You may remember his voice. You may remember his determination. Either way, Vernon Barnard stole hearts during his unforgettable 2016 audition on The Voice: South Africa. Vernon Barnard was born with glaucoma, a degenerative disease that damages the optic nerve and can cause blindness. While he could see relatively well as a small child, eventually, at the age of six, the disease rendered him blind.
This didn’t stop Vernon, though. His enthusiasm for life led him to pursue his passions despite his circumstances. One such passion was cricket, and at the age of 19, Vernon became the youngest player in the national senior blind cricket team. It was easy to see, even then, that Vernon was destined for greatness.
He decided to enter The Voice after participating in a singing contest in 2012 at his school. He was so encouraged by the response that he started singing and performing every chance he got.
Vernon chose The Story Of My Life by One Direction as his audition song because he said that he could relate to the song.
“It’s about love for a girl – but it’s not reciprocated. Like many others, I could put myself in that position.”
He was barely 30 seconds into the song when judge Bobby van Jaarsveld turned his chair around. It was then that Bobby realized that Vernon was blind. The emotion and conviction with which Vernon sang the song came from deep within the soul of someone who had a story to tell. This realization brought tears to Bobby’s eyes, and he felt a connection with Vernon that was undeniable. This strong connection led Vernon to be a part of “Team Bobby”.
Vernon says he never heard Bobby’s chair turn around but the roar of the crowd told him that he had won the judges approval. Not only had he gained the admiration of judge Bobby, but three out of the four judges’ chairs turned during the touching performance from Vernon.
When the performance ended, Bobby got down on his knees to plead with Vernon to be a part of his team. Vernon accepted and went on to deliver more outstanding performances on The Voice. Vernon continued to follow his dream of being a singer and worked on a number of singles including “Voel”. Vernon said that he connected with the lyrics of “Voel”.
“I believe the more you believe in the subject you’re singing about, the more sincere your interpretation is. That’s why I choose songs with a constructive message, in this case, unconditional love and support.”
Vernon Barnard recently released his debut album titled “Deur Jou Oë”.
Watch Vernon’s very first audition below. He bares his soul in every note and his unique voice and amazing courage and determination inspire us all to live our dreams.
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Other performances by Vernon Barnard from Season 1 of The Voice: South Africa 2016.
Source: The Voice Portugal via Youtube
Source: The Voice Portugal via Youtube
