The Voice Australia heartbreak: Leyla misses out on grand final in shock elimination

Leyla might only be 13 years old, but she won over hearts on The Voice.

Despite becoming a firm fan favourite, with Mel C even saying she could be the 2026 winner, Leyla was sent home in the semi-finals.

Ronan ultimately picked boy band The 60 Four to advance, leading to a tearful exit for Leyla.

Though she was “heartbroken” not to make the final, Leyla was overjoyed to break a Voice record: Becoming the youngest artist in the world to reach the adult semi-finals.

“That’s something I still find really hard to believe,” she tells New Idea. 

“When I think about the little girl who started singing because she just loved it, I don’t think she ever imagined she’d end up on The Voice, let alone make history.”

Leyla says she had a “feeling” Ronan might choose The 60 Four but was determined to give the performance her all, and is overwhelmed with the positive public response.

“My social media has grown massively since The Voice and I’ve had more than 30 million profile visits across my profiles, which is something I never could have imagined,” she admits.

“Some of the messages I’ve received from people I’ve never even met have made me cry because they’ve told me that my performances meant something to them. That’s something I’ll never take for granted.” 

And she’s been blown away by her famous fans, with singer Lauren Spencer-Smith reaching out to her on social media amid her newfound fame.

“It’s pretty crazy seeing artists that I know and look up to suddenly know who I am,” she admits.

With no regrets about her time on the show, Leyla is now looking ahead to proving herself as a singer, with her “momager” Annie cheering her on every step of the way.

“My mum has been my biggest supporter from day one,” Leyla gushes.

“She’s still my manager for now. We are currently working with a management team in a co-management situation for now, which is going great, but my mum is basically the person who keeps everything together behind the scenes.”

But her friends are keeping her grounded, and she’s still working hard at school as well as pursuing her music dreams.

“I went from having all this crazy stuff happening with The Voice to being back at school and doing normal school things,” Leyla explains.

“My friends have been really supportive and excited for me, which has been so nice. But I’m still just one of the girls at school, so sometimes it’s funny when people are like, “Wait, you were actually on TV last night!” 

“I have to be really organised and I don’t want to fall behind, so far it’s been manageable. My mum also helps me make sure I’m not taking on more than I can handle.”

For now, she just wants to make music that people “genuinely connect with”, and she’s already got live performances around Australia in the works.

“I feel like The Voice was a beginning rather than an ending,” she adds.

“I’m only 13, and I honestly feel like this is just the beginning.”

Taylor was a triumph on The Voice, but sadly lost out to Yung Milla for her place in the grand final.

While she was disappointed not to make it all the way to the final, she had prepared herself for Mel’s decision.

The perfectionist in me will always find little things I could’ve done differently, but overall, I’m really proud of my performances,” Taylor exclusively tells New Idea.

“I always stayed true to myself and my artistry, no matter the challenge! I honestly don’t think I could’ve done any more, regardless of the outcome.”

She says being coached by Spice Girl Mel C was a “pinch-me” moment, but admits part of her knew she was going to pick Yung Milla after they had built up a “rapport” over the weeks.

“Of course, I would have loved to have gone all the way with Melanie, but I’m very happy with my journey on the show, and so happy for Yung Milla,” she adds.

So, what’s next for Taylor? She also has an acting background, starring in Love Child alongside Ronan Keating in 2017 in an uncredited role as a pregnant woman.

But she has no plans to limit herself to just one craft, but has big plans of being an EGOT winner!

“I have actually been feeling a pull back into acting recently,” she tells us.

“I’m always drawn to anything creative and performative, so I can definitely see myself returning to this world again in the near future!”

While there are just 28 people who have achieved EGOT status, Taylor is determined to be one of them, and would consider a stint on Broadway or the West End.

“I’d definitely need to get myself back into dance classes first, but hey, I plan on being an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winner) one day, so why not!?” she tells us.

One thing is clear: She is not going anywhere!

