The Voice in Europe

I have been watching the different versions of the The Voice in Europe recently. The U.S. version of the show is actually based off of the The Voice of Holland. The formats of all the different European versions are essentially the same as the American version most of us are used to but it is interesting to see how the show dynamics work in different countries. I am first struck by how many of the singers perform in English. Almost all of the top performances are of songs performed in English. This is true not only for the show in Holland but in other countries as well like Germany. It creates an interesting dynamic as the singer is performing in English and the judges and family waiting backstage are all speaking Dutch, German, or whatever language is native to that particular country. One big difference I have noticed between the American version and the European versions of the show is how the judges are portrayed. The judges in the American version often steal the spotlight from the performers by their antics during the performance or bantering. This focus on the celebrity judges is perhaps fueled by celebrity culture in the U.S. in general. The focus on the judges is less pronounced in the European versions of the show, however. The judges are still shown for reaction shots but their actions are more subdued and they do not jump around in their chairs as much. The UK version of the show is perhaps the closest to the American version in terms of the judges being big celebrities but even in this version they seem less prominently displayed. The Polish version of the show provides an even greater contrast as the judges often just simply sit fairly quietly, listen to the song being performed, and press the button if they like it. I personally almost like watching the foreign versions of the voice better because there is more of a focus on the singer’s talents and not on glorifying the already famous celebrities. The celebrities used on the various international versions of The Voice are of course popular in their respective countries but the other versions of the show manage to not abuse their popularity quite as much.