Alrighty people, read this article, clicky the linky, whatever you would like to do, and then get back to me on this: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment...-tears-for-12yearold-romy-20140707-zsydn.html Long story short: a 12-year old girl auditioned for The Voice Kids, was rejected, and then burst into tears. Here's the video: There is outrage a-brewin over Channel 9's broadcast of this footage, with many people saying it was "hard to watch." Although the child is now happy and content with her audition, the debate for whether or not young people should be allowed to participate in a competition like this. Now me personally, I don't like The Voice Kids for this reason. I have been a dedicated fan of all of these reality TV talent shows but I can't handle the kid's versions for this reason. Getting up on stage with so many nerves, singing your heart out and not having any of the judges "like your voice" is disappointing, and as a kid it's crushing. Kids that age still believe that TV=Mainstream market, therefore if I get rejected by the judges, then I'm not good enough and no one likes my voice. It's a terrible mindset to have as a child, and is also one of the reasons I'm glad I didn't start singing until 15. Kids that age just don't have a thick skin. The Voice Kids is also heavily marketed and advertised from it's 'cute' factor, so the contestants who miss out as the least marketable in these shows are indeed 11-13 year old girls who aren't as cute as their 8 or 9 year old competitors. The other thing is confidence. When children hit around 11, I believe they become more truly aware of their abilities as a singer and their confidence starts to go down. It's much easier for a 6 year old to get up there than it is for a 12 year old, simply because they are more aware. (That's just my opinion by the way, but from personal experience I felt more comfortable auditioning for Australian Idol when I was 6 than when I was 11.) It's also immense pressure for the kids. You see so many adults on these shows have their breakdowns and their tears and their stresses, well for a kid that's hell. Kids are mean, yo, and the pressure of such a competition could just make them break down, and possibly never sing again. This is why I wanted to see The Voice Kids stopped and The X Factor's age limit raised from 14 to 16. But KHV, I put the question out to you: Should The Voice Kids exist? Are kids that young able to handle such a stressful competition? Do they just need tougher skin? How young is too young to enter such a competition? Post, post, post! I would really like your thoughts on this!!
I don't really like shows like these, this kids are forced by their parents to take part, because their parents think that, if their kid are successfull. so are they. And then these kids grow with lots of problems, like stress, mental diseases, egocentrism (if they are successfull from an early age), if they aren't successfull instead, they could suffer of depression, ecc...
I have never really considered this before but yes, I feel like that would be too young because a kid ages 10 or under may have more confidence but the effects will be so long lasting if they are rejected, it is also horrible because they may just need to develop their singing a bit more and gain more confidence which the show would kill. If they are young teenagers then this effect could be worse, that's a point in your life where you are trying to find yourself and your talents as well as proving what you can do- rejection is really taken to heart. I agree that it should be stopped and the age raised to 16, I don't really watch these shows ever because I find it uncomfortable to watch the drama. I almost feel like it's people with lots of nerves going out onto stage, trying their hardest only to be shot down and laughed at by a nation or given a false sense of glory but that is just my opinion.
If the show is clearly focused on the competition side of things then it' s probably best to keep the kids out of it. Yeah, there' s a kid singing show in my country that' s been going around since ... well since even before I was born I think, my mum watched it every Sunday when I was a toddler. They invite a professional singer, have all the kids sing one of his song, and let them grade each other themselves (purely for the hell of it since there' s no prize). The kids are all young enough to actually, strikingly, not give a damn about what people will think of them. That' s actually what the show is remembered and known for to this day :
I totally agree with you. If you already can't find people in your life that support your dream, to get rejected like that on television with these stars would be even worse for someone's confidence. These kids need to feel enough support to devolve those talents, and they never will if they're being reminded of how they got rejected that one time. I'm an actress/singer as well, and for me personally I think it would be CRUSHING even for someone like me who doesn't get nerves. When you're considering how much work and time you put into a song, it's really heartbreaking if you get rejected. Plus these ARE kids and they will be taking it harder then most. I definitely think anything under 14 is too young. They haven't had the time to develop their talents yet, and they'll take rejection harder. For a show like the X-Factor, I would find age limits annoying. It's telling that young singer that even though their talents may be surpassing of that age, but they still aren't able to audition. At 14/15 these teens SHOULD be able to recognize if they really have a talent or not. Some people do go on the show just as a fun thing to do, and really they shouldn't be that bummed out about it, especially when hopefully they realize singing isn't exactly there talent. For teenagers that are serious about actually getting into show business, they're going to need to learn that rejection is just part of the job. If they can't take it during regular auditions, they aren't cut out for it or not mature enough to take that rejection yet, and certainly shouldn't be going on the show. Plain and simple. It happens all the time. But if that teenager around 14-15 is mature enough to take that criticism and build on it, then to say they're not old enough, especially if their talents surpass those of 16-17, then I don't think it would be fair for them to let them wait.