“Music is in my blood and soul; it’s not something you can fake or force.  I plan on being an artist for the rest of my life, and there is a lot in store, so you’ll just have to wait and see!” she teases.

Charlotte had an impressive journey on The Voice, but Kate chose Daisha to go through to the final.

“Sending either one of you home is going to break my heart,” Kate told them before revealing her decision.

Speaking to New Idea after her elimination, Charlotte says she is just “so proud” to make it to the semi-finals, with her only goal being to turn one chair in the Blind Auditions.

“Making it to the semi-finals was something I never expected when I first walked onto that stage,” she admits.

Charlotte performed Ceilings by Lizzy McAlpine in the semi-final, and while it’s a beautiful song, she wonders whether it didn’t give her a chance to make an impact, compared to Daisha.

“I loved my semi-final song, and I actually play it acoustically at gigs, so I felt really confident with it,” she shares.

“Looking back, though, I do wonder if it was the right song for a semi-final. I found it difficult to create that big ‘wow’ moment within the song, especially compared to Daisha’s incredibly powerful performance of Rise Up.

“But I loved performing Ceilings, and I gave it everything I had on the night!”

While she might not have made the final, Charlotte says she was “prepared” to leave and heaps praise on Daisha for her “deserved” place in the final.

And she has no plans to quit music, with plans to release original music already in the works, while she is also moving to Melbourne for more creative opportunities.

“Not only do I have a newfound confidence in myself, but I also have so much more experience and knowledge to carry with me into this next stage of my music journey,” she adds.

She’s inspired by The Voice‘s Celia Pavey, now known as Vera Blue, and hopes to build a successful career off the back of the talent competition, as she has since 2013.

Tika made it to the semi-finals, but Richard chose Tommy to advance to the grand final.

Richard told her that his decision didn’t change the fact that his door was “always open” and that she had a “great career” ahead of her.

“You’ve definitely brought something out in me which I never thought I had, which is a belief in myself,” Tika told Richard upon her elimination.

Cleo sang an incredibly emotional rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

It was a song she loved singing as a child, and her late father encouraged her to sing.

Despite going home, Cleo isn’t giving up on her music dreams.

“This has been friggin’ awesome. You’ll see me again, baby, don’t worry,” she said.

Melanie chose not to take the singer through to the next round.

“Thank you so much for all of this experience, thank you for the privilege of being here,” he said to his coach.

Unfortunately for Bertie, his time on the show came to an end.

For his final performance on The Voice stage, he sang Sisqo’s Thong Song.

While Kate said he was a born entertainer and was great to watch on stage, she worried that his vocals wouldn’t carry him through the rest of the competition.

Before he went on the show, he quit his job as a fly-in, fly-out worker for more than 10 years in Western Australia, so for him, he had nothing to lose.

He tells New Idea that it was an “emotional decision” to make, but the right one.

Read our exclusive interview with him here.

Unfortunately, Victoria was sent home during the Quarter Finals.

Despite her journey coming to an end, she held her head high.

“Honestly, just the fact that I got to share this love of music that I have and this genre to Australia, it’s just an opportunity that I’ve been blessed with, I cant ask for anything more,” she said to her coach, Kate Miller-Heidke.

The Wave Raiders were initially with Team Kate, but were saved by Richard in the Knockouts.

The trio made it through to the Quarter Finals, but were sent home.

They thanked Richard for his guidance, and commended Tommy Novak, who made it through to the Semi-Finals.

Throughout the competition, Phoebe Rose has been a force to be reckoned with.

However, despite making it through to the Quarter Finals, she missed out on qualifying for the Semi-Finals.

Her final performance was emotional, but it wasn’t enough to save her.

In the end, Ronan had to choose between her and Leyla Sabo. He said it was difficult to let Phoebe go, but he believed she had a promising future ahead of her.

“I’ve had so much fun, and I really appreciate it,” she replied.

Jamie’s journey on The Voice Australia ended during the Quarter Finals.

The coaches were divided about his performance of Troye Sivan’s My My My!. While Melanie loved his confidence, Richard thought he was overthinking, and the performance came across as “mechanical”.

