Students at Bath College have auditioned to star in one of the UK’s biggest TV singing competitions, with talent scouts for the new ITV version of The Voice visiting to film them singing and performing.
The show’s production team are listening to hundreds of aspiring singers before picking their favourites for the 2017 series.
First year music student Josh Hobbs, 17, from Bath, is among those hoping to get to the first stage of the show, the blind auditions.
Josh, who sang his own composition, said: “I was pretty surprised when I heard they were coming and I thought I’d give it a go.
“It’s a chance to get out there and sell yourself. To be on TV would mean a lot, it would be pretty amazing for people to hear my music.
“I’ve been writing for five years and I’ve been a singer for 11 years. I’m hoping to study with the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM) after college.”
First year music student Charlotte Wicks, from Warminster, also auditioned, choosing to sing Lana Del Rey’s Video Games.
Charlotte, 19, hopes to become a singer songwriter following in the footsteps of Bath College alumni Gabrielle Aplin and Laura Doggett.
Gabrielle found fame after she was selected to record the soundtrack for the John Lewis Christmas advert in 2012.
Charlotte said: “Doing this kind of thing gives you a good experience of auditioning. It’s the only show I would do if the offer came about.
“The Voice is different, they don’t try and change your image. It’s not about how you look, it’s about how you sound.”
Music lecturer Tim Goode said: “The auditions caused a bit of a buzz in the college. I put the poster up and it got an immediate response.
“The students we have here are really talented and even the first years are quite seasoned performers. Some of them are in a position to take it to the next step.
“Our goal is to give them industry experience to survive when they cross that threshold. The musicians I know (who have made a career out of music) have been successful thanks to knowledge and experience.
“Gabrielle Aplin was chosen for the John Lewis advert after entering a competition. She put her name down for every opportunity, it happened because she made it happen rather than hoping it would.
“We give the students new opportunities every week. At this stage in their careers it’s about exposing them to difference experiences.”
