This year, Billy & Louie auditioned for The Voice UK, singing Whitney Houston’s Run to You in the blind auditions, where all four coaches turned for their performance. Having chosen Tom Jones as their mentor, Billy & Louie attended the callbacks with Hannah Waddingham as their guest mentor, and they went on to reach the Final alongside Storry (Team will.i.am), Deb Orah (Team LeAnn Rimes) and AVA (Team Tom Fletcher & Danny Jones). Billy & Louie are continuing to work on new music and projects in the lead-up to their upcoming debut concert at the Wyvern Theatre in their hometown of Swindon on February 6th next year. Speaking with us, Billy & Louie told us about auditioning for this year’s The Voice UK, being part of Team Tom Jones and their upcoming debut concert at Wyvern Theatre in February 2025.
Was there anything that encouraged you to audition for The Voice UK this year?
Obviously we love singing. Any opportunity that allows us to be creative and meet new like-minded people is an opportunity we wouldn’t decline. We’d thought about it for several years. Especially after our appearance on Little Mix: The Search. We loved collaborating with other musicians and dabbling in the TV world and it seemed like the right time to go for The Voice!
Can you tell us what the experience was like in the lead-up to performing Run to You by Whitney Houston at the blind auditions?
This was a really fun part of the competition. Arranging music is one of the things we love most about what we do. Our musical trademark is our harmonies, so being able to arrange harmonies for a crowd of people who really appreciate musical intricacies is really exciting. Obviously the version of the song had to be much shorter than the original so working with time limitations was an interesting challenge. We were lucky enough to have band rehearsals with the incredible band that accompanied us. Working with David Tench, the musical director, was a really beneficial experience. He could translate all of our musical rambling into something that sounded like our vision.
How did it feel having all four coaches turn for your rendition of Run to You and what made you decide to join Team Tom Jones?
The four chair turn was a real shock to the system. It was totally unexpected. Although people applaud our calm confidence, in reality we were very nervous, performing to the back of four chairs, knowing who’s behind them is anxiety inducing even without the studio audience and cameras. The first turn from LeAnn (Rimes) happened fairly late in the song. It was such a relief when she did turn and then the others all turned, except will.i.am who left it until the last minute. That moment was really special and validating for us as musicians who have spent years perfecting our craft.
We only found out who the coaches on the panel would be in the morning of our blind audition. So we hadn’t really put too much thought into it. When they all turned, it was between LeAnn and Tom. LeAnn is a fantastic soulful singer, despite her roots being in country music and, of course, Sir Tom is a legendary, powerful vocalist with years of experience. We had a brief discussion and decided on Sir Tom as he was our first instinctive choice. We definitely made the right decision. He believes in us and sees our vision. He’s really funny behind the scenes and we bounce off each other.
Can you tell us about the callbacks and what it was like having Hannah Waddingham as Tom Jones’ guest mentor?
The callbacks were even more nerve-racking. To be up against nine other incredible acts was a scary prospect but it was lovely to get to know everyone. Having Hannah as our guest mentor was a wonderful surprise. We are huge fans and it was beneficial to receive her feedback after our performance because she offered us some really technical advice which we could use to inform the arrangement of our Semi-Final song. Her advice was to be brave and not shy away from slightly unusual harmonies and use the duet dynamic in a more creative way. This was really eye-opening to us.
What are some of your favourite highlights from being contestants on The Voice UK and working with Tom Jones?
The whole experience was a life highlight for us but getting to chat on a more personal level, without cameras, to Tom was really special. He’s been in this industry for years and worked with all of our favourites, so to hear stories from his musical journey was incredible.
Getting to sing with him was a surreal experience. Nobody can prepare you for how incredible and powerful Tom’s voice is. You hear it on records and TV but in person, it’s incredible! He was very relaxed about everything and never pushed us to sing a certain way. He believed in us and was content with us following our natural vocal instincts.
Do you have any advice for those thinking of applying for the next series of The Voice and what would you like to have known before the blind auditions?
Our advice would definitely be to just go for it! It was such a life-changing experience. It’s good to think of it as a career opportunity rather than a competition. The competition aspect is great and getting to the Final was incredible, but being able to showcase your talent in front of the coaches and the world is the best part of it all.
What has it been like seeing the response from viewers from your performances on the show?
We’ve had a really interesting response to our appearance on The Voice. We’ve had so many wonderful comments and messages and it’s lovely that people are so invested in our musical journey and hopefully that continues and our community keeps growing. We are grateful for the support of our local area too! We have such an amazing network in Swindon and the South West, which is lovely to see. Naturally there’s people out there who aren’t fans of us but it’s always funny to read a few comments from those people.
How different was your journey on The Voice UK to when you were part of Little Mix: The Search?
The Voice was vastly different to Little Mix: The Search. Our time on Little Mix: The Search was really fun and eye-opening for us. We were only 16 back then so it was a big jump to make. It was very nerve-racking and really we had no idea what to expect. Working with others in a band setting was completely new to us, but it was such a valuable opportunity and one that opened up many doors for us. We entered The Voice at an opportune time. We were much older, had more experiences and were just generally more sure of ourselves as musicians. We reached the end of The Voice so we were able to benefit from the coaches and the studio band, which is something we didn’t have when we participated in Little Mix: The Search. It was great to have a previous TV experience to refer to. We were prepared this time to work with others and people older than us and were more open to the concept of rejection and enjoying the experience over focusing on the competitive aspect.
Can you tell us about your upcoming debut concert at Wyvern Theatre in your hometown Swindon on 6th February 2025 and what can audiences expect from the performance?
Ahh yesss! This is so exciting for us! The Wyvern is an important venue in Swindon and Wiltshire. We’ve always talked about performing there one day so it’s a thrilling prospect to be making that dream a reality. After selling out our show at Swindon Arts Centre, we decided to make the leap and book the Wyvern. This time, our discography of music will be showcased even more. It’ll be everything we do, but on a way more dramatic scale!
Do you have an idea as yet as to what songs will be on the setlist for your show and how will you prepare for it?
So, our setlist is still a work in progress although it’s mostly confirmed. We want to ensure our music is at the forefront of the concert. We will, of course, be singing soulful covers as well.
What are you looking forward to most for performing at Wyvern Theatre?
Connecting with our local fans will be the most amazing thing. We are definitely excited to be reuniting with all our original fans who we’ve shared our journey with. Also, to have a huge platform and a big stage will be amazing again.
Have there been any stand-out music releases from artists in recent months that you’ve both enjoyed?
As always, our taste in music is not trendy. We are always more inclined to listen to old soul. Although, Samara Joy’s latest album is fantastic. She’s got the most silky, jazzy voice and is definitely one of the best jazz artists of this generation. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’s recent collaboration was fantastic too. It’s really an incredible song.
If you weren’t both performers, what do you think each of you would be doing?
If we weren’t performers, we’d probably be doing something creative. It’s a hard alternate reality to comprehend. Sometimes we think that having a simple, easy job and enjoying the simplicity of life would be nice in another life but, of course, we wouldn’t trade our lives in for anything! We are so lucky to do what we do.
Apart from your upcoming concert in Swindon, do you have any further music/performing plans you can share?
At the moment, we are busy networking, arranging writing sessions, preparing for releases and future shows. Nothing’s solid but we are in a creative space at the moment and excited to start planning big things.
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