While Ronan applauded his talent, he didn’t think the 19-year-old was ready, and encouraged him to keep performing.

“It’s been an honour to get on the stage and show my artistry,” Jamie said.

Fox has grown up around music, having fond memories writing songs with his nan.

She had to stay at home to look after his grandfather after he had surgery, but the 18-year-old had his nan at the front of his mind when he auditioned.

“You’ve just got to give it your all and hope one of them turns,” he said before he took to the stage.

He took a risk singing the Man I Need by Olivia Dean, but it ended up paying off.

In the end, he decided to go with Kate as a coach.

But he was sent home during the Knockouts.

“It’s just an honour to even be here, to get on The Voice has been the most incredible experience ever, and it’s just been so cool. So thank you very much,” he said.

As a trained dancer, being a pop star is Charlotte’s dream.

She decided to perform Rihanna, where all four coaches turned their chairs. In the end, she decided to go with Melanie.

“I soon as I saw you turn, I knew I wanted to pick you,” she said as she embraced her new coach.

Sadly, she was sent home during the Knockout rounds.

Litia chose to prusue music over her father’s dreams of her being a lawyer, so the stakes when she first auditioned.

Thankfully, Tones and I chose to save her to mentor her.

“Thank you so much for the kind comments, I’m soso proud of myself for doing such a big thing and I hope you all enjoy this crazy journey!”

She made sure to make the most of her second chance, and ended up joining Team Melanie.

However, Litia’s dreams came to an end during the Knockout rounds.

The freight train driver blew everyone away during his Blind Audition, but didn’t make it through to the Quarter Finals.

For his final performance in the competition, he sang Another Love.

Richard was one of the artists Richard refused to save in the Knockout round on September 7. In fact, he didn’t save anyone.

“You’ve got to do what’s right for you. I definitely had a bad day, I didn’t put on my best performance, I didn’t sing my best. But the thing is, I am a performer, and I do work very hard, so I’m still going to continue doing this,” he said.

Dicko’s dreams on The Voice Australia came to an end on September 7, when Richard refused to save any of his artists.

“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, mate,” he said to Richard. “It doesn’t stop me from chasing my dreams still at 47, I’m going to keep working hard at music, thanks for the opportunity.”

Richard also chose not to save Saem.

“Honestly, I’m feeling a little bit disheartened, but I know that this is just the beginning, and I think the music industry, there’s a lot more waiting for me, and I’m going to get it, and this isn’t going to stop me.”

Going on The Voice Australia was a major step for Madeline, who hadn’t performed in 10 years.

“I had to do it,” she told us about the audition.

“I knew I would always have wondered what would have happened.”

Despite her nerves, she had her karaoke comrades in the back of her mind.

“All you have to do is go and try, and people will respond,” she says about her audition.

However, she was eliminated during the Knockout rounds.

Read our exclusive interview with her here.

The musical theatre hopeful was eliminated during the second round of the competition.

“Going from turning no chairs to getting a second chance and now standing at the Knockouts is just a dream,” she said.

Cris’ journey on The Voice Australia ended after he performed in the Knockouts.

“I’m just truly grateful about the whole experience,” he gushed.

Brooklyn was tasked with performing Callum Scott’s Dancing On My Own.

Sadly, her journey on the show came to an end during the Knockouts.

Before her elimination, she told New Idea that she was thankful to work with Ronan.

“He’s a really humble guy to work with,” she said after her Blind Audition.

“He taught me a lot of the things, really simple things, but they helped a lot, like what to do when you’re nervous and stuff.”

Read our exclusive interview here.

For her Knockout round, she performed Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t saved, but she was grateful.

“It’s meant so much to me, I just want to thank you Mel for choosing me at the Blinds,” she tearfully said.

Enza also thanked her husband and young children for being her biggest supporters.

Moniquewa sang Jealous Type by Doja Cat.

Sadly, she wasn’t saved, but she was happy to be a part of the show.

