The Voice UK (series 7)
The Voice UK is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The seventh series began airing on 6 January 2018 and concluded on 7 April 2018. It was presented by Emma Willis on ITV. will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson and Sir Tom Jones return for their seventh, second and sixth series, respectively, with Olly Murs replacing Gavin Rossdale as a new coach for the series. Previous runner-up Jamie Miller replaced Cel Spellman as the presenter of companion show, The V Room, broadcast through the ITV Hub.
| The Voice UK | |
|---|---|
| Series 7 | |
| Hosted by |
|
| Coaches | |
| Winner | Ruti Olajugbagbe |
| Winning mentor | Sir Tom Jones |
| Runner-up | Donel Mangena |
| Release | |
| Original network | |
| Original release | 6 January – 7 April 2018 |
| Series chronology | |
Coaches and presenters
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On 6 March 2017, it was announced that will.i.am would be returning as a coach on the show for his seventh series, with ITV stating that they were in "all parties" to have Sir Tom Jones to return as a coach as well.[1] After much speculation regarding his future on the programme, on 6 August 2017, Gavin Rossdale announced his departure from the programme, after just one series as a coach. Following this announcement, Danny Jones became the favourite to replace Rossdale,[2] after impressing show producers in his performance on the junior spin-off programme The Voice UK, though former coach Ricky Wilson was also in the running, as he previously stated that the door would be left open for him to return to the show after his first departure in 2016.[3] On 11 October 2017, Olly Murs was confirmed as Rossdale's replacement, after being linked with the position for many weeks,[4] along with the news that Jennifer Hudson would be returning for her second series as a coach.[5] Emma Willis will return for her second series as solo presenter, her fifth overall, with Jamie Miller replacing Cel Spellman as the presenter of companion show The V Room.[6]
On 8 February 2018, it was announced that the coaches will have Guest Mentors to help them choose their acts in the Knockout stages and they are as follows:[7] Craig David will help Olly Murs, Apl.de.ap and Taboo will help will.i.am, Kylie Minogue will help Sir Tom Jones and Mo Adeniran and Leona Lewis will help Jennifer Hudson.
It was announced on 12 March 2018, Vick Hope would be replacing Jamie Miller as the backstage presenter.
Promotion
The first teaser trailer for the seventh series was released in December 2017, featuring coaches will.i.am, Hudson, Jones and Murs.[8] The coaches were also interviewed by The V Room presenter Miller, at the red carpet for the blind auditions.[6]
Teams
Colour key:
- Winner
- Runner-up
- Third place
- Fourth place
- Eliminated in the Semi-Final
- Eliminated in the Knockouts
- Artist was stolen by another coach at the Battles
- Eliminated in the Battles
| Coach | Top 40 Artists | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| will.i.am | ||||||
| Donel Mangena | Tai | Mark Asari | Saskia Eng | Paige Young | Anna Willison Holt | |
| Loaded Sista | Wesu Wallace | |||||
| Jennifer Hudson | ||||||
| Belle Voci | Gayatri Nair | Rhianna Abrey | Jason Nicholson-Porter | Jake Benson | Ross Anderson | |
| Ant & Ox | Tesni Jones | Harri Oakland | Jilly Riley | Scarlett Quigley | ||
| Sir Tom Jones | ||||||
| Ruti Olajugbagbe | Lucy Milburn | Chantelle Nandi | Wayne Ellington | Kalon Rae | Eliza Gutteridge | |
| Jade Williams | Chloe Jones | Simon Davies | Courtney O'Neil | |||
| Olly Murs | ||||||
| Lauren Bannon | Jamie Grey | Kirby Frost | Shane McCormack | Holly Ellison | Kade Smith | |
| Ivy Paige | Debbie Aramide | Bailey Nelsen | RYT | Chris James | ||
Blind auditions
On 14 December 2017, it was announced by ITV that the seventh series would begin broadcasting on 6 January 2018.[9]
- Colour key
| ✔ | Coach hit his/her "I WANT YOU" button |
| Artist defaulted to this coach's team | |
| Artist elected to join this coach's team | |
| Artist eliminated with no coach pressing his or her "I WANT YOU" button | |
| Artist Received an "All Turn" | |
Episode 1 (6 January)
The series premiere aired from 8.00pm until 9.35pm.
