The Voice UK is back with more blind auditions, singing battles and spinning chairs, although a new face will be pressing one of those famous red buttons – host Emma Willis!
The presenter is trading places with the celebrity coaches this series in a first for The Voice, but she soon learns that the job isn’t as easy as it seems.
“I have a slightly extended role – I get a go in the chair for one audition. It was really nerve-wracking,” Emma says.
“When it was happening I was like, ‘Oh yes!’ And then I sat there like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t think I should be doing this. What if I don’t hear properly? Who am I to sit here and tell someone yes or no?”
“You go from being the presenter and the person guiding the flow of the show, having surface level involvement, and suddenly you’re somebody that has someone’s hopes and dreams in your hands,” she adds. “I shouldn’t be in this chair!”
Despite the added pressure, Emma says the experience made it her “favourite” series. “It was like live telly. It filled me with adrenaline and I loved it,” she smiles.
In fact, now Emma’s had a taste of what coaches Sir Tom Jones, Olly Murs, Anne-Marie and will.i.am get up to each show, she thinks it might “cause trouble” going forward.
“Next time, I might just run out there and push someone else’s button, not wait to be asked to sit in a chair,” she laughs. “I might just go rogue. I think I need an Ant and Dec -style Golden Buzzer from Britain’s Got Talent. But I’ve been asking for that for years. Let’s have five coaches, give me a button!”
While viewers watch an hour of auditions each week, Emma reveals that the team are working 15-hour days when filming. “It’s a nightmare on your back and feet because it is five-hour blocks of standing up consistently. It’s like being at a gig without a glass of wine!”
The aches and pains haven’t stopped Emma from coming back each series, with the presenter approaching her 10th year with The Voice.
“I like seeing people do well and watching talented people – and sitting down on a Saturday night with my family to watch a show we can get involved with from our sofas and scream at those coaches.”
The celebrity coaches will be once again looking for the next singing superstar on this series, although Olly Murs will be sitting in his big red chair for the final time.
The singer is leaving the show after six years, but admits that he’s more competitive than ever. “I’ll say I want to win, yet underneath it all, the other judges are just as competitive as me, they just don’t want to show it,” he says.
Meanwhile, long-time coach will.i.am is looking for an undiscovered talent with an eye for business this time.
“Figure out what things you like outside of music and what you’re passionate about. Become an entrepreneur in that field because that’s how you make money,” he says.
The newest coach, Anne-Marie, reveals that friend and “inspiration” Ed Sheeran gave her the best advice. “He said, ‘Just remember to call your mum all the time and let her know what’s going on.’
“I think when you get wrapped up in it, and you are on social media, you forget you’re not telling people at home what you are doing. You send out a tweet to everyone saying, ‘I’m off to Argentina’ and your mum and dad don’t know!”
She adds, “Ed also told me, ‘You need to have fun because what’s the point otherwise?’”
The Voice UK airs on Saturday 4th November at 8:25pm on ITV1
Source: Read Full Article