The Voice coaches are left baffled as contestant performs in sign language during blind auditions and they’re unable to see what’s happening
The Voice Australia featured its first ever sign language performance on Sunday.
Contestant Andy Dexterity performed John Lennon’s timeless hit Imagine in Auslan (Australian Sign Language), the language of the Australian Deaf Community, for his Blind Audition.
However, the inclusive audition first proved to be confusing for all of the coaches, until they eventually turned around to see why there was no singing.
Inclusive: The Voice Australia’s Andy Dexterity (pictured) performed John Lennon’s Imagine in Auslan (Australian Sign Language) for his Blind Audition on Sunday night
As the music started and Kelly Rowland, Guy Sebastian, Boy George and Delta Goodrem heard no vocals, they first thought the act was too nervous.
They then whispered that they may have been playing an instrument instead.
Andy sang several lines of the song towards the end of the audition, prompting all of the coaches to turn around, despite still being slightly baffled.
‘Did they miss the start?’ However, the inclusive audition first proved to be confusing for all four of the coaches as they couldn’t see what was happening, or why there was no singing
A show first: Andy sang several lines of the song towards the end of the audition, prompting all of the coaches to turn around, despite still being slightly baffled. Pictured: Boy George
‘I was a bit confused, if I’m honest. I thought that maybe you were too scared to come on… I couldn’t see what was happening,’ explained Guy afterwards.
‘All I could see was every single person in the audience saying turn around.’
Andy then explained that he’d performed in Auslan, and why he chose to do so.
‘I was a bit confused, if I’m honest. I thought that maybe you were too scared to come on… I couldn’t see what was happening,’ said Guy Sebastian (pictured) afterwards
Inspiration: Andy told the coaches that ‘466 million people don’t have access to the average hearing range’ and he uses sign as a ‘magic doorway’ for them to experience music too
He said: ‘Five percent of the world’s population don’t have access to the average hearing range. That is like 466 million people that haven’t heard your favourite song.
‘When you share a song with someone and you both know the words, there are so many people that don’t have that feeling.
‘But you can find a doorway to that magic [though sign] and open it somewhat.’
‘I started learning sign language when I was quite young’: Delta surprised her co-stars by speaking to Andy in Auslan, saying she learned sign to ‘communicate with everybody’
Delta surprised her co-stars by asking Andy ‘how are you?’ in Auslan.
‘I started learning sign language when I was quite young because I’ve always loved, with all of my heart, wanting to communicate with everybody,’ she said.
‘And making sure everybody can be heard and we can speak to each other. This is representing a part of community that we haven’t represented, which is so exciting.’
Away from The Voice, Andy has appeared on The Wiggles and is close friends with Emma Watkins, also known as Yellow Wiggle.
Celebrity friends: Away from The Voice, Andy has appeared on The Wiggles and is close friends with Emma Watkins (pictured), also known as Yellow Wiggle