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Cape Town – Zimbabwean-born Donel Mangena is taking the Voice UK on ITV Choice (DStv 123) by storm.
The 16-year-old first blew the coaches away during his memorable Blind Audition and who can forget his 77-year-old grandmother Nita and her dance of joy.
His winning streak continued as he made it through the Battle Round and the Knock Outs.
And on Sunday, Donel advanced to the semi-finals.
Channel24 caught up with Donel ahead of the Knockout Rounds to talk about his passion for music, his journey on the show and his grandmother and her spotlight stealing dance.
The teen who spent his younger years in Bulawayo and now resides in Southampton says his passion for music stems from singing in the church and working with his dad on cool projects.
During his Blind Audition he took a big risk by singing parts of Major Lazer and Justin Bieber's Cold Water in isiNdebele.
“I wanted to show off my skills and show the world who I am. I had to go in and show who I am and what I believe in,” says Donel in an email interview.
His risk paid off earning him a four-chair turn.
Speaking about the reaction Donel says he never expected it.
“It was a life changing moment. It also meant I needed to start working harder to show progression in my singing and performance.”
His biggest challenge in the competition so far has been the Battle Round where he went up against fellow team mate Rhianna Abrey.
“I wasn’t very familiar with the song Rain and it was a huge challenge but I managed to pull it off.”
His hard work paid off when will.i.am chose him to go through to the Knockouts which is Donel’s favourite moment in the competition so far.
At this point of the competition Donel is appreciating every stage he progresses to.
“I am working hard in order to improve and to be the best in what I do and to be the best in my genre of music.”
And will his granny be joining him on stage again?
“She’s amazing. I’ll let you watch the series and see how it unfolds!”
Watch his knockout perfromance here:
Catch The Voice UK Sundays at 18:00 on ITV Choice (DStv 123) at 18:00. The show broadcasts in South Africa within 24-hours of the UK transmission.
