The Voice that sold out Indigo at the O2

BY JAMES PROTHEROE
toby@slpmedia.co.uk

A former church minister and semi-finalist on the TV talent show The Voice UK
sold out a 2,350 capacity venue.

Emmanuel Smith, of Lewisham, who began his vocal career singing at a friend’s mum’s birthday party, sang to a capacity audience at the Indigo at the O2 arena.

The Ghanaian born singer described his rise to prominence as a “chain reaction” – the birthday party led to an invitation to sing at another guest’s church event.

One job led to the next and Mr Smith started to gain a faithful gospel following.
Mr Smith, 29, said: “It was the dream that became a reality.”

He performed at the Greenwich venue on November 3. He said the following day: “Last night was an emotional for me. All the months of grafting was a lot for me.

Thank you to everyone that came out for your patience even when you could have left because of queuing for long.

“I never imagined that it would be like it was. Wow. Thank you to every artist on the night.”

In 2018, Emmanuel toured ministries, singing at gospel events in Canada and the US, as well as at Christian youth groups in Europe.

He describes his gospel voice as rough and untutored and it propelled him to the
semi-finals of The Voice UK .

Emmanuel Smith performs at the Indigo O2 in Greenwich. Inset, a still from his semi-final performance on The Voice UK

He was disappointed to lose at the semi-final stage, but his faith was a consolation for him. He said: “All things work together for our good.”

He had received criticism from fans for appearing on the show with some saying he would have to compromise for a secular audience.

Mr Smith was hurt by the criticism but said: “I was never satisfied just singing in church.

I am happy to be blessed with a gift God has given me, and I’m in a place where I want to share that gift with people.”