Nishtha Sharma wins 'The Voice India Kids'

Mumbai: Nishtha Sharma of Uttar Pradesh on Sunday emerged the winner of the first edition of the popular children's singing reality show "The Voice India Kids". The show started with 94 contestants coming from across India, with playback singers Shaan and Neeti Mohan, and music director Shekhar Ravjiani playing mentors to the child artistes. Towards the countdown to finals, 18 contestants were left in the fray. They got eliminated week-on-week through audience votes. From amongst the six finalists, three contestants from Team Neeti (Kavya Limaye, Vishwaprasad and Nishtha), two contestants from Team Shaan (Pooja Insa and Priyanshi Sharma) and one contestant from Team Shekhar (Shreya Basu) contested for the title. Nishtha, 10, received a cheque of Rs 25,00,000, along with a recording contract from Universal Music. The runners-up Pooja and Kavya got Rs 10,00,000 each, read a statement. Nishtha belongs to a musically inclined family of Sultanpur. Both her parents are music teachers and run a music institute, while her elder brother is pursuing B.A. in music. Nishtha was on the top of the world with the win. "I would sincerely like to thank my coach for mentoring me and guiding me towards victory. Also, my parents who stood by me and encouraged my passion for singing. It is a great platform for singers like me to realise our potential and get an opportunity to be mentored by stalwarts from the industry," she said. The finale episode, which was aired on &TV, also had a Bollywood quotient with actors Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma becoming a part of the show to promote their forthcoming film "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil". In fact, "The Voice India Season 2" was also announced with a campaign that highlights "Awaaz Se Bada Na Koi" in the finale episode. "The Voice India Kids" was the first Indian edition of the popular international singing reality show "Voice".