Former Liberty X member Kevin Simm, who won The Voice in 2016, has criticised the show, calling it a "waste of f***ing time" and claiming it "never does anything for the winners."
Winner's Criticism
Simm, 46, competed on the show in 2016, where he was mentored by Paloma Faith. Speaking to Closer Magazine, he said: "As much as my time on The Voice was brilliant, I do think that show is just a waste of f***ing time. It never does anything for the winners, why is it still on television?"
The Standard has contacted ITV for comment.
Show's Track Record
Winners of The Voice receive a recording contract with Universal Music Group. Under this contract, Simm released the single "All You Good Friends," which peaked at number 24 in the UK charts, and a solo album. He later became the frontman of Wet Wet Wet and recently rejoined Liberty X for their upcoming reunion tour with Hear'Say.
While The Voice winners are not guaranteed the success that The X Factor winners enjoyed at the height of that show's fame, and most music produced by its contestants fails to break the UK top 40, there have been notable success stories.
Notable Successes and Recent Changes
The current UK number one song is "Babydoll" by Jamie Miller, a Welsh musician who finished third on the show in 2017 and has found viral success this summer. Miller, 29, is the first Welsh artist in 15 years to get a number one single in the UK. Becky Hill, who appeared on the first series, also topped the chart with "Gecko (Overdrive)."
The show has recently undergone a significant overhaul. Long-standing coach will.i.am will be joined on the next series by returning judge Kelly Rowland, with singer Cheryl and rapper Aitch joining for the first time. This came at the cost of legendary musician Tom Jones, who has served as a coach on and off since the show began. Jones, 86, alleged in an Instagram statement last month that he had not wanted to leave the series but that the decision had come from ITV. A show spokesperson told The Standard at the time: "We have loved working with Sir Tom Jones over the past nine years on The Voice UK. While he will no longer be a full-time coach on series 15, we continue to talk to Sir Tom and his team about his involvement in the next series."
