The Voice’s LeAnn Rimes and Tom Jones on how show breaks barriers for LGBTQ+ singers

The Voice UK coaches LeAnn Rimes and Tom Jones have reflected on why they think the singing contest has made the music industry more accessible for LGBTQ+ artists.

Grammy-Award-winning “Can’t Fight The Moonlight” singer Rimes will be seen sitting in one of the famous rotating seats for the first time later this month. She’ll be alongside fellow newbies, McFly’s Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher, as well as show veterans Tom Jones and Will.i.am, who have been coaches since the first series in 2012.

Speaking to PinkNews ahead of the new series, Rimes shared her thoughts on how The Voice as a format – the coaches only hear, not see the singers before deciding whether they want them on their team – has benefited musicians from minority groups, such as queer or disabled performers.

Famously, other talent shows launched ahead of The Voice UK, such as The X Factor and American Idol, focus heavily on whether someone had the public image of a pop star, and, over the years, some former contestants have revealed that they were told to hide or lie about their sexual orientation or gender identity in case they “alienated” potential fans.

But, as Rimes said, The Voice UK is all about talent.

“One of the things with the show is that we really are listening to the talent, and it’s not about image. That’s what draws me to [the] show, because we live in a world where everything is about image [while] talent is so far down on the list. We don’t care what you look like, we just want you to move us.

“Then, when we turn around, sometimes we’re blown away [because] the voice doesn’t really match the person, and it happens often. That’s what’s so great about the show: everyone is welcome. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like.”

Formats of other talent contests have sometimes left LGBTQ+ performers being treated as “joke” acts. Even just a decade ago, out queer artists could achieve only limited success.

Rimes believes that being authentically who you are is something The Voice UK embraces.

“You have to remember [that] what you think is odd about you, is what is actually going to set you apart from everybody else. Embrace those quirks and all your weirdness and all your ‘shortcomings’,” she said.

“All that humanness is what makes a person relatable. We sometimes love to shove that side of us down and try to wrap it up in this beautiful package, and it’s just not real. For me, it’s just great to go off raw talent,” she added.

“Sex Bomb” singer Jones also had advice for contestants who haven’t seen themselves represented in the music industry before. While it’s not unusual for musicians to have doubts in their abilities, self-confidence is key to success, regardless of your sexual orientation or gender identity, he said.

“You’ve got to believe in yourself, more than anything else. No matter what people say, you’ve got to believe in yourself, that will get you through. It does happen, especially before you’ve proven to yourself that you can be successful. People don’t believe it sometimes at the beginning.

“If you don’t have faith in yourself, you’re dead. You’ll never be able to walk on stage or do anything in life, not only singing. You’ve got to have determination and belief in yourself.”

The Voice UK has made stars of a number of LGBTQ+ singers, including chart-topper Becky Hill who appeared in the first season.

The Voice UK returns to ITV1 and ITVX on 31 August.

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