Casey Donovan has divided ABC viewers with her New Year’s Eve performance in Sydney, in which she covered Leonard Cohen’s classic song Hallelujah.
The 36-year-old Australian pop star stunned fans as she belted out several songs for the annual celebration, including Defying Gravity from the musical film Wicked.
Fans were divided over the Australian Idol winner’s upbeat performance and quickly took to social media to express their thoughts, with many praising her singing.
‘Casey Donovan just owned the entire night with her version of Hallelujah. What a national treasure. What a voice. Sublime, emotional performance,’ one person gushed.
‘That was moving and beautiful, you made my night!’ a second person added.
‘Donovan is the Queen of the NYE celebration concert. Every year she brings it!’ a third person chipped in and another wrote: ‘What a voice.’
Casey Donovan (pictured) has divided ABC viewers with her New Years Eve performance in Sydney, in which she covered Leonard Cohen’s classic song Hallelujah
However, others were not so taken with the performance and did not mince words when expressing their dissatisfaction.
‘Last thing I wanted to see was Casey Donovan at NYE Sydney. Not sure how she got first place Australian Idol,’ one person sniped.
‘Did Casey Donovan wake up this morning and decide she would get on stage and deliberately ruin Hallelujah?’ another user wrote.
‘I’m a live and let live kinda guy but Casey Donovan has butchered some songs tonight,’ a third viewer chipped in.
Casey is a regular performer at the Sydney New Year’s Eve concert and often divides viewers with her enthusiastic performances.
Elsewhere on the night, furious viewers blasted the ABC for making its family friendly 9pm coverage of the iconic New Year’s Eve celebrations too ‘woke’ in its message.
The annual celebration is typically known as the ‘fireworks for children’, with younger audiences going to bed before the midnight display.
The national broadcaster showed the fireworks going off at the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge, which was decorated in black, red and yellow spotlights, the colour of the Indigenous flag.
The 36-year-old Australian pop star stunned fans as she belted out several songs for the annual celebration, including Defying Gravity from the musical film Wicked
Unimpressed viewers quickly took to social media to slam the ABC for ‘politicising’ the annual celebration.
Several complained that the event has become ‘woke’ in recent years.
‘Glad the ABC decided once again to turn NYE into another political statement. Children don’t need 9pm fun and fireworks without a heaped serving of cultural education. WOKE,’ one viewer sniped.
‘Another taxpayer funded divisive load of s**t,’ a second person added.
‘How embarassing is the 9pm music and theme… oh wait, it’s the ABC’ complained one more viewer.
Elsewhere, Charlie Pickering made an embarrassing blunder as ABC’s New Year’s Eve broadcast got underway at 8.30pm.
Fans were divided over the Australian Idol winner’s performance and quickly took to social media to express their thoughts, with some praising Casey’s singing and others criticising it
He became tongue-tied while introducing the coverage alongside co-presenter Zan Rowe.
‘Tonight, we see in the new year live from around the world, ah around the world, ah good start,’ he said.
Rowe began to interrupt before Pickering quickly corrected himself.
‘From the world famous Sydney Opera House on Gadigal Country,’ and the gaffe prompted laughter from his co-presenter.
Read more in our Daily Mail Australia New Year’s Eve live blog.
The broadcaster shows the NYE celebrations every year and they regularly attract criticisms from upset viewers.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk