The Voice UK first aired on televisions back in 2012 and it’s been a success ever since as it films its 14th series.
The hit series sees blind auditions, where if the star-studed coaches like what they hear, they hit a button which allows their chair to spin around so they can face the performer and see them for the first time.
The Voice UK has seen many singing sensations sit in the coveted coach chair but one person who has been a staple since the very start is Sir Tom Jones.
One person who is no stranger to The Voice UK is executive producer, Moira Ross, who made five seasons of the hit singing series.
Speaking in an exclusive interview to discuss her new series KPOPPED, Moira, whose work also includes Strictly Come Dancing, The Masked Singer and Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, told us: “It’s some time ago now but I made five seasons of The Voice when it first launched in the UK.
“That was my sort of insight into A-list superstar music talent. That was a big learning curve, you know, to understand firsthand just how hard these people work.”
Talking about working with Sir Tom, Moira added: “Tom is the ultimate professional and it was always a privilege to hear him sing. Even in rehearsals, it was just an absolute privilege so it never felt like a job that show.
“It was a really fun time, actually, for those five years and hanging out with the likes of will.i.am. He’s a lot of fun, Will, he’s got endless bags of ideas!”
Article continues below
Moira has been able to put her work on The Voice UK to good use with her new series Apple TV+’s KPOPPED, where she served as an executive producer.
The eight-part series, from executive producers Lionel Richie and Miky Lee, sees each episode hosted by Soojeong Son and it features two Western music icons — from Patti LaBelle to Boy George, Kesha to J Balvin and Megan Thee Stallion to some members of the Spice Girls — paired with a top-tier K-pop group, including ITZY, Billlie, BLACKSWAN, and STAYC.
The K-pop group divides into two units, each collaborating with one of the guest artists. They have just hours to reimagine a global hit, as well as working on choreography, vocals, and visuals to dazzle the audience while performing it live on stage. K-pop fans are then asked to select the winning collaboration.
Talking about the filming process, Moira admitted it’s the “fastest turnaround” she’s ever done in her impressive career. She said: “The Western stars would arrive and we would have approximately 48 hours! They’d arrive, they’d maybe get their bearings, they’d get to rehearsals and they were straight into work with the K-pop bands.
“There would be some sort of relief in terms of that experience of seeing some of the sights of Seoul and the cultural exchange. Then we’d rehearse again and next day we’re in studio, so rehearsing on set and they’re in front of that live audience of very excited K-pop fans.”
Moira added: “It’s the fastest turnaround I’ve ever done in terms of these entertainment productions but because of their level of stardom and professional capacity, they could pick it up like that and they all work so hard so it all fell into place.”
