As this year's final four take to the stage for the final of The Voice UK, last year's winner, singing fireman Stevie McCrorie, relives the moment he was crowned champion...
Stevie, how would you describe your experience on The Voice UK last year?
“I was like a rabbit caught in the headlights for most of it! I was battling nerves and confidence on the show, but now I feel I've gained so much confidence from just going on The Voice, let alone winning it. I didn't have a plan for getting through each stage, I knew I just had to do my best. The whole thing was just a whirlwind."
So how did it feel to actually win the show?
“I'd gone through most of my life never even winning a raffle or anything, so just to hear that I had won, that moment of acceptance, I just couldn't believe it. To go from being somebody who nearly gave up singing a year before to then winning the show, it was an amazing feeling. It felt like it was taking forever for the winner to be revealed, I could feel my heart beating. It was a real adrenaline rush."
Stevie sings his heart out in last year's final of The Voice UK
What advice would you give to this year’s final four, as they head into the final on Saturday night?
“There’s no point getting stressed about it because, by the time the final comes around, you’ve pretty much done all you can do, so just try to enjoy it. Oh, and learn the winner’s single – I was so convinced I wasn’t going to win, I’d hardly learnt the words at all!"
You were on Ricky Wilson's team last year. Will you be championing his acts in the final?
“I suppose I would have to, yeah! I think Jolan and Kevin are both brilliant.”
Have you stayed in touch with Ricky?
“Yeah, I was on the phone to him a few weeks ago for about half hour, just chatting about what’s been happening really. He's always been really supportive, that’s why I chose him. Because I had all four coaches turn around at my blind audition, I had to pick somebody the way I'd pick somebody in life: as a friend. It was a perfect match!"
Stevie with his mentor last year, Ricky Wilson
So what have you been doing since winning The Voice?
"As soon as I won, I came to live in London for three months, where I was writing and recording my album. Then I performed at T in the Park Festival and sang at Abbey Road Studios. I did a lot of gigs for radio stations, a headline gig in December, which sold out in Glasgow, and I've got two headline gigs in Glasgow and Edinburgh when this series of The Voice finishes.
"You’ve just got to try and do what you do as a musician and as an artist; just go out there and sing. It would have been good for me to get on more TV shows, but I guess that's just the way it is."
Do you think some of your achievements may have gone unnoticed then?
“Well, I do think a bigger deal should be made of whoever wins The Voice – they tend to disappear into the shadows and people are often left wondering what happened to them. I was keen to go back and perform on the first live show of the current series to remind people why I'd won the show – and to let them know I'm still alive!"
Stevie enjoys the spotlight as his crowned champion of The Voice UK 2015
Has any part of you missed being a fireman?
"I loved being a fireman and I've missed the adrenaline rush of going into burning buildings and the banter with my colleagues. It's a very flexible job, though, so I could potentially do it alongside my music."
So you’d feel OK about returning to the fire service?
“I'd be totally fine with it. The main reason viewers bought into me last year was because I was a family man and a fireman, so I think I’d be contradicting myself if I said I wouldn’t ever be happy about going back. I’m so appreciative that the fire service supported me to live my dream and I'm definitely going to continue with my singing career no matter what."
Finally, what would you say to someone thinking about auditioning for The Voice UK next year?
“I'd tell them to go for it, but not to expect too much from it; just do it because you want to sing and you'll get some exposure. Last year, the TV hype for me was immense, especially in Scotland, I was all over the papers and the fame was instant. But TV fame is not real; what’s real is people buying tickets for your gigs and coming to watch you play your music. That’s what’s real – don’t get caught up in the hype and the fame."
The final of The Voice UK can be seen on Saturday April 9 at 7pm on BBC1.
