This Sunday, at 19:30, the blind auditions of the most watched music project in the country "Lietuvos balsas" will continue on LNK. For the first time in the project, teachers will also try out an innovation in the format. In the seventh season, the iconic teachers' chairs will feature three more buttons, in addition to the big red button, which will block other teachers and add even more intrigue to the teachers' battle for the best voices.
"The Voice format is constantly evolving and sometimes different countries bring their own twist to the idea of the Voice, but of course this process is carefully overseen by the creators of the format. The tradition, born in Lithuania, of organising the final battles as a concert tour, visiting a different city's arena every week, has been recognised by the creators of the format as an applicable practice in other countries. A year ago, Lithuania was presented as an example at a meeting of The Voice producers. And this year we have introduced a blind audition gimmick from the United States - the block button - into The Voice of Lithuania. According to the new rules, teachers can use this button once during the blind auditions to anonymously block another teacher from selecting their preferred participant. The block button means that the teacher who presses it automatically turns himself/herself to the participant on stage, while the teacher who is blocked cannot be chosen by the participant who also turns him/herself. In this way, the music stars will be fighting each other for the best votes, which from the very first notes will be worthy of the final in their eyes," says Gediminas Jaunius, Chief Producer of Voice of Lithuania.
One of the girls who impressed the project's teachers was Katarina, an incredible-looking "anime" girl. Short shorts, fishnet tights, bright make-up and colourful wigs - that's how Katarina looks in everyday life and on stage. Born in Lithuania but living in St Petersburg for eight years, the 19-year-old says she only discovered her new style when she returned to Lithuania at the age of 14.
"When I lived in Russia I was a very quiet child. I used to dance and sing, but I didn't have any other activities there. I was really angry when we had to move to Russia because of my dad's job, I didn't want to. But when they told me eight years later that we were going back to Lithuania, I was very happy, but I was scared that I would have to finish school there, and I hardly spoke Lithuanian anymore," says Katarina.
Katarina is happy that it hasn't been difficult since she returned to Lithuania. Not only did she completely change her appearance, but she also found style friends who taught Katarina to speak Lithuanian in a very short time.
"I didn't speak Lithuanian at all when I arrived. For a couple of months, I spoke only English. But then I made friends who specifically spoke only Lithuanian with me, so I learned the language in just a year. One of my friends showed me an anime movie, and I really liked the style of the characters in that movie, and from then on I started dressing like that, and I got interested in cosplay. I wanted blue hair, and months later I wanted pink hair. My mother didn't like it very much," Katarina laughs.
Katarina's eccentric appearance is certainly eye-catching, and she admits that she often receives a lot of comments.
"People often say I look like a doll or an elf. Of course they say I look like a girl from an anime movie. But most people support me, people in Lithuania are very tolerant, much more tolerant than in Russia" , says the participant.
Whether Katarina will be able to impress the teachers not only with her style but also with her voice, whether she will turn at least one teacher's chair around and what kind of passions will be stirred up in the project by the anonymously used buttons of the block - already this Sunday, 19:30 on LNK.
