Francis Bowers battles a bit of a strep throat.

It has been a tough week for Francis Bowers. The singing sensation has been fighting to remain on the The Voice South Africa singing contest. And now he’s battling a strep throat, too.

Meanwhile Melkbos residents are gunning for Francis to win The Voice. They remember him as a little boy that started singing in the church choir. Amidst all the drama Francis sounds calm as he chats to Melkbos.net over the phone from Johannesburg. He’s taken time off from his post graduate marketing studies at Stellenbosch University and says that he spends three to fours hours daily singing and doing rehearsals.

Strep throat
It is a rigorous time. At the moment Francis’s lifestyle is more that of a monk than a dissipated rock musician. He does not go out at night and tries to get as much rest as possible. He drinks lots of tea with lemon and honey and always wears a scarf to protect his biggest asset, which is his voice. As the air is very dry in Johannesburg he uses a nebuliser to moisten his vocal chords. Notwithstanding all of this, he says he’s developed a bit of a strep throat. Well, he still sounds mellifluous.

An old soul in a young body
Francis grew up in a house that was filled with music. He started singing when he was 4 or 5, first in the Apostolic Church, then in the NG Church. Music Teacher Hanneke Cornelisson lived across the road from the Bowers’ and he’d pop across for piano and singing lessons. Francis’s big break came after matric when he went to Italy as an exchange student. He entered a singing contest in the town of Lecco and sang Hallelujah and Celine Dion’s To Love You More. He won, and the rest is now history. Francis graduated in International Studies at the time of The Voice’s Blind Audition.

It sounds like too much, too soon. He says simply,” I want to be like Lira, and develop my own brand.” You go, Francis!