Chester operatic duo Belle Voci say they are 'possibly the most nervous we've ever been' as the first ever live episode of The Voice approaches this weekend.
The classical pair who left their mentor Jennifer Hudson speechless with their first performance have been wowing viewers of the ITV talent show with their stunning acappella vocals for the past few months.
And now, three years after Sophie Rohan who lives in Upton and Emily Burnette from Shocklach first met when they were both working at The Yew Tree Inn in Bunbury, they are preparing to win over the public in the show's live semi-final.
Speaking to The Chronicle, the 26-year-olds described their journey on The Voice as 'the most incredible experience' but revealed that it actually happened by accident.
"Emily applied for The Voice by accident!" said Sophie. "She saw an advert saying that ITV were looking for singers and assumed it was for a Christmas party. The rest is history!
"We never quite expected to get a chair turn in the blinds let alone get through to the live semi-finals," she added. "It is incredibly nerve wracking, possibly the most nervous we’ve ever been, but the buzz feeling after performing makes it all worth it.
"This Saturday will be the first live show so the pressure is even higher. It’s scary to think that the public decides your fate, but we just have to stay focused and hope that people pick up the phone or download the app."
And this week the duo returned to Chester to visit their respective schools Abbey Gate College and The Queen's School for a special performance for current pupils.
"It was so lovely to be back in Chester," said Emily. "We are both Chester girls and we decided to return to our old high schools which was especially great for us as that is where it all started.
"We also were invited to perform at Terra Nova School, Jodrell Bank where we had a fantastic response from the younger pupils too. We sang for all the pupils and gave a little talk about the importance of music in schools and really hope that we inspired some of them to take up or continue classical singing," she said.
"We were keen to show that opera can be young, fun and cool. After we sang we gave a question and answer session and our favourite question was, “How short are the celebrity coaches on the show?”!! It was really cool because the students wanted autographs and selfies with us…. we felt like real celebs!"
Emily and Sophie also praised Jennifer Hudson as 'extremely talented and really inspirational' during their time on the show.
"It's just been every girl's dream. There are no words to describe the feeling when we got that first chair turn in the blind auditions."
Belle Voci will compete in the semi-final on Saturday, March 31, with the action kicking off on ITV at 8.30pm.
