The Voice grand finalist Thando Sikwila may now live in Melbourne but she spent most of her school years in Canberra where her musical career really started. And she's still a regular visitor to the national capital, performing at venues such as Smith's Alternative.
On Sunday, the 29-year-old mum-of-one competes against three other singers in The Voice grand final, all vying for $100,000 in prizemoney and a recording contract with Universal Music Australia.
Dickson College year 12 student Xanthe Campbell also came achingly close to the grand final, bowing out in the semi-finals despite a powerful rendition of abcdefu by Gayle.
Thando secured her grand final berth with a spinetingling interpretation of Ariana Grande's POV. And if Thando wins on Sunday, she will be thinking of her Lake Ginninderra music teacher Joella Keech who she says is the reason for her career in singing.
"She was just always very encouraging. She always knew I had something that I could offer the world," Thando said.
"At that age, you don't really expect anyone to believe in you but she always barracked for me. Any performance opportunity, she would push me on a stage."
Joella Keech was actually instrumental in persuading Lake Ginninderra College to sponsor Thando to attend an industry-run singing workshop in Melbourne when she was still at school.
"I literally owe everything I have as far as music to her fighting for me," Thando said. "If I didn't have that, I don't know if any of this would be happening for me."
But it is happening. Big time. All four grand finalists have released a new original track ahead of the grand final. The singles were selected in collaboration with each artist, who worked with high-profile producers and songwriters to showcase their voices.
Thando, who was mentored by country star Keith Urban, has released uplifting tune called The Other Side, about taking risks and "no longer fighting your destiny".
Thando arrived in Australia with her family in 2001 from Zimbabwe and settled first in Canberra where they stayed for a decade. She also went to Macquarie Primary and Canberra High. Life was sometimes tough.
"Back then, people weren't used to seeing people like us, especially in Canberra," she said.
"I think a lot of people who migrated went to other cities. Canberra was very sheltered. So some people just didn't know how to respond to someone who was so different.
"And I think that's just me growing up and realising that's what that was. There were some incidents but nothing I didn't grow from and develop a thick skin as a result. You just know those sorts of things happen because people are ignorant and they don't realise we're all human beings."
She is now mum to Charlie, who is nearly three, her daughter with former partner Henry. Charlie's grandmother is Professor Kathryn Robinson from the Australian National University.
The severe COVID lockdowns in Melbourne saw the young family temporarily move back to Canberra.
"Melbourne was not happening so we stayed in Canberra because everything was still open, so we were playing gigs and Charlie was at daycare here and it was a really nice way to be Canberran for a while," she said.
"I'd never been back to Canberra as an adult for a long time. I'd only really been back to visit and we almost relocated permanently because we honestly didn't know what was going to happen."
Whatever happens on Sunday, Thando has big plans for her future.
"I just feel really lucky that I got to this stage of the competition. I think I've been able to show Australia I can do a lot of different things with my voice," she said.
"My ultimate goal is to do Eurovision. I would love to represent Australia on the world stage and I think it would make such a statement to how vibrant and how multicultural our country is, to have a visibly diverse woman represent Australia on a platform like that, I think it would be incredible."
- The Voice grand final is on Sunday at 7pm on Prime7.