- Group performance: The Voice UK coaches – "Feeling Good"
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly | ||||
Jake Benson |
1 | 26 | "Issues" | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Chloe Jones |
2 | 22 | "Like a Star" | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ |
Lauren Bannon |
3 | 27 | "Lean On" | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Niall Donnelly |
4 | 35 | "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" | — | — | — | — |
Jimmy Balito |
5 | 22 | "Concrete" | — | — | — | — |
Jason Nicholson-Porter |
6 | 33 | "Amazing Grace" | — | ✔ | — | — |
RYT |
7 | 24–30 | "JCB" | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Donel Mangena |
8 | 16 | "Cold Water" | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Episode 2 (13 January)
This episode aired from 8.00pm until 9.30pm.
- Performance: between Sir Tom Jones & Jennifer Hudson – "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly | ||||
Kade Smith |
1 | 16 | "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Belle Voci |
2 | 25–26 | "Flower Duet" | — | ✔ | — | — |
Ivy Paige |
3 | 37 | "Why Don't You Do Right?" | — | — | — | ✔ |
Jade Williams |
4 | 32 | "Secret Smile" | — | — | ✔ | — |
Jacob Simpson |
5 | 21 | "Over" | — | — | — | — |
Jamie Grey |
6 | 29 | "Rise Up" | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
Benn Helm |
7 | 43 | "Always on the Run" | — | — | — | — |
Lucy Milburn |
8 | 20 | "Colorblind" | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Episode 3 (20 January)
This episode aired from 8.00pm until 9.30pm.
- Performance: from Olly Olly Murs – "Dance with Me Tonight"
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly | ||||
Chris James |
1 | 28 | "Prince Ali" | — | — | — | ✔ |
Tai |
2 | 18 | "Move On Up" | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
Gemma Kalmakrian |
3 | 34 | "Born to Be Wild" | — | — | — | — |
| 4 | 18 | "Budapest" | — | — | ✔ | — | |
Ant & Ox |
5 | 21 | "Sunday Morning" | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Micky Cohen |
6 | 24 | "Despacito" | — | — | — | — |
Janel Antoneshia |
7 | 24 | "Magic" | — | — | — | — |
Mark Asari |
8 | 28 | "Walking Away” | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
Simon Davies |
9 | 30 | "Sign of the Times” | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Episode 4 (27 January)
This episode aired from 8.00pm until 9.30pm.
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly | ||||
H Boss |
1 | 28 | "Don't Mind"/ "Antenna" | — | — | — | — |
Kirby Frost |
2 | 17 | "Ciao Adios" | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| 3 | 30–34 | "Black Widow" | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ | |
Anna Willison Holt |
4 | 17 | "Never Forget You" | ✔ | — | — | — |
Eliza Gutteridge |
5 | 16 | "Wild Horses" | — | — | ✔ | — |
Jordan James |
6 | 25 | "Don't Go" | — | — | — | — |
Zak Archer |
7 | 17 | "Handbags and Gladrags" | — | — | — | — |
Holly Ellison |
8 | 23 | "Sorry Not Sorry” | ✔ | — | — | ✔ |
| 9 | 16 | "Powerful” | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — | |
Episode 5 (3 February)
This episode aired from 8.00pm until 9.30pm.
