Tonight is the grand finale of The Voice and Canberra schoolgirl Xanthe Campbell came achingly close to being there.
But the national capital will be right behind former Lake Ginninderra College student Thando Sikwila who is one of the the four grand finalists in with a chance to win the first prize prize of $100,000 and a recording contract.
The public will decide the grand final winner.
Canberrans can vote for Thando Sikwila by texting her name to 0417 779 677 (standard terms and conditions apply). The voting will close during the grand final tonight.
Seventeen-year-old Xanthe reached the semi-finals of the singing competition but her coach Rita Ora chose her teammate Lachie Gill to progress to the grand final.
A year 12 student at Dickson College, Xanthe is grateful for her experience on The Voice, saying it was "beyond what people can imagine".
"There was always a sense of comfortability for me being on stage, but then getting the chance to receive constructive criticism by professionals and to get high praise back, was surreal," Xanthe said.
"I was in shock most of the time we were filming because my body adjusted so fast to what was happening but my brain didn't even realise until the semi-finals hit.
"There will always be a family for me on The Voice and I will never forget the lessons and skills I learned towards my own voice and capabilities and I hope to put them to good use. It was a pure and wonderful experience for an upcoming artist like me and I just had the most fun being in this show.
"I will never forget this period of my life and how it's changed me forever."
So who does Xanthe think will win tonight's grand final?
"I honestly have NO clue," she said.
"The top four are super unique to themselves. Lachie has this tone that is so emotionally captivating and I'm excited to see how he and Rita work together for this next stage.
"They ALL are magical in their own way and they are all the most humble and pure people I know.
"Seriously. I am excited and beyond proud of all of them for staying true to their craft, I hope they ALL win!!"
Thando was mentored by superstar Keith Urban and said she thrived under the pressure of the competition.
"I'm very excited," she said, of reaching the grand final.
The mum-of-one lived in Canberra before moving to Melbourne after her family migrated from Zimbabwe.
"I get emotional when I think about it," she said.
Thando, as part of the grand final, has released an uplifting tune called The Other Side, about taking risks and "no longer fighting your destiny".
Her ultimate aim is to represent Australia in Eurovision.
Good luck Thando!
- The Voice grand final is on Prime7 tonight at 7pm
