Jessie J First Coach Confirmed on BBC Singing Competition THE VOICE

The show which is already a huge hit in the U.S. will be coming to the BBC in 2012. What makes it different to other singing competitions out there? The blind auditions!

By Fay Brennan /

Jessie J has revealed that she will be a coach on The Voice. She announced the news on the Chris Moyles show on Radio 1.
"It's all about the voice. I love the idea of being a coach and a mentor and not a judge. I wanted to be involved. They approached me and I was well up for it."
The show which is already a huge hit in the U.S. will be coming to the BBC in 2012. What makes it different to other singing competitions out there? The blind auditions. The coaches listen to the auditions with their backs to the contestants so the only thing they can judge them on is their voice. The singer said that was what attracted her to the show,
"One of the reasons that I love it is because it is a coach. It's not telling someone whether they're good or not€
She has already had a taste at judging earlier this year when she helped X-Factor judge Tulisa choose the final four in the groups€™ category. The BBC seems to be determined to distance this show from The X-Factor by emphasising the fact this show is first and foremost about singing and its choice in judges seems to reflect that. Jessie J is a credible artist, she won the critics' choice award at the Brits earlier this year and topped the BBC's Sound of 2011 poll. Her single Price Tag want straight to number one while her début track Do It Like A Dude made it to number two. She has also written for many other artists. I loved the US version (Check out my previous article Why We Should Tune Into BBC€™s THE VOICE Coming 2012 ) and was excited when I heard it was coming to the BBC. However one of the things that made it so great was the judges, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine from Maroon 5, Cee Lo Green and Blake Sheldon and I did worry that the BBC wouldn€™t be able to match that (especially when names like Cheryl Cole and Danni Minogue are being thrown around). However my fears have been abated with this announcement, Jessie J is an excellent choice, she has a strong personality, is fun, talented and is a critically acclaimed artist working in the industry right now. BBC One controller Danny Cohen said:
"Jessie J is going to be an amazing coach on The Voice UK. She's a massive young star with a strong personality and her recent Mobo nominations are testament to her musical and creative ability."
Let€™s hope the BBC can fill the other coach€™s chairs with equally exciting performers. Who would you like to see be a coach on The Voice? Will you be tuning in next year?