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly | ||||
Saskia Eng |
1 | 16 | "Strong" | — | — | ✔ | — |
Faith |
2 | 21 | "Hold On" | — | — | — | — |
Paige Young |
3 | 25 | "Crying in the Club" | ✔ | — | — | — |
Shane McCormack |
4 | 21 | "Moondance" | — | — | — | ✔ |
Rhianna Abrey |
5 | 20 | "Ghost" | ✔ | — | — | — |
Ross Anderson |
6 | 17 | "Drag Me Down" | — | ✔ | — | — |
Wendi Harriot |
7 | 41 | "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" | — | — | — | — |
Ellis Bridgewater |
8 | 25 | "Big White Room” | — | — | — | — |
Wayne Ellington |
9 | 46 | "We Were Raised Under Grey Skies” | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
Episode 6 (10 February)
This episode aired from 8.15pm until 9.45pm.
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly | ||||
Michael Harrison |
1 | 30 | "Last Request" | — | — | — | — |
Bailey Nelsen |
2 | 18 | "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" | — | — | — | ✔ |
Wesu Wallace |
3 | 36 | "I'm Not the Only One" | ✔ | — | — | — |
Courtney O'Neil |
4 | 21 | "When You Say Nothing at All" | — | — | ✔ | — |
Keilah Miller |
5 | 21 | "What's Up?" | — | — | — | — |
Jilly Riley |
6 | 35 | "All Right Now" | — | ✔ | — | — |
Jodie Knight |
7 | 18 | "Iris" | — | — | — | — |
Jess Herring |
8 | 20 | "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” | — | — | — | — |
Tesni Jones |
9 | 32 | "Highway to Hell” | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |
Episode 7 (17 February)
This episode aired from 8.00pm until 9.30pm.
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly | ||||
Scarlett Quigley |
1 | 20 | "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
Maria Le Belle |
2 | 34 | "Ghetto Story"/ "Get Busy" | — | — | — | — |
Chantelle Nandi |
3 | 29 | "Kiss Me" | ✔ | — | — | — |
Sand & Stone |
4 | 21–25 | "I Will Wait" | Team full | — | — | — |
Harri Oakland |
5 | 19 | "Say You Won't Let Go" | ✔ | — | — | |
Kalon Rae |
6 | 30 | "Only You" | Team full | ✔ | — | |
Lekenah Eccles |
7 | 27 | "No Scrubs" | Team full | — | ||
Sammi J |
8 | 29 | "Fever” | — | |||
Navi Chahal |
9 | 20 | "Frozen” | — | |||
Aimee Fitzpatrick |
10 | 22 | "Wrecking Ball” | — | |||
Debbie Aramide |
11 | 29 | "Love Is a Losing Game” | ✔ | |||
Battle rounds
Filming for the battles began in December 2017 at dock10, MediaCityUK, following the taping of the blind auditions. Each coach has only one steal. The first part of the battle rounds will be broadcast on 24 February 2018.
- Colour key
| ✔ | Coach hit his/her "I WANT YOU" button |
| Artist won the Battle and advanced to the Knockouts | |
| Artist lost the Battle but was stolen by another coach and advances to the Knockouts | |
| Artist lost the Battle and was eliminated |
| Episode | Coach | Order | Winner | Song | Loser | 'Steal' result | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly | ||||||
| Episode 1 (24 February) |
Olly Murs | 1 | Holly Ellison | "I'd Do Anything for Love" | Chris James | — | — | — | N/A |
| Tom Jones | 2 | Eliza Gutteridge | "Fight Song" | Courtney O'Neil | — | — | N/A | — | |
| will.i.am | 3 | Mark Asari | "Don't Let Go (Love)" | Loaded Sista | N/A | — | — | — | |
| 4 | Tai | "Stand by Me" | Kade Smith | N/A | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Jennifer Hudson | 5 | Belle Voci | "Smells Like Teen Spirit" | Scarlett Quigley | — | N/A | — | Team full | |
| Tom Jones | 6 | Lucy Milburn | "Too Good at Goodbyes" | Simon Davies | — | — | N/A | ||
