18-year old Blessing Chitapa, of Dudley, West Midlands, who last Saturday won The Voice UK has said her phone has been ringing ‘every two seconds’ with voice calls and thousands of text messages from followers supporting her.

Chitapa, who has Zimbabwean origins, won a recording contract and released a single after she was last weekend announced the winner of the ITV final.

She also revealed that she also plans to continue her studies at Dudley College.
The talented singer said “there’s thousands of followers supporting me and I’m just overwhelmed and so grateful”.

Speaking of the response from family and friends, Chitapa said:

“This phone isn’t stopping and it’s still going, even now,” she said of the response from family and friends.

Reports say Chitapa grew up singing gospel music and her parents are both pastors at the Cornerstone Fellowship Church in West Bromwich.

She said her debut single, covering Angels by Robbie Williams, which she sang in the final, was “perfect” for her.

“I’m just excited to be in the studio now and to work on new music,” she added.

Her biology teacher Dawood Sadiq commented:

“Didn’t she do an amazing job, that voice is absolutely stunning.”

Sadiq said Chitapa was also “really dedicated” to her studies, and did an online lesson backstage from the programme’s studios.

“On one occasion, she said to me ‘Oh sorry Dawood I’m going to have to leave the lesson now because I’ve got to go into a rehearsal,” he said.

“Whatever she decides to do, she is going to do an amazing job of it.”

state media/Zwnews