(Seychelles News Agency) - A Seychellois singer found high success in a competition in Europe: 'The Voice Spain’.

Lyndsay Hermitte, 22, who describes music as an explosive expression of humanity, told SNA that her experience was tough but memorable.

Hermitte got 4th out of 25 semi finalists in the competition that took place last week.

“To be honest some performances were extremely intimidating because it was obvious they had years of voice training, but I did think I had a different style to offer, veered more towards classical music. However, when the panel of jury recommended that I go out of my comfort zone to sing pop music, it made me so uncomfortable,” Hermitte explained.

She added: "I cannot understand why these shows are putting more attention on modern types of music, when there are others such as classic to be enjoyed, which I am more accustomed with.”

Currently pursuing a course in dentistry in Spain, Hermitte participated in numerous children's shows in Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, including the ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ and ‘Karousel’ shows. Her vocal ability became apparent when she sang ‘I Will Always Love You’ a hit of 1992 in the Whitney Houston tribute organized locally. After that she received many plaudits for that one high-note-breaking performance.

To register for the singing contest in Spain, participants had to upload a video of themselves singing. Hermitte submitted a video of herself singing ‘Ave Maria.’’

‘The Voice Spain’ or La Voz is a reality talent show that premiered on September 19 in 2012 on Telecinco, a Spanish commercial television. It is based on the reality singing competition The Voice of Holland which today is a world known international series.

“The thought of being selected was not something I envisaged because some had as high as 30,000 votes. ... For the semifinal I sang the song by Beyonce ‘If I Were a Boy.'"

Hermitte got 462 votes during the four days after her registration.

“A lot of credit goes to the gossip corner group on the social media. Overnight I got around 200 votes after somebody posted about it there. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to Michael Jean-Louis and everybody else that in one way or another helped me achieve those numbers of votes.”

The singer’s mother, Monique Hermitte, who lives in Anse a la Mouche, on the southern part of Mahe, the main island, told SNA that she, is very proud of her daughter, who had the courage to participate in a competition of such caliber.

Lyndsay and her mother Monique. (Lyndsay Hermitte/Facebook) Photo License: CC-BY

Monique said she believes the judgment was a bit unfair though. “Having been voted 4th for her video performance out of 25 semifinalist says it all. ... To them a little islander cannot be better than the Spaniards.''

“As her mother I will encourage her to take classes that will show her how to write and understand music. She might have not made it through the final, but she will be able to take this as a positive experience to create her own music, which will make people fall in love with her originality,” Monique added.

Hermitte said she has been approached by several producers who have been interested in helping her release an album. “That is something I haven’t completely closed the door on, so maybe in the future I will contemplate releasing one of my own albums.”

With a promising future in music, Hermitte has a little kernel of advice for other talented Seychellois: "Firstly they need to have a true desire to make it big and go the extra mile to perfect their talent beyond the isle of the island nation.”