Voice contestants share their secrets

Adelaide contestants Skye Elisabeth and Michelle Martinez. Picture: Steve Moorhouse Source: Supplied

A "GOOD neck of Bourbon," lucky undies and going mute are just some of the unusual secrets to success for The Voice artists now contesting the battle rounds on Channel 9's top-rating talent show.

As the teams fight for survival, News Limited sounded out favourites from each state of Australia now competing to claim the season two title.

Asked to share their tips for controlling pre-show nerves, NSW rocker Simon Meli, who flew 30 hours from Sweden for his shot at a blind audition, revealed the key to conquering his performance anxiety was alcoholic.

"Normally I bounce around and get them jitters out through my feet, dance around, sip on a good neck of Bourbon so I feel good and look good. No matter how nervous you would feel before walking out on stage, it all changes anyway from the first step out in to the lights - so what are you afraid of?" the Team Ricky singer said, adding: "Oh and I wear a pair of undies that I remember having a good gig in before!"

Victorian hopefuls for The Voice Australia: (L-R) Tim Morrison, Sarah Martin ,Josh Kyle, Michael Paynter, Imogen Brough, Caterina Torres, Nicholas Roy, Harrison Craig and twins Bec and Sebastian.

Melbourne pop princess, Caterina Torres, who also won herself a spot on the Latin superstar's team, says the best advice she's been given by her coach so far is "to not listen to the song your performing for at least 24 hours beforehand, to relax and do something else."

Michael Paynter, who triumphed for Team Joel in the first battle round against Louise Roussety, says his Good Charlotte leader compared finding the right groove on stage to driving a car.

"Nobody wants to be in a car with a nervous driver...everyone feels nervous and wants to escape. And no one wants to be in a car with a show-off driver, doing burn-outs. It's unattractive. Just drive confidently and let people enjoy the journey and the view," Paynter said.

The Voice NSW contestants: Mitchell Anderson, Rob Edwards, Nick Kingswell, Nick Stenmark, Oscar Chavez, Ben Goldstein, Hannah Darling, Alex Gibson, Emma Pask, Danny Ross, Celia Pavey, Simon Meli, Anna Weatherup. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Like many looking for a second chance this year, Tim Morrison said The Voice was "a more dignified way for a musician to express themselves as an artist than any other show I have seen."

The success of Sunshine Coast soul singer, Darren Percival, runner-up to Karise Eden last year, had inspired Morrison, Nicholas Roy and Danny Ross, among many of this year's contestants, to try their luck.

Ross revealed: "we have played at some of the same festivals along the east coast and watching him up there I was always left feeling empowered and inspired."

The Voice Australia contestants from Queensland. Picture: Annette Dew

Canberra busker Alex Gibson, who won his battle round for Team Seal said of Percival: "when he walked out on stage and sang Jealous Guy I was blown away. What I respect about Darren is his ability to really make you feel something. It's rare that someone can connect with you on that level."

Of their own ambitions after The Voice, Team Joel's Hannah Darling from Sydney's northern beaches, has her sights set on "a rural tour of Australia in an old VW Combi van...with a really incredible album in hand."

Ross, who hails from the NSW south coast village of Kangaroo Valley, has set his goals further afield and says, in five years he plans to be "polishing my Grammys!"

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Bumpy road to share recovery

The GFC sharemarket collapse was the second-biggest fall in Australian history. Source: National Features

AUSSIE shares' frustrating rebound from the global financial crisis looks set to become the slowest recovery in 100 years.

It's more than four years since shares struck their GFC low in March 2009, and investment experts say it will probably take another three or four years for the All Ordinaries index of 500 companies to reclaim its 2007 record high.

However, that rate of growth would deliver investors good gains from here, they say, but warn the path will be bumpy.

AMP Capital head of investment strategy Shane Oliver says the recovery has been "a bit sub-par".

"I would describe it as messy," Oliver says, blaming the sluggish growth on worries about China, a high Aussie dollar, Europe's crisis, and official interest rate rises too soon in the recovery.

While US shares reached a record high last week, Australia's market still needs to climb 37 per cent to get there.

However, Oliver says Australia's boom during the mid-2000s was much stronger than that of the US.

"The US market is a bit distorted. Over the last 13 years our market rallied about 50 per cent, whereas the US is up about 1 per cent. For 13 years, the US sharemarket has really just spun its wheels."

Macquarie Private Wealth head of research Riccardo Briganti blames Australia's slow recovery on its higher reliance on resources stocks, economic expectations that are weaker than the US, and the fact our companies pay dividend income near 4.5 per cent, double overseas yields.

"We're getting our returns in a different way," he says.

Briganti forecasts Aussie shares to rise 6 per cent by this time next year, and believes the return to a record high is "at least 3-4 years away".

"We have a positive view on global growth, global earnings and the US housing recovery.

"If you're talking about where the market's going to be in 12 months, it's likely going to be higher, but the path is not going to be a straight line."

Oliver's forecast is for the All Ordinaries index to reach 5250 points by year's end, up 4.6 per cent on current levels, but he believes the full recovery is at least three years away.

"Even if it takes four years to get back to the high, you get some good returns going forward," he says.

Morningstar's new sharemarket outlook report says the market is now fairly valued, which means annual total returns going forward of 8-9 per cent split between growth and dividend yield.

"The easy money has been harvested, and we now have slightly more negative recommendations than positive," it says.

However, a diversified portfolio of good stocks should generate total investment returns greater than cash, Morningstar says.

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