“Thanks so much for giving me a second chance and a chance to perform on this stage, it’s such a cool experience,” she said to her coach, Melanie C.

While Benny D impressed everyone with his looping during the Blind Auditions, he didn’t make it past the Knockout round.

Kate didn’t like his rendition of Hallelujah, even saying she no longer liked the song after hearing his version!

Lachlan has been a trained opera singer for the last 15 years, and took the bold risk to perform without a microphone, in order to respect the discipline.

It paid off, because all of the coaches turned around.

In the end, he decided to go with Kate.

But, he was sent home during the Knockout round.

“Thank you to Kate, thank you for having me, I had the best time. I hope to see you all again,” he said.

While she loves to sing, Renee’s life changed forever when she discovered a vocal nodule on one of her vocal cords in 2024, and needed intensive surgery.

With the other vocal cord severely inflamed from overuse, she once feared that she wouldn’t be able to sing again.

However, she blew the coaches away with her rendition of Lady Gaga’s Abracadabra for her Blind Audition.

In the end, she chose Ronan.

But he didn’t save her during the Knockout round.

“I just want to say thank you to Ronan. You’ve been so supportive,” she gushed.

Georgia took the ultimate risk – quitting her day job to audition for The Voice Australia.

While she originally didn’t get any chair turns, Tones saw something in her, so she had the opportunity to redeem herself.

And that’s exactly what she did, and had all four coaches turn!

She chose to join team Ronan, but didn’t make it past the Knockout round.

“This won’t be the last you see of me, Australia!” she said.

Being on The Voice Australia is a dream come true for the mother of two, who longs to be a singer.

“I love being a mum; it’s the greatest gift. They’re my rock, but sometimes it can be a little overwhelming, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” she says.

She knew the pressure was on when she planned to audition with Celine Dion’s hit, Because You Loved Me, which she dedicated to her father, husband and children.

Then, she had to make it through to the Quarter Finals, but Richard didn’t choose her.

“So blessed to be able to sing my heart out again. Thank you Lord for this opportunity ❤️🙏🏼,” she wrote on Instagram.

While Sam wowed everyone during his Blind Audition, he didn’t make it past the Knockouts.

Findlay was born with a rare heart condition and had three open-heart surgeries before he turned six.

Before his audition, he revealed that growing up, he felt left out because he couldn’t participate in sports with other children his age due to his health, so he turned to music.

He performed Survive by Lewis Capaldi and chose Ronan as his coach.

But that was as far as he went in the competition. He was eliminated during the Knockout round.

“I had the most incredible experience and it’s something I will never forget, thank you to everyone that supported me, the love has been overwhelming,” he penned on Instagram.

Liam’s time on The Voice Australia came to an end during the Knockouts.

“This has been one hell of a journey, and I’m bloody grateful for every second of it. Getting to share the stage, learn from some incredible people and chase this dream has been something I’ll never forget,” he wrote on Instagram.

Jerikye went home after he performed in the Knockout Round.

Jessica chose to perform Wendy Matthews’ hit, The Day You Went Away, for her Blind Audition, as a tribute to her late mother who died of cancer.

After she turned all four of the coaches chairs, she explained that her mother asked Jessica to promise her that she’d keep singing.

In the end, the hopeful artist decided to choose Richard.

“Thank you guys!” she gushed as she walked away with her new coach.

Sadly, she was sent home during the Knockout.

The coaches didn’t turn the first time Mikayla performed, but Tones and I saw potential and saved her.

However, the coaches didn’t turn their chairs a second time, so she was sent home.

Sadly, Megan didn’t make it through to the Knockouts. Despite Tones and I saving her after her Blind Audition, none of the coaches turned their chairs during her second performance.

“Not my best performance but thank you for your beautiful messages was such a crazy experience forever grateful for the people I met and the advice received big love 💕💕💕,” she wrote on Instagram.

Tones and I saw something in Red Roy, and chose to save him so he could sing again.

However, the coaches didn’t turn when he auditioned for a second time.