People got passionate.
Three coaches turned their chairs on The Voice for this contestant.
One didn’t.
Queenslander Tim McCallum sung Nessun Dorma (translation: none shall sleep), an aria from the Puccini opera Turandot.
The one who didn’t turn, Jessie J, ended up wishing she had after hearing McCallum, 34, told his story.
The wheelchair-bound singer has no movement from the chest down, which means he has no control over his diaphragm.
A bewildered Jessie J asked, “How do you sing like that?”
McCallum was paralysed after an accident in the surf, which left him with only partial use of his arms – but it couldn’t stop him singing.
He explained that he had to learn how to sing all over again after his accident, and he developed new ways to hit the right notes.
“I had a lot of very special people around me that encouraged me to keep doing what I love doing and music was such a constant in my life that it didn’t matter whether I walked or not,” he said.
“I have an opportunity to be able to show people that no matter what barriers or challenges you may face in your life, you can get through any brick wall. And so, here I am, I turned the chairs, I’m going through!”
Jessie J was moved by McCallum’s story and said she was “gutted” she didn’t turn her chair around.
McCallum eventually chose Ricky Martin as his mentor.
After he went backstage, Jessie J told the audience that she’d suffered a minor stroke at age 17 and doctors told her she might not be able to sing the way she used to.
“I lost the feeling on my right side of my body, and I couldn’t move for about three weeks. And they said that there is a possibility that I would never walk properly or sing the same again,” she said.
“So I think when I hear stories like that and I see the determination, it puts it in perspective, how great you can be when you really put your mind to it.”
The pop star has been in hospital herself for an undisclosed illness recently. It’s not clear if it has anything to do with the stroke she had as a teenager.
Check out our Jessie J gallery…
The completely fierce Jessie J.
More on The Voice?
The Voice star’s stalker: “This man doesn’t go away. He’ll never go away.”
Ricky Martin talks crying children on The Voice Kids.
Top Comments
But isn't this the point of the show? That contestants are judged on their voices and not who has the most touching back story? Isn't that why it's called The Voice?