New coach on ITV's The Voice Gavin Rossdale: "I've definitely found the next superstar"
Could the Bush frontman finally end the star power drought on the talent contest?
New coach on block Gavin Rossdale – the man you might, just might, have known as the frontman of Bush – has found that rarest of things: a breakout talent on The Voice.
Speaking about on the red carpet of ITV’s latest talent show, Rossdale told Radiotimes.com he said “one flat out star” had joined Team Gavin during the show’s blind audition stage that was recorded late last year.
It’s a bold statement considering previous series: The BBC’s version of The Voice launched any major musical stars over five years. The first album from original Voice champion Leanne Mitchell didn’t get higher than slot 45 in the charts, and the record released by 2015 winner Stevie McCrorie peaked at number 35.
“It had nothing to do with me, I was never involved!” said Rossdale, who joins The Voice as the show moves over to ITV . “I’m going to try and rectify that and I know on my team I’ve got at least six people who could be superstars.”
And, according to will.i.am, Rossdale might not be bluffing. The Black Eyed Peas frontman and longest-serving judge said the show unearthed “three special [singers] that are better than anyone on the radio today. They’re freaking awesome! … There’s one in Gavin’s team – got to give it to Gavin, that person’s awesome!”
So, who is it? Well, Rossdale and the other judges are keeping tight lips about the exact make-up of there teams, but they have dropped a few hints.
Like Rossdale, fellow newbie coach Jennifer Hudson also suggested she’s got the next big thing on her team: “I love my whole group. I’m excited about them all. But yeah, there’s one and a half to two that I’m like ‘that’s the one’.”
And what about the returning Voice veteran Tom Jones? Well, he’s got a winner on his diverse team, apparently: “I’ve got two duos: two girls singing together and two boys singing together – got Welsh people on there, Scottish people, Irish people, English people. There’s a really strong mixture of singers.”
But Will? The longest-serving coach is not as confident as you’d think: “There’s a couple of singers I have that are spectacular and some that are okay. They’re just so spectacular that the other ones have to either step up or get stepped on.”
New coach on the revolving chair Gavin Rossdale – the man you might have known as the frontman of indie-rockers Bush – has found that rarest of things: a breakout talent on The Voice.
Speaking on the red carpet of ITV’s latest talent show, Rossdale told RadioTimes.com “one flat out star” had joined Team Gavin during the show’s blind audition stage that was recorded late last year.
It’s a bold statement considering previous series: The BBC’s version of The Voice failed to launch any major musical stars over its five year run. The first album from original champion Leanne Mitchell didn’t get higher than slot 45 in the charts, and the record released by 2015 winner Stevie McCrorie peaked at number 35.
“It had nothing to do with me, I was never involved!” said Rossdale, who joins The Voice as the show moves over to ITV. “I’m going to try and rectify that and I know on my team I’ve got at least six people who could be superstars.”
And, according to will.i.am, Rossdale might not be bluffing. The Black Eyed Peas frontman and longest-serving judge said the show unearthed “three special [singers] that are better than anyone on the radio today. They’re freaking awesome! … There’s one in Gavin’s team – got to give it to Gavin, that person’s awesome!”
So, who are these superstars? Well, Rossdale and the other judges are keeping tight lips about the exact make-up of their 10-act teams, but they have dropped a few hints.
Like Rossdale, fellow newbie coach Jennifer Hudson suggested she’s got the next big thing on her side: “I love my whole group. I’m excited about them all. But yeah, there’s one and a half to two that I’m like ‘that’s the one’.”
And what about Voice veteran Tom Jones, who's returning to the ITV show after being dropped from the BBC version? Well, he’s got a winner on his diverse team too, apparently: “I’ve got two duos: two girls singing together and two boys singing together – got Welsh people on there, Scottish people, Irish people, English people. There’s a really strong mixture of singers.”
But Will? The longest-serving coach is not as confident as you’d think: “There’s a couple of singers I have that are spectacular and some that are okay. Some are just so spectacular that the other ones have to either step up or get stepped on.”
Harsh words indeed, Will. Somebody panicking after seeing a maximum dope singer on Team Rossdale, perhaps?
The Voice UK launches on ITV, Saturday 7 January at 8pm
Authors
Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.
