Filled with catchy tunes and peppy tracks

It was a treat for music lovers as twelve contestants made their way to the finals of  Season 6 of 'Voice of Bangalore' (VOB) held at Garuda Mall recently.  The contestants were required to sing a peppy number and a semi classical song each in Kannada and Hindi. Even contestants who were not familiar with the regional language impressed the audience and judges with their rendering of some of the Kannada classics.

Playback singer Rajesh Krishnan, Kannada film director and actor Prem and singer, composer Arjun Janya were the judges for the evening.

One of the semi finalists, Nithya Mammen, a student of BMS College of Engineering told us just prior to her performance, "I am pretty nervous right now. The opportunity to sing with an orchestra like this,  considered one of the best bands in the city, is a huge opportunity. I will be singing 'Sar se mori chunari' from Devdas and 'Dheera Dheera' and I hope the judges and the audience enjoy my performance." Nithya's performance was praised by the judges especially because of the ease with which she shifted from a classical number to a very peppy song.  Though she didn't reach the finals, she got a special mention.

Another contestant from Mysore, Vijeth Urs M considered one of the strongest contenders to win the title appeared very excited and confident. He said,"I am not scared or nervous at all. I am very confident of reaching the finals. I have done my junior in Carnatic music  and I want to learn Hindustani music in future." This 19-year-old dreams of becoming a playback singer and feels VOB is the best platform to hone his talent.

Raksha Achar and Samikshya Mishra were two of the finalists who impressed with their powerful voices and the choice of songs.

This talent hunt show presented by the Garuda Mall, has been held successfully for five seasons starting 2007. This five-year long singing talent show has gained immense popularity and people from all walks of life including MNCs, colleges, private and government organisations. Over three lakh participants are said to have taken part in the competition over the years.

Being one of the biggest talent shows in the state, VOB has also given singers like Santosh, Deepak and Ramakrishnaiah to the Kannada film industry.