The 18-year-old Harrison Craig’s golden voice and inspiring story made his audition on Josh Groban’s “Broken Vow” the biggest hit in the history of The Voice Australia. The Melbourne teen’s audition ticked all the right boxes for fans, who tuned in a whopping 53 million times to see the young talent knock his audition out of the park.
Craig’s journey to The Voice was a long one, as he has a stutter. This proved challenging for the teen, as he explained that his “whole primary school life I did get picked on quite a lot.” You wouldn’t know Craig has a stutter when you hear him sing though, as he sings in a silky smooth classical pop voice that just sounds like honey. Josh Groban’s “Broken Vow” was an excellent choice by the teen, as he instantly brings to mind classical crossover stars like Groban and Andrea Bocelli.
Craig had the judges shook up from the first note, and judge Seal almost hit his buzzer just from what he heard on the first line alone. Seal kept the tension for a few moments before hitting his buzzer as Craig began the chorus. Delta Goodrem soon followed suit by turning her chair for Craig, as did Joel Madden and then Ricky Martin. The judges then gave the teen a well-deserved standing ovation.
Seal was the first judge to comment, saying, “It is voices like that that make guys like me want to coach. That is a gift brother. You are great and it will be my job and my privilege to bring the greatness out of you.” Joel Madden also gave Craig a vote of confidence, saying, “You own the stage, man.” Later during his time on The Voice Australia, Craig sang “Unchained Melody”, which was also one of the most popular performances in the history of the show, attracting 10 million views.
Craig definitely made an impression on Delta Goodrem, as she told him, “I believe that your journey, and everything you’ve gone through, to then stand up there and be strong like that is so inspiring.” Ricky Martin commented last, saying, “I loved your voice. The way you communicate is beautiful and breathtaking.”
The judges’ comments devolved into squabbling at points, as they vied to get Craig on their team. Madden interrupted Goodrem to claim he knows Josh Groban. Goodrem then tried to one-up him on the name-dropping stakes, by saying that she knew Groban’s longtime producer David Foster. This back and forth didn’t yield any fruit for the pair however, as when given the choice between all four judges, Craig eventually picked Seal.