EQUINOX’s Johnny Manuel Gets a Four-Chair Turn on 'The Voice Australia'

EQUINOX’s Johnny Manuel Gets a Four-Chair Turn on 'The Voice Australia'
Thursday, 11 June 2020

  • Aspiring singer Johnny Manuel, member of the group EQUINOX that represented Bulgaria at Eurovision 2018,  wowed the judges on The Voice Australia on Sunday's auditions (June 7) with a powerhouse take on "Home" by Diana Ross.

    Delivering a stunning performance thanks to his massive voice and spine-tingling melisma, he earned a four-chair turn from judges Kelly Rowland, Boy George, Delta Goodrem and Guy Sebastian. While all four stars wanted the singer on their team, Rowland soon realized that one of her fellow judges used their block against her, disqualifying the Destiny's Child alum from adding Manuel to her roster. 

    Eventually Manuel chose to team up with another past Eurovision participant and joined Guy Sebastian's team, who had represented Australia in its first Eurovision participation back in 2015 in Vienna with his entry "Tonight Again" (5th place).

     

    A few words about Johnny Manuel

    Johnny Manuel is from Flint, Michigan. As a young child, he could not be pulled away from his radio and quickly began mimicking every note he heard coming out of the speakers. After covering a Run-D.M.C. song, he was signed to a record contract at the age of fourteen under the nickname Lil' Johnny. He was thrilled to be recording in studios and going on tour with famous artists. A couple of years later, however, dropped out the music scene. As a 17-year-old, he started working jobs in retail and other common jobs. 

    Johnny has a past with several participations in reality TV singing competitions. Back in 2017, Manuel made it all the way to the semifinals on Season 12 of America's Got Talent after earning guest judge Seal's i golden buzzer during the Judges Cuts round. 

    Manuel in Eurovision 2018

    On March 12, 2018, Manuel was revealed as one of the five members of the group Equinox, who represented Bulgaria at the 2018 Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon, Portugal. They made it through to the Final, and finished the competition in 14th place.  The group has since been signed to Universal Music.