71-Year-Old Captivates The Judges With ‘Unchained Melody’ On 'The Voice Senior'

Sep 30, 2021

If you're lucky to be blessed with a great singing voice, it's likely that you have always had it and will continue to have it even when you get older. This means that ultimately there is no difference whether you are young or old, if you can belt out a tune then you have musical talent.

But while any singer who is skilled deserves recognition, unfortunately, the mainstream music industry seems to favor younger artists, choosing to spotlight them rather than older singers. This is evident from the increasingly younger pop idols that dominate the music charts, while older musicians don't seem to receive as much coverage. 

To help counteract this a bit, the incredibly popular televised singing competition show "The Voice" created a separate show for people who are older, naming it "The Voice Senior." Various versions of the show aired in different countries including Germany, the Netherlands and Russia. To be eligible to appear on "The Voice Senior" one has to be over the age of 60. This gives a fair chance to older singers to be able to showcase their talents to the world.

In 2018, 71-year-old René Bishop auditioned for "The Voice Senior" with a rendition of "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers. His performance was incredibly moving and was unanimously loved, as it swept the judges off their feet. After his performance aired, the public couldn't get enough of his performance either. The video of his audition became a huge success on the internet, as it spread like wildfire.

"The Voice" is a television series known for bringing unknown vocal artists to the spotlight and mentoring them. "The Voice" coaches will listen to a performer sing and if they like the performance they will hit a button that says "I want you." The performing artist will then either get paired with the coach who wanted them or will choose a coach if more than one expresses interest. Some of the most successful winners of "The Voice" are Cassadee Pope, Danielle Bradbery and Jordan Smith.

However, "The Voice" usually showcases young artists. Unfortunately, seniors tend to get discriminated against, so people usually favor the younger vocal artists over the older ones. To combat this discrimination, "The Voice" created "The Voice Senior," an edition of "The Voice" that showcases elderly vocal artists. In order to be a participant of "The Voice Senior," a contestant must be over 60 years old.

Although not as popular as the regular version of the show, "The Voice Senior" has had seasons in different countries, including a German edition, a Dutch version, and a Russian one, among others. One of the really interesting aspects of "The Voice Senior" is the backstory of the contestants — after all, they've lived for at least six decades before auditioning! Previous winners of the show include Dan Lucas, Jimi Bellmartin, and Lidia Muzaleva. In the first season of the Dutch edition, there was a very special performance from one contestant that not only impressed all of the judges on the spot, but the video went on to impress audiences around the world after it went viral. 

This contestant was 71-year-old René Bishop. Appearing on the Dutch version of "The Voice Senior," Bishop performed a rendition of "Unchained Melody" by the Righteous Brothers. His smooth and silky performance was powerful, keeping the audience and coaches invested throughout the entire song. 

As he begins to sing, Bishop's vocal range is on display as he hits the iconic song's high notes, while also settling comfortably into the song's lower notes as well. But while his performance is now well-loved, it appears that the coaches took their time deciding whether to turn around for Bishop. All of them are clearly interested in his musical abilities, but they stay with their backs to him for the majority of the song. 

When the camera pans on Bishop's family, you can see the pride on their faces. The coaches looked impressed by his performance, but it was when Bishop reached one of the last high notes of the song that they finally pressed the "I want you" button and turned around — and not just one of them did that, but all four! At that point, the coaches weren't being coy about their interest in Bishop's vocal abilities anymore. Duo coach pairing Gerard Joling and Gordon Heuckeroth began clapping for Bishop even while he was still singing, while Ilse DeLange stood up in her seat eagerly watching on. At the end of Bishop's performance, three of the four judging teams even gave him a standing ovation. The energy in the studio at that moment was simply electric.

Considering how great his performance was, it's no surprise that it went viral afterward. The video of Bishop singing "Unchained Melody" has over 21 million views on YouTube, with many comments expressing their amazement at Bishop's incredible vocal talent. One commenter remarked:

"Respect. Class sheer class. The world does not belong only to the young."

Many other commenters described Bishop's version of the song as their favorite rendition, which is a huge compliment to him. Meanwhile, others compared his voice to Elvis'. Another user wrote:

"Young Generation.. Take a note!! This is how you truly "Melt" a human heart the "Old Fashion Way"."

Bishop's performance is truly soul-stirring, touching on so many emotions for people of all ages. "Unchained Melody" is a romantic song and Bishop did it justice, moving an entire studio audience and people all over the world with his powerful voice.

As well as entertaining and touching people's hearts, Bishop has also inspired people simply by going on the show. He has proven that you do not have to be young to be a star. It is never too late to go after your dreams. If you have talent, it does not matter how old you are. You are capable of success at any age. No doubt that is one of the other reasons his rendition has resonated so strongly with people around the world. If you have dreams of singing or doing anything else, then don't wait to realize them. Even if you're over 60 already, Bishop proves that you really can achieve your dreams if you just go after them.

What did you think of René Bishop's performance of "Unchained Melody"? If you were one of the coaches, would you have wanted him? If this rendition moved you, pass it on so others can enjoy it too!