Robynn & Kendy audition for The Voice of China. I know, I know. I was supposed to have this recap up days ago.

Just in case we haven’t been paying attention, the beginning of the episode introduces all the judges (again), listing some of their professional accomplishments with short sound bites from them about what they want to achieve. It’s all pretty standard, and none of it is especially remarkable, except for the fact that Chyi Chin doesn’t seem to have aged in 25 years. That’s not to say he doesn’t look his age of 54. Just that he looked 54 back in 1988.
Other than that, this episode jumps straight into the first audition.

This post is the second in a series of weekly recaps for The Voice of China. Review the first episode here.

Qin Xiaolin 秦晓林
19, Anyang, Henan
Fire 火 by A-mei

We jump straight into the first audition. No cute back-story here. What’s up with that? Maybe this contestant is really unlikable and nothing about her is endearing to the audience. The band plays a harder, rockier version of A-mei’s Fire. Oh, our auditionee has a really husky voice. She looks and sounds like chain-smoking lumberjack. I guess this is why they didn’t give her a proper introduction; her speaking voice would have given away the surprise. Her top notes actually resonate really well.

All the male judges turn for her. Wang Feng smiles. “You’re on fire.”
“From now on, you have a new nickname,” Yang Kun says. “Do you know what it is?”
“What is it?” she asks.
“Volcano girl!” Yang Kun replies enthusiastically. “Volcano” in Chinese is literally fire mountain, so Yang Kun just made a pun. It’s not a very good pun. “Her voice sounds like a volcano eruption,” Yang Kun explains to Na Ying.
“Her throat is full of fire.” Na Ying says.
“Ngraahahaaah,” adds Yang Kun. I don’t know what that’s meant to be.
Yang Kun asks if she was born with her voice or if it developed later on.
“I was born with this way,” she says. “I inherited it from my mother and grandmother. My mom is a Chinese opera singer. My grandfather has a really loud voice. I grew up in the east side of town. And every day I’d go to the west side to play at my classmate’s house. My grandmother would call out from one side to call me back for dinner.”
“Ryahaahaaaah!” Yang Kun responds. Continue reading →