Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be on a competitive TV show, broadcasted nationally across homes? Arthur Fink ’24, a new junior this year, had this very experience. Fink shared, “I never really intended to be on The Voice [of Germany],” but due to certain circumstances it just worked out that he was. His friend back in Germany had actually been on The Voice previously. She and Fink posted a duet together of “Say Something” by A Great Big World. Afterwards, The Voice reached out to her asking if she and Arthur would want to audition for the new season. “Of course, I said yes, I thought it was going to be fun, and I would be doing it with my best friend as well,” commented Fink.
Fink, originally from Frankfurt, Germany, first left home when he decided to go to school in America. When talking about why he chose Deerfield, Fink stated how, out of many different schools, Deerfield’s community immediately made him feel “comfortable,” making this big transition easier. Before being on The Voice, Fink had always enjoyed “singing in the shower,” but his main sport and one of his passions is dressage, a type of horse riding. Although Fink is not able to do this in the States, he enjoys being able to go back home to this passion. Nevertheless, he has a vivid love for singing and is the only person in his family who sings in more of a professional setting. Fink has an older brother and two younger sisters who all play instruments, but none of them sing in the same manner as him.
The scouting for the show began in June of 2020, and the blind auditions did not happen until November of 2020. During that time there were five rounds of auditions. Fink explains: “You don’t really realize that, because normally you are like, ‘ok I’ll apply and be on the blind auditions,’ but no, you apply and go through five stages, and then you may go to the blind auditions.”
Around the second and third rounds of initial auditions, they split Fink and his friend up, only allowing him to continue. As she had been on The Voice, they did not want her to be on it again. So, Fink continued on past the other prerequisite auditions alone, “I already signed a contract which meant I could not say no.” Although Fink had to continue the journey without his companion, he knew it would still be a fun experience.
The whole experience was very enjoyable for Fink, especially being on stage and having all of the professional lighting and equipment. When one is in that position, they get to see a lot more of the behind-the-scenes that make up the magic of reality TV. Besides all the glamor of the filming process, Fink actually believes that the best part “was all the other teenagers.”
During the filming of parts of The Voice, Fink lived in an apartment with the other teenagers. Each round they filmed for about three weeks, so he spent a lot of time with all the other competitors. They would spend time cooking together or walking around Berlin, Germany, where they were staying.
Because it is reality TV there were scripted scenes. But overall, Fink found it to be a very valuable learning experience. “You get to meet people from all over Europe. The connections and relationships you get to make with important people in the music industry is a nice takeaway.” Because you meet important people in the music industry, if you wanted to pursue a singing career you would probably have an easier time getting started.
Fink is always asked if he wants to be a musician when he is older, but in reality, he doesn’t think that is the career path he is going to take. Although he loves singing, there are other subjects and careers he is interested in. Fink concluded, “perhaps I will do something related to singing, but I don’t think I will be just an artist.”