn Rimes’ team, Shingleton represents Guy Sebastian, and Randall is competing for Kate Miller-Heidke.

Shingleton told RNZ getting on The Voice Australia, with his whānau in attendance, was a surreal experience.

“It was amazing to have them all there, including my mum, who’s been like my teacher from the start,” he said.

“I was walking out on the stage, and I looked to the left and I could see my family, and I could instantly feel my eyes welling up.”

He also spoke about representing his Māori whakapapa and how it has been an important aspect of his journey.

“I am definitely proud to be Ngāi Tahu, Māori from New Zealand for sure,”

Shingleton said he made sure his pounamu was out “front and centre” during his blind audition.

“I haven’t had a lot to do with my culture, and that’s something that I want to do in the future.”

He couldn’t speak much about the show at the time, but said he did his “absolute best to make New Zealand proud”.

Another contestant making waves on the show is Randell, better known for her work redubbing the voice of Princess Anna in the Disney film Frozen and the titular character in Moana.

Randell, 22, is among the youngest contestants on the show and has proven herself a powerhouse singer.

In her audition video, she shared that her vocal work played a significant role in building her confidence as a singer.

“I think voicing a character really translates into my performance because they can’t see your face behind the cartoon, so everything needs to be portrayed with your voice.

“Music means the absolute world to me. I feel like that’s what I was meant to do.”

She said she was fortunate to grow up in a musical family where everyone sang together.

Randell also took to Instagram to support her fellow Māori contestants in the top eight.

“Forever grateful to be able to celebrate being Māori in all spaces... Ps look at these Māori in the semifinal hehe. So proud of you both @theletitiabutler and @jaydinshingletonmusic #maorikiteao.”

Butler turned two chairs during her audition, facing stiff competition as it was near the end of the selection process, with most teams already filling up.

In her audition video, she admitted to feeling the pressure and was scared of not making it through.

“I love going on the cruise ships. That’s my favourite holiday. I’m always singing on the cruise ship. I enter every single karaoke competition. I just love to sing.

“Singing to me is my life, but it’s really hard for me to believe in myself. I’ve had so many setbacks.”

The 35-year-old found success as her coach Rimes chose to advance her to the semifinals after a series of knockout battles with her teammates.

Butler said in an Instagram post it was her whānau that encouraged her to try out for The Voice.

“Last year I spoke to my husband about entering The Voice Australia. With no hesitation he said, ‘Mama, anything is possible’.

“Him knowing that I would never seriously do anything like this for myself without my whānau being a part of it, gave me all the permission I needed to shift my mama mentality and submit the audition form.”