Pope Idol: Sister Cristina Scuccia, Winner of The Voice Italy 2014

When one thinks of a Nun, our minds swift immediately to a woman living under solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; lives a life of prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent, and is active in charitable works in areas such as education and healthcare.

During one interview done by Joanna Moorhead, and published in The Guardian, Sister Cristina Scuccia said “Do people think nuns have to be lifeless, sad individuals? Do they think we had a terrible past and had to become nuns to escape? My vocation wasn’t about giving something up, it was about taking something on.” And that is exactly what she has done and accomplished.

Growing up in a devout Catholic family in Vittoria-Sicily, Scuccia's father was a bricklayer and her mother was a home-maker. While she wasn't specifically enamored by her faith, her main dream was to become a singer. At 19, her mother persuaded her to audition for a musical being performed to mark the centenary of the Ursuline order. She was cast as Sister Rosa, the founder of the branch of the Ursulines to which she now belongs. “Playing her changed my life, because it drove me towards my vocation. In the show, I was wearing a habit and speaking the words of Sister Rosa, who encouraged others to engage with the church. Her words inspired me. I started thinking, ‘Could this be my future?".

At the age of 20, she joined the order in Rome and was sent to work for two years in Brazil, "it’s a very musical country and everything seemed to fall into place. I realized these two worlds, religion, and music, can co-exist" said Scuccia.

In the years from 2009 to 2011, Sister Cristina improved her artistic skills at the "Star Rose Academy" in Rome, created and directed by Maximo De Marco. Her singing teacher was the singer-songwriter, Franco Simone.

In 2012, she moved back to Milan, Italy, to the convent where she still lives today. Her everyday job is to serve lunch to the children at the nursery run by the order. She also aids with the running of a hostel for university students. Even with her hectic schedule, she still manages to go to the recording studio, and take part in interviews.

It was at a Christian music festival that she got her big break, after being spotted by a scout from The Voice. “They invited me along for an audition and then everything happened.” When asked, how was stepping from the convent into the glare of one of Italy’s most-watched TV shows?, her response was: “Traumatic. When you win, you suddenly feel very small in the face of this huge thing. But then I realized: it all happened not because of me, but because of God.” When her victory was announced, Scuccia insisted on reciting the Lord’s Prayer.

On 20 October 2014, the music video for Scuccia's version of Madonna's Like a Virgin was released on Vevo platform. It is the lead single from her new album "Sister Cristina" which was released on 11 November 2014. The album contains her interpretations of a number of songs as well as two previously unreleased songs.

On 18 December 2014, she released her second music video Blessed Be Your Name.

To promote her album, which also features covers of Coldplay and Keane, she was allowed to travel to Venice to make a video in which she dances on rooftops and jams in St Mark’s Square. "There are no plans for a tour," she says, but she’d be open to the idea of performing to live audiences. Her biggest ambition is to get “a call from Pope Francis”, who is famous for making his own phone calls, and an invitation to perform at the Vatican. “I’d love to sing for him. I’d love to give him a copy of my album.

Conservative voices in the Catholic church would probably say she’s been given far too much freedom by her order, who are a bit carried away by the bright lights of showbiz. But she is adamant that isn’t the case. “We have to free the singing side of life from its shackles,” she says. “It’s so attached to this ‘celebrity’ view of success. I’m a different kind of pop star”.

Some songs which Sister Cristina Scuccia has performed live on The Voice:

• No One - Alicia Keys
• Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
• Hero - Mariah Carey
• Flashdance...What a Feeling - Irene Cara
• Uno su Mille - Gianni Morandi
• Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
• The Time of My Life - Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes