The Voice grand final reaches 1.3 million metro viewers

Last night’s grand final of Nine Network’s The Voice was the highest rating show of Sunday.

It peaked at 1.3 million overnight metro viewers, according to OzTam – up from 1.15 million in 2016.

Exact comparisons between the two years were difficult, as Nine broke down the results into three this year – 1.3 million as shy 22-year-old Queenslander Judah Kelly was announced the winner over Hoseah Partsch, 1.28 million when the final two were unveiled, and 1.18 million for most of the show. 

All three were in the Top 5 most watched shows of the night, with the other two being Seven and Nine’s news.

The 2017 figures showed a halt in the slide in the show’s grand final broadcasts.

In its debut year in 2012, The Voice drew a stunning 3.24 million for winner’s announcement after drawing a steady 2.75 million throughout the show.

In 2013, the winner’s announcement was 2.28 million, dropping to 1.52 million in 2014 and 1.5 million in 2015.

Last night’s show saw Katy Perry perform a pre-taped live rendition of Swish Swish (though Nine were forced to clarify the pre-taping part after Perry was spotted at Sydney Airport as her performance segment aired), Niall Horan fronting his band for Slow Hands, and the Australian debut of Noah Cyrus’ I’m Stuck. 

Perry also announced her 2018 world tour during the show, and Boy George the return of Culture Club.

Judah Kelly, coached by Delta Goodrem, receives a record deal with Universal Music Australia and $100,000 in prize money. 

Before performing his new single, he said, "I’ve had my struggles and I’ve had my doubts and I’ve had my times of darkness.

“But I’ve had people there to help support me. And the song for me is, you know, I’m there for them as well.”

Previously, he and Goodrem did a duet of Beyonce’s ’I Was Here’. Goodrem chose the song for the title, saying, “This song could have been written for Judah.”

He clinched the viewer vote with an emotional reading of Climb Every Mountain from The Sound Of Music.

Kelly’s next major performance is at Queensland’s Gympie Music Muster – where he was runner-up at its Muster Talent Search in 2011. 

There were spectacular performances from the final four, including law student Fasika Ayallew and her coach Kelly Rowland’s fiery Tina Turner-inspired rendition of Proud Mary.

For his duet, coach Boy George chose for Partsch Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World “because you have a beautiful soul.” 

Schoolgirl Lucy Sugerman – called “a shooting star" by her coach Seal and “a space age Joan Baez” by Boy George – did an immaculate version of John Lennon’s Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds with her coach, and her idol Taylor Swift’s You Belong With Me.