When she auditioned for the inaugural season of The Voice Australia in 2012, Casey Withoos loved the idea of a blind audition. She’d always been judged on her looks, but now, she’d be judged on her talent alone.
Being overweight has caused Casey problems, and ahead of her audition, her mom, Margaret, even came straight out and said she has “no confidence, no ego, no self esteem at all. Absolutely none. She is incredibly shy.â€
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But when she gets on stage? Now that’s a whole different ballgame.
When I’m performing, I stop being me and I get to be someone who’s confident and exciting and interesting and everything that I sometimes feel like I’m not. This opportunity, and the fact that it’s completely blind, it’s so important because I can be a person without being a person who is overweight.
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All four judges’ chairs face away from the stage as she approaches, and remain that way as she begins her cover of Regina Spektor’s hit, “Samson.”The lyrics leave her throat in near crystalline form, and the almost ethereal quality of her performance led one Australian newspaper to name her, two years later, as one of the 10 best blind auditions on the show.
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Casey needn’t have concerned herself about her weight or what effect it has on her looks, because these judges know talent when they hear it. Halfway through the song, the first judge slams her buzzer, followed soon after by the second, then the third. Seconds before the song ends, she’s convinced all four judges to send her on to the next round.
It’s a big blow to the ego when you’ve spent most of your life being judged by others based on your looks or dress size. Casey is truly beautiful, but more importantly, she has a strong spirit, one so strong that it was able to override the hurtful comments and push her toward her lifelong goals. We should all aspire to that kind of dignity.
Watch one of the best blind auditions you’ve ever seen in the video below, and remember to share her beautiful voice.
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