The Voice Australia is known to be a rather wholesome show, but a fiery moment during last night’s episode involving coach Richard Marx has fans seriously divided.
During the episode, fellow coach Kate Miller-Heidke asked contestant Mikayla Durrant if she writes her own songs, to which she replied: “No, not really.”
“I’m a bit out of my element, I actually study ecology and conservation at university, I want to be a wildlife scientist,” the 20-year-old added.
Richard then chimed in and said: “That makes sense. Then you should be a wildlife scientist because for the people who end up having careers in music, there is no backup plan.”
He went on to advise that “if you’re going to do this for a living, you have to be so passionate about it”, adding that “you should write songs because there are a lot of people who want it so badly.”
“Unless you are that committed, this is not for you, despite that beautiful voice,” he concluded.
Surprise new judge Tones and I then jumped in and recounted how she lived in her van and busked on the street before hitting the big time and therefore, she agrees with Richard’s sentiment.
“[Music needs to be] everything, there is no backup. Your voice is definitely good enough to be successful in this industry, it’s just, how badly do you want it?” she said.
As Mikayla left the stage, the other judges, including Ronan Keating, stood up to applaud her, but Richard stayed seated and appeared displeased.
“Sounds as though she just did this for sh*ts and gigs,” Kate joked.
“Yeah, totally,” Richard sternly responded, before turning to the audience and saying: “For all of you in the audience or anybody who knows somebody who is thinking about coming to audition for The Voice, don’t waste our f*cking time.”
You can watch the moment below:
@thevoiceau Richard GOES OFF 😲🫢 #TheVoiceAU ♬ original sound – The Voice Australia
The Voice viewers call out Richard Marx for his harsh response
The reaction from viewers has been mixed, with some fans agreeing with Richard’s rant, while others felt that he was overly critical.
The comment sections of the social posts from the awkward moment quickly became flooded with opinions from fans and fellow celebs.
“That judge was so unnecessarily rude,” one person wrote, which at the time of writing has clocked 3,311 likes.
“Unnecessarily brutal. Ask anyone auditioning for the show and they will tell you they have a day job,” wrote another, which has 2,609 likes.
“‘Backup plan’? Like being a judge on a reality show?” read one sassy comment which has been liked by 2,751 people.
Even a previous contestant of The Voice Australia, Ally Eely from season 11, chimed in, calling Richard’s comment “tone deaf”.
“Imagine needing a source of income in this economy… pretty sure if we could afford to only do music we would,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, there were other punters who agreed with Richard, such as the drummer of Aussie band 5 Seconds of Summer, Ashton Irwin, who wrote: “Refreshing take Richard. This industry and path is brutal. It’ll take everything you got to get somewhere in it. Every day I play for my life cause I know there’s a billion other people who want my position.”
American Idol contestant and drag queen Ada Vox also leaned towards Richard’s side: “Some people forget what the real industry is actually like, because what Richard says is true. And the way he said it? That’s also as real as it gets. This industry is not forgiving, and at its core, to be truly successful in it, it has to be plan A, B, and C.”
Mikayla Durrant speaks out on social media
The day after the episode aired, Mikayla took to social media to thank fans for their support following her elimination from the show.
“My final audition aired on The Voice last night. Thank you to everyone who watched, messaged and supported me,” she said.
She went on to reveal that she was actually asked to join the show, with casting agents scouting her from social media.
“I was scouted by the show and invited to come and perform via social media. My story and my work with wildlife was a big draw card for my character and was celebrated throughout my time on the show,” she said.
“This was another opportunity to spread awareness and share my life with the world. Like most people, music and singing is a favourite past time of mine and an opportunity presented itself to me, so I took it.”
She went on to reveal the process of selecting a song and shared that it was a tribute to her late father.
“We workshopped both songs and mutually agreed that ‘Have You Ever Seen The Rain’ was a better fit. It was a beautiful process with Tones and I, and we had a lot of fun and connection. I dedicated this song to my Dad,” she said.
She concluded: “I wish you guys could have seen the whole thing!”
The Voice Australia can be streamed on 7Plus.
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