Month: February 2019

Year after year, millions of viewers flock to their TV sets to follow some of the nation’s most talented singers chasing their dreams on one of Australia’s biggest reality shows, The Voice on Nine.

Now in its eighth season, The Voice continues to unearth singing talent, and this year it will bring some new surprises, with the return of previous all-star contestants set to shake up the format, says Nine’s Head of Content, Production and Development, Adrian Swift.

“We are never going to mess with that central idea, but this year we are bringing back the all stars. Over the years brilliant singers have been knocked out of The Voice along the way. Sometimes they weren’t confident enough, sometimes it wasn’t their best performance the day they were on stage. So this year they’re coming back.”

The eighth season of The Voice will see 10 all stars returning to compete with the new pool of talent.

“We think this new dimension will make it really interesting, seeing people you know and love from the past seven seasons of The Voice coming back to try and turn a chair again,” said Swift.

Competition for the new season of The Voice will be fierce, with the talent continuing to improve as the search spans far and wide across the nation.

“We’re blessed in this country because we’ve still got an untapped reservoir of great singers and performers.”

While the central concept of The Voice won’t be changing, audiences can expect new surprises in the latest season which launches in Q2 of 2019.

The 2019 season sees Guy Sebastian in one of the spinning red chairs, joining last year’s panel of coaches, Delta Goodrem, Kelly Rowland and Boy George. The homegrown star, who came out of a pop reality contest himself, is set to bring an exciting and fresh lens to The Voice.

“Guy brings currency because he’s got hits in the charts right now, and if there’s someone on the panel who can give real tips of the moment, take someone with genuinely raw talent and bring them into the centre of the music industry, it is Sebastian,” Swift said.

Season seven of The Voice last year delivered Nine a national cross-platform of 1.7 million viewers, and The Voice app proved how much people want to be involved in the judging process, with 3.5 million votes cast – and 2019 is set to be even bigger.

Watch The Voice on 9Now or catch up on exclusive content on the Show site.

With some of the biggest star power in the world, season eight of The Voice is set to ignite the Australian entertainment industry once more.

“When you’ve gone from singing in the shower to singing in front of Kelly, Delta, Boy George and Guy, that’s quite a moment, and I love that moment being on Nine,” Swift added.

Nine is set to start the second quarter with a new franchise, Lego Masters, hosted by Hamish Blake, which promises audiences a different type of reality show.

Speaking about the audience for the new format show, Nine’s Head of Content, Production and Development, Adrian Swift, argued it was important to understand that Lego Masters is more than just children’s entertainment. 

“Lego Masters is our newest show, and while it’s all about Lego, there’s a whole lot more to it. It’s about people who love Lego and can genuinely tell a story with those little bricks,” says Swift.

“This is not a kids show. It’s for anyone who has ever loved Lego, picked up a brick and built something with it, or even trodden over it in the middle of the night.

Nine announced it would launch Lego Masters in 2019 following its success internationally.

With $100,000 in prizemoney on offer and 2.5 million Lego bricks at their fingertips, the possibilities for the Lego Masters contestants are mind-boggling. Throughout the show the participants consistently impress with their creativity and ingenuity, all in an effort to claim the Lego trophy.

Swift says the key ingredients are the participants, who are set to take everyone by surprise. 

“I think the audience for Lego Masters will be mixed. What’s really important is for people to understand is that it’s a show for people who really love achievement at its most pure.

 “The contestants have skills that very few of us have. What they can do with Lego, the best singers do on The Voice. They’re people with design and building ability, creativity and imagination, and everyone will love it. I think all of us can just stand back and take out hats off to their brilliance.

Swift said Hamish Blake will provide fun and energy to Lego Masters.

“Because he’s so new to this sort of television he brings warmth, charm and humour that we’ve rarely seen on a reality show in Australia. He really sets this show apart as a host who makes you smile.”

Swift also pointed to the involvement of Ryan “The Brickman” McNaught – the only accredited official Lego builder in the Southern Hemisphere.

“What that man does not know about Lego, Mr Lego himself wouldn’t know,” Swift said, noting how McNaught is one of only 14 LEGO certified professionals in the world.

“What I love is the massive scale that these contestants can achieve with something that starts out so small.”