Fourteen-year-old student Nelson from Martinique delivered a remarkable operatic performance on French talent show The Voice Kids, prompting an intense coaching battle among judges Matt Pokora, Soprano, and Patrick Fiori.
The young singer traveled 10,000 kilometers from his Caribbean home island to compete on the TF1 television broadcast, convincing three of the show's four celebrity mentors to turn their chairs for his audition.
Nelson chose to perform the famous aria Una furtiva lagrima by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Mentors Soprano and Matt Pokora turned their chairs within the opening notes of the song, with Pokora immediately pressing his red buzzer and asking whether the competition was really The Voice. Mentors rarely hear classical opera singers in the children's version of the format. Patrick Fiori was persuaded in the final seconds of the performance, stating in astonishment that it typically takes 20 years to sing with such vocal capability.
The Voice Kids is a prominent French television talent show broadcast on the TF1 network, featuring young singers aged six to fifteen competing before a panel of music industry professionals. This season's panel includes pop artist Matt Pokora, Marseille rapper Soprano, Corsican vocalist Patrick Fiori, and singer-songwriter Santa. While three mentors engaged in a fierce competition to recruit Nelson, Santa chose not to turn her chair, explaining that she did not feel equipped with the necessary tools to guide a contestant in such a complex classical genre.
Operatic duel on stage
Following the audition, the three interested judges turned the stage into an impromptu musical showdown. Soprano, Pokora, and Fiori traded operatic phrases using their highest tenor voices to persuade the teenager to join their respective teams. Pokora urged the young singer to consider his options carefully, telling the panel that Nelson already had a classical vocal teacher and needed a mentor who would challenge him and push him outside his comfort zone.
The middle-school student revealed that he only began singing in his bedroom a year and a half ago, describing his early attempts as catastrophic. He explained that participating in the competition was an opportunity to make his voice heard as far away as possible from his home island.
Nelson has been studying under classical vocal teacher Fabrice Di Falco, who appeared alongside his student on the show. Di Falco is an acclaimed French countertenor and male soprano from Martinique known for his operatic career and work with young talent. On set, Di Falco explained that he had advised Nelson that mastering classical vocal technique provides the foundation to sing any genre of music. He added that even though the teenager's voice is currently breaking due to puberty, they are actively training both tenor and sopranist ranges so that Nelson can choose the vocal path that suits him best when he turns 18.
Choosing a mentor
Upon hearing the term sopranist, Soprano immediately doubled down on his pitch, insisting that he would take the young vocalist as far as possible in the contest. Di Falco offered a final piece of advice to his pupil, telling Nelson to choose the mentor who would help him discover skills and perspectives that his classical teacher could not provide.
Taking that advice to heart, Nelson announced that he wanted to challenge himself and chose to join Matt Pokora's team. The decision brought a humorous end to the battle, as Soprano expressed disappointment after putting his vocal range to the test, asking whether all that singing effort had been for nothing.
Nelson now advances to the next round of the competition under Pokora's guidance. Viewers can watch all performances from the current season of The Voice Kids on the TF1+ streaming platform.
