Visually Impaired Singer, Shaka, Didn’t Even Realize Judge Had Turned Until Song’s End

Whatever we do in life, obstacles will stand in our way. One contestant on a recent episode of The Voice UK didn’t let a physical disability stop her from going after her musical dream.

During the blind audition portion of the program, Shaka,27, turned in a powerhouse performance, thrilling the audience and impressing the judges in the process. It was mere seconds into the song when singer and judge Olly Murs decided he had heard enough and knew he wanted her on his team.

However, Shaka, at the 12:25-minute mark in the video, said she had no idea he’d turned around because she couldn’t see a thing on stage.

"During the blinds, I had no idea that anyone had turned until the end. With my visual impairment, I couldn’t see anything,” she said. 

Shaka’s father, Fitzroy, in an interview with the television program, explained his daughter’s condition.

“Shaka has a visual problem called congenital nystagmus, and it’s where the eye, the pupil shakes. So, it doesn’t actually fix properly,” he said.

Fitzroy went on to explain that even though his daughter has a condition that makes sight difficult, she keeps on keeping on.

“It’s there. It’s something she has, but you know what? It hasn’t really stopped her. She has done whatever she has put her heart towards,” he said. 

Shaka will not let her disability and the negativity of others keep her from doing what she loves.

“So, from when I was young, they basically was like, ‘you should really be performing, shouldn’t be around lights,”’ she said.

On the way to achieving her dream, Shaka found a workaround for her disability. 

"So, I literally just kept performing and figuring out ways on how to work my way around a stage,” she said. 

“Behold, I give to you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19).

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