The Voice UK is returning to our screens this weekend with a fresh crop of budding singers and a new line-up of award-winning judges ready to find that standout talent with the winning vocals.
This will be the the 13th series of the show and there has been something of a shake-up to the format this year.
Katie Rawcliffe, ITV’s head of entertainment commissioning, said: “The Voice UK is back and it’s louder than ever.
“What a thrill to have an international music icon like LeAnn Rimes joining the show, and homegrown superstars Danny and Tom in our first ever two-person chair, plus the legends that are will.i.am, Sir Tom and Emma Willis, we are in for a great series.”
Willis, who will continue to host the ITV show, said viewers can expect “a really fun series packed with incredible talent” and “higher energy than usual”.
With major changes to the judging panel this year, we take a look at who will be taking to the red chairs.
Sir Tom Jones
Sir Tom joined the show as one of the coaches from the start in 2012 and has been a regular, with the exception of 2016, ever since.
The veteran Welsh singer has picked and mentored the winner three times, most recently in 2022 with Antonia Edwards.
At the age of 84, he is still performing live with a series of concerts over the summer months across the UK.
In a career which has spanned seven decades, he has sold more than a million records, had 36 Top 40 hits in the UK and 19 in the US, including “It’s Not Unusual”, “Delilah” and the James Bond theme “Thunderball”.
He has won two Brit Awards, three Grammys, a Golden Globe and the Ivor Novello Award, and was knighted by the Queen in 2006 for services to music.
Speaking about the upcoming series, he said: “It feels great to be back – I love doing The Voice. 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.”
will.i.am
Like Sir Tom, will.i.am has been with The Voice UK since the start in 2012.
The US rapper, singer and songwriter is the frontman of Black Eyed Peas and has won seven Grammy awards during a career which spans three decades.
As a record producer, he has worked with artists such as U2, Miley Cyrus, Jennifer Hudson and Rihanna.
The 49-year-old entrepreneur also has a keen interest in technology and has worked with a number of tech firms. He is the CEO of Focus Your Ideas, giving a speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) earlier this summer.
Ahead of the start of this series, he said: “This year I am looking to shed light on my artists dreams and to give them a path. Sometimes little nuggets go a long way.”
LeAnn Rimes
US star LeAnn Rimes is new to the judging panel for 2024. The singer, songwriter and actress shot to fame as a country music star at the age of just 13 and has gone on to sell more than 48 million records worldwide, crossing over into pop music.
With hits including I Need You and Can’t Fight the Moonlight, she has won two Grammy Awards, 12 Billboard Music Awards, two World Music Awards, three Academy of Country Music Awards and two Country Music Association Awards.
The 42-year-old said the chemistry on this season’s show “is amazing” and all the judges are competitive but “in a good way”.
She said: “I love when someone is a great technical singer, I think it’s a huge plus. Mainly what I look for is someone who can tell a story. First it’s about creating that connection and conveying emotion in someone else.
“If you have all of that in one person then you have magic.”
Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher
Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones are one half of British pop band McFly.
Formed in 2003, they have had seven UK number-one singles and seven top-ten albums including 2023’s Power to Play.
Along with fellow bandmates Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter, they entered the Guinness World Records as the youngest band ever to have an album debut at number one, when their first album Room on the 3rd Floor went straight in at the top in the UK charts.
They won a Brit Award in 2005 for best pop act.
Away from music, Fletcher, 39, is a successful children’s author and has also written songs for other artists including One Direction and Busted.
Jones, 38, has worked as a music producer and DJ and has been a coach and mentor of The Voice UK Kids from 2017 to 2023.
How to watch The Voice UK
The new season of The Voice UK begins on Saturday 31 August at 8pm on ITV1. It will also be available to watch on ITVX.