Olly Murs has been introducing you to all the fun of fan tribute acts on ITV's Starstruck which started Saturday Feb 12. The show is like taking popular 1990s talent contest Stars in Their Eyes, giving it a team twist, adding a chart-topping singer like Olly to present, and asking four famous faces to sit in judgement.
The eight-part series sees ordinary members of the public undergo extraordinary makeovers to transform them into some of the world’s biggest music icons. The hopefuls form a trio with others who also love the same superstar. Each episode follows four sets of trios as they battle it out. Episode one saw performances paying tribute to Freddie Mercury, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande and Marvin Gaye, while later eps saw Tina Turner Michael Bublé and Rag'n'Bone Man tributes on stage.
The star-spangled panel of Beverley Knight, Adam Lambert, Jason Manford and Sheridan Smith choose their favourite team to sing again. But the trio are then competing against each other, with the best solo soundalike going through to the grand final where they will have a chance to walk away with a £50,000 prize.
"We all remember Stars in Their Eyes, so it’s been nice to freshen the whole thing up. When I first walked on to the Starstruck stage, I couldn’t believe how big it was and just the size of the show – it was like being at London’s The O2! I was like, “Wow, this is huge!” And then you’ve got these big stars like Beverley, Sheridan, and Adam – and Jason, who’s an even bigger diva!
"What’s refreshing is that we have some modern artists on the show. One guy who’s performing as Rag’n’Bone Man actually gets a tattoo and cuts off his hair to look exactly like him. It’s unbelievable!"
"I’m absolutely loving it. There’s so much going on but it's something that I really wanted to do. I’m really enjoying the show, the contestants and the judges are great. It’s a whole new format, with me hosting and four judges who have never worked together before. So, it's like everyone’s new, everyone’s fresh which I think is great for viewers. There’s even a “Team Olly Murs”! It’s really humbling and quite emotional. I could have hugged them!"
Take a look below at a clip of 'Team Olly Murs' performing in Starstruck episode 3 on Saturday February 26. Olly's face is a picture as he watches on!
Who would Olly Murs transform into for ITV's 'Starstruck'?
Olly Murs says: " It's got to be Tom Jones. I’ve been working with him for the last few years on The Voice UK and I feel like I know him well enough to be him. I might need a bit more work on the Welsh accent! I need to get the accent down and I need to somehow get my hair a little bit curlier. I think if I could master that then I’ve got Tom down!"
Have you ever been starstruck?
Olly says: "Yes, I met Whitney Houston once and performed for her in 2009. I always remember walking into a room and seeing her and having to sing in front of her. Even now I wish I could go back and do it again and really appreciate what I actually did that day. Not everyone gets the chance to sing in front of Whitney Houston - it was pretty awesome."
Starstruck starts on ITV on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 8.30pm and runs weekly. Take a look at Sheridan in the Starstruck trailer below...
