Irish Charm Wows: Eva from Lucan makes it to semi-final of The Voice Kids UK

A Lucan schoolgirl wowed audiences on both sides of the Irish Sea when she appeared in the semi-final of ‘The Voice Kids UK’ on ITV last month.

Eva Norton, 13, who is from Esker and attends Lucan Community College, made her star turn on the show with her powerful vocals which caught the attention of British singer and judge Pixie Lott.

Pixie, who was won over by Eva’s unwavering vocals, pressed her red buzzer and turned around for the young girl while she auditioned, which got her through to the semi-finals.

The popular British songwriter praised Eva’s commanding voice and “Irish charm”, which made her a standout star on the show.

Explaining how she felt when she realised she would be on the show, Eva told The Echo: “It was so surreal, but I’d done so many Zoom auditions to get through to the in-person auditions.

“When I got that call and knew I was going to be on the show, it felt like everything had paid off. I cried when I got the call – but they were happy tears.”

Eva was back and forth between London and Dublin for several weeks when the show was recorded in February, and had to keep her appearance on the show under wraps until it aired last month.

Before she had appeared on the show, Eva was already a fan of ‘The Voice Kids UK’ and similar talent shows like ‘The X Factor’, but being on the audition stage felt a world away from watching it on TV.

“When you watch it at home, it just seems so cool,” Eva explained. “But when you’re on the stage it just feels really real, and it’s a really big stage and it’s like, oh my God, somebody pinch me!”

The talented young singer made it as far as the semi-finals, and thoroughly enjoyed her experience on the show and is still relishing it, several months on.

“I’m still on a buzz,” Eva said. “It’s taken a while for it to sink in and it was so upsetting when it came to an end.

“I was a bit sad that it ended, but to see it all come together was amazing.”

Eva was supported by her parents and two younger brothers during her time on the show, and her mam, Frances, told The Echo that her daughter has been a gifted singer from a young age.

“She’s been singing since she was very young,” Frances explained. “When she was three or four she had a pretend guitar that she would play and sing with.

“But we realised she could sing when she was about seven, when she sang a solo in a show in The Helix with her stage school. She was amazing.”

As for what it was like to see her daughter be put through her paces on ‘The Voice Kids UK’, Frances said it was a nerve-wracking but positive experience.

“It was nerve-wracking, but she’s so confident and so good at what she does,” added Frances.

“When she sings, she never makes a mistake, so we knew she’d be brilliant.”

Eva is planning to continue songwriting and singing, but her big dream is to appear in musical theatre in years to come.

“I love writing songs, I write songs all the time,” she said. “But my biggest passion is musical theatre.

“My dream would be to be on Broadway or the West End.”