Harris Girls’ Academy Bromley student Israella wins The Voice Kids UK
Israella, a Year 10 student from Harris Girls’ Academy Bromley, has won The Voice Kids UK.
Performing ‘How Great Thou Art’ by Carrie Underwood for her final song, she wowed the judges and beat tough competition from her fellow finalists Todd, Tawana and Sebastian.
After Israella’s incredible performance, her mentor Pixie Lott, said: “I’m so proud of you… What a moment. It was absolutely amazing”.
The 14-year-old, who is currently studying for her GCSEs, said of her win: “It was completely unexpected because all the finalists were just amazing. It felt so surreal. Now that I’m back at school, everyone is so supportive and proud of me”.
Sam Rigby, Principal at Harris Girls’ Academy Bromley, expressed his pride when he heard the news: “We are all so thrilled for Israella – she gave a brilliant performance and it was fantastic to see how much her confidence has grown. All the judges were incredibly impressed and I’m so glad she was able to share her talent with so many people. Well done Israella!”.
After her win, Lord Harris of Peckham visited the academy to congratulate her. He shared with her his story and explained how hard work and motivation are the key ingredients for success. Israella said that she found his words “inspiring” and that she really enjoyed having the opportunity to talk with him.
Having grown up in a musical household, singing has always been her passion. Last October, she performed a solo with the Harris Federation choir at our staff conference, wowing an audience of 4,000 people with her rendition of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Don’t You Worry ‘bout a Thing’.
Harris music consultant Diane Stirling supported her in the run up to the conference and Israella described her as “amazing and so kind”.
Looking to the future, she has ambitions to become a doctor and wants to pursue her music education further. She plans to use the bursary she won to support her singing so that she can carry on doing what she loves.
Alongside the bursary, she also won a trip to Florida for her and her family and is excited to take this in the summer holidays.
We are so proud of Israella for this huge achievement!