| will.i.am | 7 | Donel Mangena | "Rain" | Rhianna Abrey | N/A | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Episode 2 (3 March) |
will.i.am | 1 | Anna Willison Holt | "Teardrops" | Chantelle Nandi | N/A | Team full | ✔ | Team full |
| Olly Murs | 2 | Jamie Grey | "Falling Slowly" | RYT | — | Team full | |||
| Jennifer Hudson | 3 | Jake Benson | "Every Breath You Take" | Jilly Riley | — | ||||
| 4 | Ross Anderson | "September Song" | Harri Oakland | — | |||||
| Tom Jones | 5 | Kalon Rae | "Vincent" | Chloe Jones | — | ||||
| Olly Murs | 6 | Kirby Frost | "Friends" | Bailey Nelsen | — | ||||
| Jennifer Hudson | 7 | Jason Nicholson-Porter | "Let It Be" | Tesni Jones | — | ||||
| Episode 3 (10 March) |
Tom Jones | 1 | Ruti Olajugbagbe | "Dog Days Are Over" | Saskia Eng | ✔ | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Olly Murs | 2 | Lauren Bannon | "Praise You" | Debbie Aramide | Team full | ||||
| Jennifer Hudson | 3 | Gayatri Nair | "Skin" | Ant & Ox | |||||
| Olly Murs | 4 | Shane McCormack | "Sway" | Ivy Paige | |||||
| will.i.am | 5 | Paige Young | "Faith" | Wesu Wallace | |||||
| Tom Jones | 6 | Wayne Ellington | "What About Us" | Jade Williams | |||||
Knockouts
Filming for the show was on 10–11 March 2018 at Elstree Studios (Shenley Road). The first part of the battle rounds will be broadcast on 17 March 2018. In this round the mentors will help at the piano rehearsals.
Colour key:
| Artist won the Knockouts and advanced to the Live shows | |
| Artist lost the Knockouts and was eliminated |
| Episode | Coach | Order | Song | Artists | Song | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Losers | |||||||||
| Episode 1 (17 March) | Olly Murs | 1 | "Believer" | Lauren Bannon | Kade Smith | "Express Yourself" | ||||
| Holly Ellison | "Perfect" | |||||||||
| will.i.am | 2 | "Jolene" | Tai | Paige Young | "Power" | |||||
| Anna Willison Holt | "Master Blaster (Jammin')" | |||||||||
| Jennifer Hudson | 3 | "This Is Me" | Gayatri Nair | Jake Benson | "Sun Comes Up" | |||||
| Ross Anderson | "Torn" | |||||||||
| Tom Jones | 4 | "Gravity" | Lucy Milburn | Kalon Rae | "California Dreamin'" | |||||
| Eliza Gutteridge | "Don't Kill My Vibe" | |||||||||
| Episode 2 (24 March) | will.i.am | 1 | "Finesse" | Donel Mangena | Saskia Eng | "Came Here for Love" | ||||
| Mark Asari | "Don't Dream It's Over" | |||||||||
| Tom Jones | 2 | "Dreams" | Ruti Olajugbagbe | Chantelle Nandi | "Sing It Back" | |||||
| Wayne Ellington | "Man in the Mirror" | |||||||||
| Jennifer Hudson | 3 | "Nella Fantasia" | Belle Voci | Rhianna Abrey | "Anywhere" | |||||
| Jason Nicholson-Porter | "When You Believe" | |||||||||
| Olly Murs | 3 | "Faith" | Jamie Grey | Kirby Frost | "Crazy" | |||||
| Shane McCormack | "City of Stars" | |||||||||
Live shows
The live shows began on 31 March 2018.
Results summary
- Team’s colour key
- Team Will
- Team JHud
- Team Tom
- Team Olly
- Result's colour key
- Artist received the fewest votes and was eliminated
- Artist won the competition
| Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | Round 2 | ||||
| Ruti Olajugbagbe | 2nd 22.91% |
2nd 29.41% |
Winner 58.34% | ||
| Donel Mangena | 1st 27.25% |
1st 29.58% |
Runner-up 41.66% | ||
| Belle Voci | 3rd 14.95% |
3rd 24.27% |
Eliminated (Week 2) | ||
| Lauren Bannon | 4th 11.65% |
4th 16.73% | |||
| Jamie Grey | 5th 8.79% |
Eliminated (Week 1) | |||
| Gayatri Nair | 6th 6.67% | ||||
| Lucy Milburn | 7th 5.27% | ||||
| Tai | 8th 2.49% | ||||
Week 1: Semi-final (31 March)
This episode aired from 8.30pm to 10:00pm.