I grew up playing music since I was in third grade, at first it was more of "your sister is in band, you should do it too". So i know the whole "being forced to do 'x' musically". Eventually however I ended up loving playing music (instruments, singing, etc). That aside allow me to continue to my point. I knew a girl growing up that was to this day one of the most musically talented people I have ever met (hell she even sang with the band Foreigner at a gig a year or so ago). She was however one of those people who was pushed to their limits by their mom who expects almost impossible things. What's different with her is she delivered every time, and hell she even enjoyed it. The big problem though is the spotlight did a ton of damage to her, and I am not talking about any egotistical things. If she didn't perform correctly, do things perfectly, or even if someone just didn't enjoy it, then she got hell for that. From the director, her mom, etc. I do not think it is right for some show to exploit children at all, let alone when it comes to music because to many kids who actually enjoy music, it becomes their life. It consumes them and when things don't go well, dear lord it sucks. I know what it feels like to work your ass off non stop when it comes to performing/music. I played music from anywhere to 5-10 hours a day from my Junior year onward. One thing I picked up is stress management is key, and to be honest these children just aren't capable of doing that on their own. It doesn't matter if they have an amazing support system whether it be their parents, directors, friends, etc. Hell one example of how bad this can be, during "hell week" for a musical I was playing in the pit band for (hell week: the hardest and longest week of practice, pit band: the band that plays during musicals that are almost always hand picked or hired) I was so distracted by all the work that needed to be done as well as the stress that came with it, that I actually managed to get mono without knowing it. A few months later my doctor told me that I had it and for the life of me I had no idea it even happened. Not knowing you had mono takes a stupid level of distraction and that's what music can do to you when it comes to practicing for performances and performing all together. I am not saying music is bad, hell it pretty much defines a huge part of me, what I am saying is you need to practice extreme caution when it comes to taking care of your mental and physical being because if you don't it WILL bite you in the ass. Sadly back to the story about the girl I knew, the stress she was dealing (or rather wasn't properly dealing with) eventually broke her. She went from the girl I knew and was friends with, to someone with severe social issues as well as some very bad depression. It was after she threatened to kill herself several times to me that I decided I needed to get away from something like that. I know that's a bit off topic but I figured some people might be curious is to what happened. Yeah all this being said, young kids shouldn't be exposed to an extreme amount of pressure or stress. Let alone be ****ing exploited for TV views, and don't even get me started about parents who make their children do things to make themselves feel better. Fuck that.
If kids believe they have amazing talent and want the world to experience it, then let them. I've watched many talent shows such as America's got Talent and X-Factor and others. On each show, I've seen many young people who are extremely talented and made me stare in awe. However, as a person, I found them very unlikable. Unanimously, I found that I disliked every participant under the age of 16. This is not saying they are untalented. I have seen MANY children having large qualities of talent, even more than the majority of adults. However, I feel as if it's not right to let them progress to the next stage. There are few reasons why. One, the stress is unbearable when they know they're competing against others. Two, the kids don't take these competitions seriously. Either their parents forced them into it or they do it for the lulz. Other people lost jobs, had their life ruined or others and see this as an opportunity to regain their foothold in life. How soul-crushing would it be to be beaten by some child who wants that prize money to buy 1 million dollars worth of food? Three, it's overdramatic and unfair. When they don't move on, they all cry and make the judges feel all bad an stuff. When they do go on, I feel in the voting process, many vote them through just for the sake as they are children and have that "innocent" aura with them. All in all, let them take a shot on the real world. Unless they are forced, they should be willing to accept the hard truth of their mindset. If they make ANY sort of unfair complaint, they don't deserve the spotlight and aren't ready for the harsh reality out there.
I would consider any age under 16 as too young. It just doesn't seem like they would be emotionally ready to handle the stress of it all. Shows like the X-Factor annoy me because really, they don't care how talented a singer you are. It's all about the image and how they can market you. They literally care more about someone who can dance, looks good, but can't sing. They tell people on a SINGING show that basically their image and "star quality" matter more than their voice. I think these shows allow young children on them so that they can exploit them and sell their cutesy/sob stories to the public. They groom them and fill them with confidence, in the end only to tell them in front of a national audience, "you're not ready yet, come back when you're older" - it must be a real hit to their confidence to be told that, especially with how impressionable children are.
Okay, I would like to say something on this point/rant about the Voice a little more. The Voice is a show that prides itself on being more about the sound than the image. However, I have predicted every single person who has gotten through based purely on their looks. So at least the X-Factor has a bit of the "image" thing as part of their criteria, while The Voice denies it! There's a contestant on The Voice Au named Kat Jade. Awesome singer, but she has said on the show words to the effect of being bothered with how her image has been changed. She came on the show wearing cat ears and she doesn't any more and it bothers her. So much for a show based on sound and uniqueness, right? Anywho, back to the main point: while kids do seem to be more impressionable, they can also brush it off easier depending on their age. As I was saying before, younger kids tend to be more able to pick themselves up and keep going, while teens can actually take that sort of stuff as damaging, because for many of them they have waited a long time to feel like they're ready and to have their moment and be told they're not good enough is a real let down. I also had this discussion with someone else, and he said to keep shows like this on because it "toughens them up". Idk, I really disagree with that...
I completely agree with you. The Voice is just as bad, if not worse. Kat should've been able to continue wearing her cat ears. Yeah, they're cat ears, but so what? If she likes them and is comfortable wearing them then that's all that should matter. It's a little quirk that makes her unique. There was similar cases on The Voice UK - contestants were told to lose weight, change their image, etc. There was even a woman who was bald due to alopecia and they made her wear headscarfs to cover it up. She said she was proud to show it off as it doesn't define her or her talent. It's disgusting tbh.
Personally, i believe she did great, in a couple of years, she can come back and could possibly win. Like the woman said, it should make her want it more. She should really take the judge's advice. I think they definitely let her down easy and in a way that she can definitely understand when she's young now and a bit older. I think that she is a bit young for the show though and with how the program's run, a 12 year old cannot handle the pressure that comes with that. Maybe when she's older she'll have the capacity to deal with the things that come along with that.
