“It was so hard to keep it from her!” Jess Mauboy’s niece Saraya secretly auditioned for The Voice

Saraya Mauboy-Hudson has never kept secrets from her aunt, Jessica Mauboy – until now.

Stepping onto the stage of The Voice Australia, the 17-year-old was determined to keep her blind audition under wraps.

“It was so hard to keep it from her,” Saraya, 17, reveals to TV WEEK.

“I just didn’t want to have high expectations from anyone.”

Growing up, Saraya was surrounded by music. While she learnt most of her skills from her mum and grandma at home in Darwin, Jessica was always an inspiration for the aspiring young performer.

“Watching Aunty Jess make her dream come true was always inspiring,” she says.

“I wanted to know what that felt like.”

After watching Jessica’s journey to stardom, the teenager felt hopeful that she could make it in the music business too.

While she intended to wait a few years before pursuing a career, when a friend applied to The Voice on her behalf, Saraya knew it was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down.

“Stepping on the stage was a dream come true,” she says. “I know that sounds cheesy, but I haven’t had a lot of confidence in singing and being on stage.

“Getting the opportunity to do just that was everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Will Jess turn her chair around for her niece?

The Voice Australia airs Monday and Tuesday, 7.30pm, and Sunday, 7pm, on Channel Seven.