After years of working the Adelaide pub scene, musician Sam Hale was about ready to give up on his music dreams – that was until he auditioned for Channel 9’s The Voice.
The singer from Koolunga said he was “lost for words” when the first chair turned around signifying he had made it through the audition process and onto the show.
“Every emotion at that point in time just hits you,” Mr Hale said.
“I wanted to drop the f-bomb, then I said flaming and then it kept rolling and I couldn’t stop saying ‘flaming’ or ‘strewth’ … I just kept going .”
Mr Hale joked his mind went back to watching Home and Away character Alf Stewart and mimicking how he conducted himself.
“Alf Stewart was sort of the man to watch, so I guess I kind of learnt that from him,” he said.
Behind his language, the judges were impressed by Mr Hale’s rendition of Shawn Mullins’ Lullaby.
“That version of the song is actually my own (because) I rewrote the music for it,” he said.
“When I was rewriting it I wanted to give it a bit more of a melodic feel … I needed it to be relatable to me.”
Mr Hale transformed the opening verse of the song from the originally spoken version and by the time he got to the powerful high-pitched chorus of the song, had already won the votes of Seal and Boy George.
But if not for his girlfriend Tessa Lawry, Mr Hale said he probably wouldn’t have auditioned.
“I was at the point where I was finished with music and I wasn’t going to do it anymore,” he said.
“Tess has been the one who really kept me going because there were times there where it got stressful,”
“She kicked me into gear and told me I’m too good to not do music … she pushed me to better myself and it happened.”
Mr Hale said the reason he moved to Koolunga was for Tessa.
He said while the town treated him like a local, he did not want to “step on toes” by performing at local pubs as the musicians they had were already “incredible”.
He now lives in Adelaide to accommodate his new and busy travel schedule.
Scott Murphy
With a degree in Journalism from the University of South Australia, a Certificate IV in Film and Television from the Adelaide College of the Arts, and a Diploma of the Arts from SAIBT, I think I have well and truly established the fact I like to learn new things. I have a passion for technology, and the way it enhances storytelling. With this said, I vlog, blog, I write, and I embrace every new app, or otherwise tech-creation which hits the globe. You can literally find me everywhere online. My birth marks me as a South Australian - actually, incase it means something different, I'm from the northern suburbs of Adelaide. I love exploring all things adventure and outdoors, but at the same time I have a passion for gaming and movies. Basically, 'About Me' is I love everything.
With a degree in Journalism from the University of South Australia, a Certificate IV in Film and Television from the Adelaide College of the Arts, and a Diploma of the Arts from SAIBT, I think I have well and truly established the fact I like to learn new things. I have a passion for technology, and the way it enhances storytelling. With this said, I vlog, blog, I write, and I embrace every new app, or otherwise tech-creation which hits the globe. You can literally find me everywhere online. My birth marks me as a South Australian - actually, incase it means something different, I'm from the northern suburbs of Adelaide. I love exploring all things adventure and outdoors, but at the same time I have a passion for gaming and movies. Basically, 'About Me' is I love everything.
