Young Nigerian Tobi Ibitoye and Ivorian Michel Kotcha have been voted in the Voice of Romania final, after amazing performances in the semifinals. It is for the first time in the five seasons of the Voice when two contestants of different nationalities make it to the competition’s final.

Tobi Ibitoye came to Romania in 2009, when his father, a Nigerian diplomat, was sent here. He decided to stay in the country in 2012 when his family returned to Nigeria. He studied bio-chemistry in Romania and had not prior experience as an artist.

Michel Kotcha, 23, came from Cote d’Ivoire, to study engineering at the Bucharest Polytechnic University. He lived for several years in Ploiesti, before moving to Bucharest. His experience in Romania hasn’t always been a pleasant one, as he was sometimes discriminated against because of his skin color, but he managed to impress the public with his performances at the Voice.

One of Michel’s best moments at the Voice was singing Sam Smith’s Writing’s on the wall. Tobi also managed to impress the audience with his performances, one of the best of which was See beneath you beautiful by Labrinth and Emeli Sande.

Both Tobi and Michel have been coached by Smiley, one of the most successful Romanian singers and composers. Smiley’s team also won the first season of the Voice of Romania.

The other two finalists this year are 18-year old Tomi Weissbuch, from team Marius Moga, and Cristina Balan, a former lead singer in a Romanian pop-rock band, who has been coached by Tudor Chirila.

editor@romania-insider.com