The Voice UK’s newest judges Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher opened up on the “disagreements” they encountered whilst sharing the judge’s chair on the new series of the ITV singing series – which kicks off tonight.
Jones and Fletcher are joining The Voice UK legends Sir Tom Jones and Will.i.am as well as newcomer, singer LeAnn Rimes – with all five judges being desperate to find the UK’s next biggest singer.
For the first time on the UK series, Jones and Fletcher will share a judges chair which is something which seems to have come with its challenges, according to the McFly members.
Speaking on the new twist, Fletcher admitted: “There hasn’t really been any disagreements but we only get 90 seconds to make our choice, so sometimes we might second guess ourselves, whilst trying to figure out what each other are thinking.
“You never want to talk over someone’s performance, so we’re trying to work out each other’s facial expressions. There was one audition where Danny literally grabbed my hand to press the button – because I was wavering and taking my time.”
Jones added: “And there was another one that you turned for and I was like ‘what are you doing?!’.”
“That’s part of the double chair. You have to trust your partner. If Danny hears something that I don’t, you have to trust your partner,” Fletcher replied before Jones teased: “You have to telepathically talk!”
Backing up the All About You hitmakers, host Emma Willis added: “There hasn’t been and I think that is what is so great about having two people like that in a double chair because they are best mates and they have been in a band together for two decades!
“They have different tastes in music, but they are like brothers, so they know each other really well. I think they appreciate each other’s viewpoint, and they know how to work with that because they have had to do that for so many years. I think they agreed most of the time as well!”
The boys also touched on what they were looking for from the contestants, with Fletcher simply stating: “The winner! Ultimately, you really want someone to have an amazing moment, whether they win or not.
“You want people who really deserve to be a part of the show and you base all of your decisions on your gut feeling.”
“That’s another thing I have found that is different between the adults and The Voice Kids,” Jones added. “With the kids, they don’t know who they are yet, but with the adults, there is something different. They’re all such good singers, but what is the thing that makes them special?”
Sexbomb singer Tom Jones also gave an insight into what viewers can expect of the new series, and what he is looking for in the talent this year.
He explained: “I’m always listening for something that surprises me, something that is not run of the mill. Sometimes people want to sound like someone else, but I want someone individual and natural.
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“What amazes me is the brilliant voices that we discover every single year. This year we have a fresh bunch of singers and that’s what we are looking for. I look at The Voice as being an amazing platform for our homegrown singers to showcase to the world.”
Giving advice to the contestants and what makes his chair spin, Jones added: “Be yourself. Don’t try to copy somebody – take advice from people but at the end of the day you have to make your own decisions.”
