Cate McHugh, a 31-year-old singer from Llantwit Major, has progressed to the next stage of The Voice UK as part of Sir Tom Jones' team. She won her heat of the battles in the episode aired on October 10, following a blind audition that wowed the judges with her rendition of Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars' song Die With A Smile.
McHugh, who started busking in the centre of Cardiff at 16, spoke candidly during her audition about living with Stargardt disease, a degenerative macular condition. She lost her sight to the condition at 22 but has never let it diminish her determination or talent.
A blind audition like no other
McHugh applied for The Voice UK on a whim after spotting an application call while gigging in Cardiff Bay. She was later invited to audition for judges Kelly Rowland, Will.i.am, McFly's Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones, and Sir Tom Jones.
In an interview with Wales Online, she described stepping onto the Voice UK stage as unlike anything she had done before. "Walking out onto the stage for my blind audition is like no other stage that I've been on to date," she said. "TV isn't something I'm experienced in. I love gigging, I've been doing that for years. But that stage with the lights, it's just really different, really bright, and I couldn't see anything, so they walked me out to where I needed to be, and I was just hoping I was pointed in the right way."
She explained that in the studio there is no noise when the chairs turn, just a light. She was convinced she saw a change in light but did not know who had turned for her until Sir Tom Jones gave feedback. "Having Sir Tom Jones tell you that he wants you on his team, as a born and bred Welsh singer is insane," she said.
Sir Tom's praise and advice
Following her audition, Sir Tom compared McHugh to the greats, saying: "You've been blessed with a wonderful voice. If you're short-sighted, you're not short-voiced." McHugh said it was nice to be mentioned alongside artists like Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles, who also experienced sight loss.
She added: "Knowing that you're in a safe pair of hands with Tom Jones, but that he has worked with people who've experienced similar things to me, he knows where to go and how to make it just about the song."
McHugh's condition leaves her with blurry patches and only peripheral vision, which can be worsened by light or dark rooms. She said losing her sight while already a professional singer made her question her career, but she decided to continue. "I'm quite stubborn, so I decided, 'no, we're going to go for it, we're going to see what happens, and what will be, will be,'" she said.
Representation and battles
Since her audition, people have reached out to thank McHugh for representing sight loss on screen. She said: "It's massively important to see that representation, because to glance at me quickly without knowing me, you wouldn't know that I have a sight condition that I struggle in those ways."
In the battles episode, McHugh was paired with country duo Eric and Jensen, performing Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell. She described the waiting as Sir Tom made his decision as intense: "I've never felt closer to cardiac arrest in my life," she said.
McHugh, who grew up in Llantwit Major and began singing at 16 busking outside the NatWest on Queen Street in Cardiff, always expected to be a professional singer. She said: "I do think about little 15-year-old Cate with her guitar sat on a box busking outside the bank in Cardiff, 'cause she has no idea what we're doing now." You can catch up with The Voice UK on ITV X.
