He’s got the Michael Jackson moves and the voice to match, yet for most of his adult life, Mandurah’s Bertie Anderson performed as a truck driver and supervisor on a Pilbara mine site.
Following his recent The Voice blind audition in which three coaches pulled out all the stops to recruit him, the R’n’B artist, 37, is hoping his decision to farewell FIFO life as pays off.
“I‘ve been in mining for 15 years all up, and then this year it just came to a point where I was like, ‘Look, I need to give music 100 per cent’,” he told PerthNow.
“So I ended up quitting my job, which was a huge decision, but that kind of forced me to take music seriously and The Voice seriously, and try to pursue it and give it everything I’ve got.”
Claiming the “financial freedom” associate with mining is tough to walk away from, the Torres Strait Islander has balanced his work schedule with a solo music career for many years.
His 2020 single Song 4 Her has even surpassed a million streams on Spotify.
Admittedly nervous to set foot on The Voice stage, Anderson’s experience performing both locally and across Australia gave him the confidence to hit the right notes when it mattered.
“I’ve been performing for years and years, but that silence with that door opening and walking out, it was like the first time I’d ever performed. So it never gets easier, but we love it,” he said.
Finding his groove with Usher’s Caught Up, Anderson’s energy and vocal prowess drew chair turns from former Spice Girl Mel C, Irish singer Ronan Keating, and homegrown talent Kate Miller-Heidke.
Despite living far from his R’n’B world, the Aussie used her “block” on Mel C to in a desperate bid to recruit him.
“Ultimately, I wanted to go with Mel C — she was more down my lane, and then Kate hit the block, so that threw a huge spanner in the works,” he recalled.
“And then through a bit of contemplation within that moment, and she was the only Australian on the panel, I thought it was only right that I went with her.”
The R’n’B performer’s next challenge will be advancing out of The Knockouts which begin on Sunday night, as contestants go head-to-head in groups of three or four, with each performing a different song.
Prior to entering the competition, Anderson ventured internationally to pursue another dream of his — to write a hit song for a major artist.
In October 2025, he was one of a dozen artists invited to the Hitmakers Songwriting Retreat in Los Angeles, an exclusive workshop run by 10 Grammy award-winning, nominated songwriters and producers.
“We got to spend three days with them working and getting mentoring and coaching,” he said.
“So that was that was quite cool to build those relationships within the industry, and then that’s sort of given me a boost of confidence because when I came back, The Voice started, and then that was my journey from then.”
The Mandurah resident said the opportunity was born out of years “grinding”, which he described as regularly posting to social media and “being visible to the right people”.
As he works towards his goals, Anderson is grateful for the support from his mother and older sister, and kids he has already inspired through his achievements.
“I’m a Torres Strait Islander, and I just use every opportunity that I can on the show to try and represent my culture and and do my best to empower the next generation,” Anderson said.
“So if there’s any other young Torres Strait Islander kids out there that see themselves in me, I want to make sure that I’m that role model for them.”
The Knockouts begin tonight on Seven and 7plus at 7.00pm, and continue Monday night at 7.30pm.
