The judges on the voice never know what to expect during blind auditions. Often, the contestant’s appearance does not match their voice at all. This was the case for Jacob Norton, a 14-year-old from Colchester, Essex, who stunned everyone when he sang for The Voice: UK.
Jacob is a tall boy, but his voice is deep and powerful. He chose “Puttin’ On the Ritz”, a classic by Fred Astaire, for his audition. The old-fashioned song suited his mature and rich voice perfectly, making him sound much older than he was.
Pixie Lott, Will.i.am, and Danny Jones were all amazed by the huge, deep voice they heard from behind them. They wondered if it was a joke. They turned their chairs out of curiosity to see who had this incredible voice. The crowd went wild and stood up, clapping along to Jacob’s song.
Jacob was thrilled that the judges turned for him, but he kept his cool to finish his song. In the middle of the song, the tempo increased, and Jacob started to interact with the audience more. The judges and the audience loved his performance.
After his audition, Jacob lost his composure and acted like a 14-year-old again by jumping and cheering. The judges were very impressed and gave him glowing reviews.
Pixie said, “Your timbre is so rich. I’m speechless! I’ve never heard anything like it before.”
Danny added, “I think we’re all speechless right now, because that is one amazing voice. I think it’s fantastic, man.”
Jacob had the choice of all three judges, but he decided to join Team Danny. In a later interview, Jacob said he was very nervous. “But when I started singing, I just got into it; I was just hoping at least one person would turn. I was afraid I wouldn’t get anyone, but when I got three turns, it was such a shock.”