Ratings drop for The Voice grand final

The Voice’s season finale last night saw ratings slip for a third year. 1.552 million metro viewers tuned in to Nine Network to see 16-year-old Ellie Drennan’s shock win.

Despite the quality of the final four finalists, the night failed to match the 1.66 million for 2014, itself a slide from the 2.3 million from 2013’s end.

Drennan, coached by Jessie J, is the youngest contestant to make it to the series’ finals. Stunned and tearful over her win, she said, “I'm over the moon right now. Thank you so much Jessie for always being there for me.”

She scored a record contract with Universal Music, $100,000 in prize money and a Ford Kuga.

It was a triumph for Jessie J, who coached a winner on her first season of the Australian franchise. Whether she returns next year remains to be seen, she said after the show. This morning she left Australia, to prepare for a New York concert on Thursday.

Drennan from the NSW Central Coast, beat out 24-year old busker Joe Moore, with a rendition of Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U (which led her coach to tell her, “You’re so special”) and a duet with Jessie J, on Beyonce’s Halo. She also premiered her new single Ghost which is available on iTunes. Her debut album is out on September 11.

Moore, who was in Team Madden, was the most career-ready and assured of the four finalists. After his duet with Joel Madden on Imagine Dragons’ Demons, the brothers observed how he matched Joel in stage presence even though the latter had a 20-year performance lead on him.

All four finalists came from New South Wales. Surfer and singer songwriter Nathan Hawes, 18, also from Team Madden scored third place. His duet with Benji Madden on Oasis’ Wonderwall impressed but a solo cover of Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice (It’s Alright) seemed a strange choice for the TV medium. The Maddens plan to continue working with him. "I can't wait to really work with you. Me and Joel have big dreams for you," Benji told him.

The fourth runner-up was self-taught 23-year-old Liam Maihi whose coach was Ricky Martin He got a special cheer from the studio audience for a beautifully sung rendition of Coldplay’s Fix You which he dedicated to his mother who has breast cancer. Martin said of his appeal, “He’s honest, he’s real, he’s raw and he creates magic.”

The runners-up share a $70, 000 cheque to share, courtesy of Woolworths.