When Josh Richards was 15 years old, he was one of the youngest contestants to ever step onto the stage of The Voice Australia.
But don’t let his age fool you.
From the moment he began his audition for the show’s seventh season, it was clear that this teen was brimming with confidence and raw talent.
Little did the judges know, they were in for a real treat.
Josh took his place in the spotlight on the fourth day of the season’s blind auditions.
He had picked a timeless hit to sing for the judges, none other than Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There.”
Everyone was immediately amazed by what they heard.
Josh had barely sung a few lines when Judge Delta, visibly moved, held her hand to her heart.
And in just a few more moments, Boy George, unable to contain his excitement, hit the buzzer.
The magic didn’t stop there.
Within twenty seconds, the remaining three judges, equally impressed, hit their buzzers and turned their chairs, eager to see the young prodigy behind the voice.
The shocked looks on their faces after swiveling around were priceless.
You might wonder, how can someone who hasn’t even graduated high school possess such incredible vocal talent?
Well, while this might be Josh’s first time on The Voice Australia, he’s no stranger to the limelight.
The year before auditioning, Josh clinched the top spot in the 12- to 14-year-old category at a singing competition in Melbourne.
His victory didn’t just earn him a trophy; it put him on the radar.
He was making his dream come true.
In a heartfelt promo for The Voice Australia, Josh shared,
“Knowing what your dream is, is really rare. I’ve known what I wanted to do since I was about 10. I never really wanted to be anything else.”
Being on The Voice is a big accomplishment for any singer, not to mention, getting all four judges to turn!
Kelly Rowland, one of the judges, was all praises for Josh post his audition.
She gushed,
“His voice has so much range to it, you know what I mean? I was just blown away. And his personality was just so big. His voice is so big and his personality is so big.”
While all four judges wanted Josh on their team – he could only choose one to go with… and that was Joe Jonas!
The teen’s rendition of “I’ll Be There” is so good it’s raked in over 5 million views on YouTube.
People have left comments like:
“The way he delivered every word of the song is so amazing, The Best Version of this Song”
Another viewer wrote:
“This song is very special for me and he sang it so beautifully that I’m now actually crying!”
Someone else mentioned how he sounds like an “angel from Heaven.”
Press play on the video below to enjoy this incredible audition for yourself!
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