Jersey's "The Voice" star: "I'll be upping the performance level!"

Tuesday 25 February 2014

A Jersey musician who has won through to the second stage of TV talent show “The Voice” hopes his success will inspire others from the Island to follow him.

Jamie Lovatt (25) will now be competing in the main "Battle Rounds" stage of the top national competition, after persuading both Kaiser Chiefs frontman, Ricky Wilson, and Aussie pop superstar Kylie Minogue to want him on their teams. He chose Ricky Wilson to be his mentor, and promises his performances in the forthcoming rounds will be special: "I can't say too much, but I might be putting the guitar down, and anyone who has seen me play live will know when that happens, things get a little more heated. I'll be upping the performance level!"

Jamie described the reaction from Jersey to his success on this weekend's show as “phenomenal”, and revealed that he wasn't sure how well it would go, given that he was already in a rock band, Romance, and had previously signed a record deal.

He said: "It was a big risk for me, it was second time around, and I was coming from a major record label, and from a rock band. I thought the fans of independent / alternative music might think I was selling out, but actually their reaction has been amazing.”

He sang a song called "Everybody's Free", which was originally released in 1991 by the Zimbabwean singer, Rozalla. 

"I was struggling to pick a song, but then I spoke to my dad who reminded me about the reaction to 'Everybody's free', when I sang it at a cousin's wedding a few years ago,” he said.

“It really moved people, as the chorus lyric - everybody's free - means a different thing to everyone. As a songwriter myself, that's something you look for in lyrics, that they really affect someone". 

Jamie paid tribute to those in Jersey who had inspired him to take a risk and follow his dream. After going to school at La Moye and Les Quennevais, he moved to Hautlieu at the age of 14, and the Progressive School of Music in St Ouen with Leila Begg. 

"If I could go back to one period of my life it would be those years at Hautlieu", he said. "It is a very different place educationally than anywhere else in Jersey, and I would like to thank everyone there for their support and encouragement, people like my music teacher Richard Sutton, the head teacher Lesley Toms, and my art teacher Miss Rutter, who was one of the most creative and inspiring people I have met. 

"I want to use my success to help get Jersey back on the map, there are so many Jersey musicians out there who get overlooked, or who have given up. I would encourage them to take a risk, sometimes you have to risk everything to get a small thing back. Coming from Jersey can seem like a barrier, with flight costs, but you have to just do it, take it on, you'll have so much fun.”