Four finalists confirmed for ‘Spotlight Academy’ after record public vote

Confetti fell over the stage of ‘Spotlight Academy’ on Saturday night as host Mikael Strand named the four singers who will compete in next week’s live final, after a semifinal vote that broke the show’s all-time record.

More than 2.4 million votes were cast by phone and through the show’s app, the production company said, nearly half a million more than at the same stage last season.

The final four

• Ana Petrović, 21, a music student from Elmbridge known for her soaring ballads
• Leon Achterberg, 26, a former bus mechanic from Northvale with a gravelly soul voice
• Isla Moreau, 19, a pianist and songwriter from Port Alden
• The Fairweather Twins, 24, a folk duo from the Greywater mountains

A shock exit

The biggest talking point, however, was who did not make it. Daria Holm, who had topped the weekly vote four times and was widely seen as the favorite, finished fifth by fewer than 30,000 votes. Her emotional reaction on stage was shared hundreds of thousands of times within an hour.

I came here to sing, and I got to sing on the biggest stage of my life. I am not sad, I am grateful. Okay, I am a little sad.

Daria Holm, semifinalist

Some fans claimed the app had crashed during the final minutes of voting and called for a recount. The production company said an independent auditor had checked the results and that the app had worked normally, apart from a brief slowdown that affected less than 1 percent of users.

Judge Marta Kovač said the result showed how strong this year’s group was.

Any of the top five could have won this. That is the cruelty of a public vote, and also its beauty.

Marta Kovač, judge

The final airs live next Saturday from the Riverton Arena. Each finalist will perform two songs, including one duet with a guest artist, before the winner is announced shortly after 10 p.m. The winner receives a recording contract and a national tour next spring.