Shaun Wessel is not normally a nervous type of guy - but something about looking at the back of four chairs got his heart pumping fast.
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The Kings Point resident appeared on Channel Seven's reality talent quest The Voice on Tuesday night.
"You could hear a pin drop and my heart was pounding fast," Wessel said.
"I could sing in front of 1000 people and not get nervous but it was just so hectic man."
His chosen song to perform was Whipping Post, a past hit by The Allman Brothers Band, and the local carpenter nailed his rendition.
His "gravel and grit" performance saw all four judges spin their chairs around and the audience screaming for more.
No doubt his number one fans - children Lennon, Lola, Daisy and Tommy, wife Kristy, mum Sharon and sister Brooke Kerr - were cheering the loudest.
Wessel picked Keith Urban as his coach and he was straight through to the next round with a much-coveted battle pass.
It was his sister who had been "egging him on" for years to audition for the show, the singer-songwriter finally giving it a shot in late 2021 with filming beginning in December.
In his younger days, Shaun was an elite rugby league player - good enough to play for the Cronulla Sharks in the NRL.
In his debut NRL match, he packed down in the forwards against the always tough Melbourne Storm.
What was the most nerve-wracking - his NRL debut or his appearance on The Voice?
"They were both as bad as each other," he said.
Rugby league forwards are not known for their singing ability but Shaun loves to tackle any challenge that confronts him.
His membership in the front rowers' union, however, may now be on shaky ground.
Another South Coast singer will appear on The Voice next Tuesday April 26, Amali Dimond from Shellharbour.
The six foot tall school-girl has come from a family of footy players - her dad having played for the Cronulla Sharks - but she has chosen the musical path.
The Voice will be the biggest audience she has performed for, so Amali said she will use the competitive nature she got from her dad to show herself (and Australia) she is more than her height.
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