The competition pitted sixteen hopeful contestants against one another, each showcasing their musical talent in an attempt to impress the judges and move into the semi-finals of the event.
This unique competition incorporates Bangaloreans from literally all walks of life. The contestants ranged from corporate professionals to government employees and students.
What differentiates it from other singing competitions is that the participants were required to sing two songs back to back – one in Hindi and one in Kannada.
The event was judged by a panel of judges, including the playback singer Rajesh Krishnan, music director Arjun, sandalwood star Diganth, the beautiful Ramya Barna and Satish Ninasm.
The contestants made quite an impression on the judges with their dual performances, voice control and stage presence. One of the more memorable performances of the evening was by Suchitra, who sang Taare Hai Barati from the movie Virasat and the popular Kannada number Chikku Bukku Rayile.
Dedicating the second song to Diganth, she confessed that she was a huge fan of his. Her voice greatly impressed the judges, with Diganth saying, “I’m completely in love with her voice. It’s really husky and nice.” Rajesh Krishnan agreed that her song selection was good, and added, “Despite the fact that you were alone on stage, it felt like you were singing along with a lot of members.”
The other popular contestant of the evening was Dr Nitin. He went patriotic by selecting the Hindi song Mera Rang De Basanti and Baa Malaye Baa from the movie Accident. His voice was a huge hit with the judges. While Arjun told him he was ‘something different’, Ramya applauded his performance and said, “The stage is on fire. I felt like dancing over here.” Rajesh Krishnan, however, focused on the technical aspect of his singing and said that although the performance was electrifying, there were certain areas on which he still needed to work on.
The contestant who really got the audience grooving, though, was Govinda, who sang the emotional track Zara Si Dil Me. After the thorough round of praise from the judges, wherein Rajesh Krishnan told him he was growing as a singer and Arjun applauded his song selection, the judges even came on stage for a quick dance with him. Ramya, who even danced to Crazy Kiya Re with Govinda, said, “Govinda, you’ve won my heart with this song. You’re not only a good singer, but a good dancer as well.”
The highlight of the evening was the lively chemistry shared by the judges; while Ramya displayed a few dance moves to the audience, Rajesh, Diganth and Satish even sang a few songs.
Talking about the event, Ramya said, “It’s really nice to see such talent in our country right now. I wish all the contestants the best of luck.” Diganth added that he thought ‘Voice of Bengaluru’ was a great platform to encourage youngsters with a talent for singing. Dr Nitin, Suchitra and Govinda, along with Sriraksha, another contestant, qualified for the semi-finals of the competition.
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