The Voice's Henry Olonga: ‘The Death Threats Forced Me Into Exile'

The Contestant Reveals An Incredible Battle That Led Him Back To The Stage

The judges were blown away by Henry Olonga’s rendition of Anthony Warlow’s This is the Moment, with all four coaches turning for the dad-of-two during The Voice’s blind auditions.

But while the 42-year-old tells New Idea he has been singing since he was a child, it was actually his bold – and brave – move on the pitch that saw the former cricketer first hit the news headlines.

Growing up in Zimbabwe, Henry attended a boarding school and it was in high school that he managed to land his first singing gig – playing a female part.

“I auditioned and I was surprised to find I was picked for a play called Oklahoma – it’s a famous unisex play, so they had to find the girls from somewhere,” Henry says. “So that was me – my first role in a play singing in the girls’ chorus.”

While it spurred Henry on to pursue his passion, he had to juggle it with his other love – cricket. “I started playing when I was 8,” he says. “I took an interest in it and discovered I could bowl pretty quick.”

He played all the way through school before being chosen to join the Zimbabwe cricket team, kicking off his international sporting career in 1995.

But Henry reveals it was a very challenging time in his life. “I was the first black player for the Zimbabwe team,” he says. “Thankfully most of my teammates at the time were very supportive and made me feel welcome. It wasn’t until later in my career that tensions started to reflect the politics of the day.”

At the time, Robert Mugabe was the country’s president and many disagreed with his decisions while in power.