Singer on The Voice backs mental health with music

A musician from Lynn has gained national popularity after performing live on television, in which she was offered praise by Olly Murs.

Solo artist Kenza Blanka appeared on ITV’s The Voice, and has just released a Youtube video for her new single promoting mental health.

The song ‘I Am What I Am’ encourages youngsters to be themselves.

Having previously performed at Lynn’s Festival Too in 2014, Kenza was on stage trying to impress The Voice’s judges Tom Jones, Olly Murs, Will.i.am and Jennifer Hudson.

She sung the French song Papaoutai in front of the national television cameras, originally performed by a Belgian artist called Stromae.

The Lynn-born singer didn’t make it through to the next round on Saturday night, despite being described as “super, super talented” by Olly Murs during a public apology afterwards.

Kenza has followed her mother and siblings into the music business and has been singing since the age of four.

She has immersed herself with Norfolk Sing Your Heart Out choir, a series of singing workshops run by her mother to help people gain mental health benefits from music.

Kenza, whose family all live in Lynn, said she was not nervous during her performance on The Voice.

“I was one of the last on stage around 9pm so I had been through the nerves earlier in the day and was just eager to get on with it,” she said.

“By the time I got on I had turned into a fierce monster.

“The thing I was nervous about was the reaction from the public as I was singing in another language with a unique sound.

“It was a special moment and it has opened a lot of doors. It’s gone a bit wild.”

Since being on The Voice, Kenza said she has received plenty of messages on social media from people with conditions such as speech inpediment and anorexia, who are inspired to take up music.

People as far afield as Dubai and Australia have contacted the singer.

Her new single will be followed by an album, with mental health awareness very much at the forefront of her work.

Kenza, who also works as a mental health nurse, said: “The new music’s message is after years of being ridiculed, I can accept that this is who I am.”