THE Voice UK kicks off its ninth series tonight (January 4) on ITV. Meghan Trainor will grace the judging panel after Jennifer Hudson quit but are there any other changes for the new series? Here’s the lowdown on The Voice judges… Who are The Voice 2019 judges? The Voice 2020 is back with a slightly […]
THE Voice UK kicks off its ninth series tonight (January 4) on ITV.
Meghan Trainor will grace the judging panel after Jennifer Hudson quit but are there any other changes for the new series? Here’s the lowdown on The Voice judges…
The Voice 2020 is back with a slightly different judging panel than we have come to know and love.
Noticeably absent is fourth coach, Jennifer Hudson, who has been replaced by fellow US singer Meghan Trainor.
Meghan Trainor is a US singer from Massachusetts who rose to fame thanks to her 2014 smash hit All About That Bass.
The debut single reached number one in 58 countries and became one of the best-selling singles of all time.
She has since released a string of hits and albums and nabbed the Grammy award for Best New Artist in 2016.
Will.i.am, 43, was born William James Adam Jr. in LA, California.
The US singer-songwriter, DJ and rapper is best known for forming hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas in 1995.
In 2007 he also co-created Paradiso Girls with Robin Antin who were a European spin-off of The Pussycat Dolls.
He has been a judge on The Voice UK since 2012 and was also a judge on The Voice Australia in 2014 when he coached Anja Nissen to victory.
Olly Murs, 34, rose to fame in 2009 when he came runner-up on The X Factor.
Despite losing out to Joe McElderry in the final he went on to secure a joint record deal with Epic Records and Simon Cowell’s Syco.
He’s released six studio albums and will embark on his fifth stadium tour in May 2019.
In 2017 he joined the panel of The Voice and has now returned for his third series on the show – despite an offer from Simon Cowell to move over to the rival X Factor.
Sir Tom Jones, 78, is a singing legend from Pontypridd, Wales.
He’s been a coach on every series of The Voice UK since it began in 2012 with the exception of 2016 when he was temporarily replaced by Paloma Faith.
He’s won several awards for his achievements in the music industry including a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1966.
In 2006 he received a knighthood in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours.
Jennifer announced she had quit The Voice after three years to focus on her other filming commitments.
The 37-year-old star joined the show in 2017 but after the last series ended, she hinted that she could struggle to squeeze in filming into her schedule.
She told the Radio Times: “You know, I am an actress as well. It’s kind of going into film season for me.
“I was thinking that I truly, truly love this and that’s why I’m three seasons deep in. I want to continue it, but I don’t know that my schedule will allow me to.”
Jennifer confirmed that she would no longer be ruling the roost as judge on The Voice UK thanks to her commitments around the Cats movie and her role as the legendary singer in the Aretha Franklin biopic.
Explaining her decision to quit, Jennifer tweeted: “Hey y’all! I’m sad to share that I won’t be able to join my friends in the red chair for @thevoiceuk this season due to filming commitments here in the States.”
She added: “I sure will miss my UK family, but I’ll be back soon for ‘Cats’ and ‘Respect’!”
The star concluded: “Throw some shoes for me in the mean time.”
Emma Willis, 42, will be on hand to present the show once more.
The presenter from Birmingham is a popular radio and television host and, alongside The Voice, she has also presented The Circle, Big Brother and The Voice Kids.
Before presenting, Emma was a model and worked for a number of big companies such as Elle, Vogue, GAP, Chanel and Marie Claire.
The Voice 2020 will start on January 4 at 8.30pm on ITV, and will kick off at the same time every week.
The format of the show remains the same – contestants take part in blind auditions and the judges spin round in their chairs if they like what they hear.
The show will be starting with the audition rounds which were filmed earlier this year.