- Musical guest: Mo Jamil ("That Feeling")
| Order | Coach | Artist | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olly Murs | Jamie Grey | "Say Something" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Tom Jones | Lucy Milburn | "One Last Time" | |
| 3 | will.i.am | Tai | "When Doves Cry" | |
| 4 | Jennifer Hudson | Gayatri Nair | "Alive" | |
| 5 | Belle Voci | "Skyfall" | Advanced | |
| 6 | Tom Jones | Ruti Olajugbagbe | "Waiting for a Star to Fall" | |
| 7 | will.i.am | Donel Mangena | "Happy" | |
| 8 | Olly Murs | Lauren Bannon | "In the Air Tonight" |
Week 2: Final (7 April)
This episode will air from 8:30pm to 10:10pm.
Group performance: The Voice UK coaches – "Come Together"
| Order | Coach | Artist | First song | Order | Duet (with Coach) | Order | Winners single | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | will.i.am | Donel Mangena | "Let Me Love You" | 7 | "OMG" | 9 | "Cold Water" | Runner-up |
| 2 | Jennifer Hudson | Belle Voci | "O Fortuna" | 5 | "My Heart Will Go On" | N/A | N/A (already eliminated) | 3rd Place |
| 3 | Tom Jones | Ruti Olajugbagbe | "If You're Not the One" | 8 | "What a Wonderful World" | 10 | "Dreams" | Winner |
| 4 | Olly Murs | Lauren Bannon | "Stay" | 6 | "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | N/A | N/A (already eliminated) | 4th Place |
Reception
Ratings
Official ratings are taken from BARB.[10]
| Episode | Date | Official ratings | ITV weekly rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blind auditions 1 | 6 January | 6.50 | 16 |
| Blind auditions 2 | 13 January | 6.60 | 15 |
| Blind auditions 3 | 20 January | 6.76 | 15 |
| Blind auditions 4 | 27 January | 6.24 | 15 |
| Blind auditions 5 | 3 February | 6.20 | 14 |
| Blind auditions 6 | 10 February | 6.37 | 14 |
| Blind auditions 7 | 17 February | 5.87 | 17 |
| Battle rounds 1 | 24 February | 6.56 | 13 |
| Battle rounds 2 | 3 March | 6.08 | 14 |
| Battle rounds 3 | 10 March | 5.71 | 16 |
| Knockout rounds 1 | 17 March | 5.70 | 16 |
| Knockout rounds 2 | 24 March | 4.76 | 16 |
| Live Semi-Final | 31 March | 5.40 | 17 |
| Live Final | 7 April | 5.87 | 14 |
References
- Harp, Justin (6 March 2017). "will.i.am IS returning to The Voice UK next series". Digital Spy. United Kingdom: Hearst Corporation. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- "The Voice UK: Gavin Rossdale 'axed' and McFly's Danny Jones could replace him". Telly Mix. 5 August 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- "Ricky Wilson WILL be on The Voice UK on ITV... on one condition | The Voice UK 2017". TellyMix. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
- Connick, Tom (11 October 2017). "Former X Factor contestant Olly Murs joins The Voice as a judge". NME. United States: Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
- "She's back! Jennifer Hudson is returning as a judge on "The Voice UK"". ABC News Radio. October 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- "Red Carpet: Jamie chats to the Coaches!". The Voice UK. ITV. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- "The Voice UK announces superstar mentors for Knockouts". Digital Spy. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- "First look at The Voice UK 2018 coaches in teaser trailer!". TwitCelebGossip. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ITV (4 December 2017). "The Voice returns in January!". ITV plc. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 18 December 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- "Weekly Top 30 Programmes (see relevant week)". BARB.