Teacher, singer and former TV star Alicia Hooper has shared her mammoth journey to The Voice and how being on the show helped her in a difficult time for her professionally, despite a gruelling audition process. Alicia, now unrecognisable from her teenage role as Amber Hearst in Tracy Beaker, was approached by associate producers from the ITV show in March last year, and appeared on our screens on Saturday, September 17.
Alicia proudly and impressively belted out ‘All I Know So Far’ by Pink in front of a huge audience in Salford’s Media City, but sadly she didn’t manage to persuade Sir Tom Jones, Will.i.am, Olly Murs or Ann-Marie to turn around. You can read about Anne-Marie's tattoo inspired by Sir Tom here. Despite the route to the blind auditions alone being surprisingly long, she has a philosophical outlook on the experience, and says she feels fortunate to have spent the unforgettable day on set with her daughter Alba-Rae, partner Josh, and father Jeff.
“The messages of support I’ve had since people watched it last night have been overwhelming,” the singing teacher and professional singer of 15 years, who now lives in Undy, said. “They [The Voice producers] asked me right in the middle of the pandemic after seeing a video of me on social media singing at the Coal Exchange in Cardiff. At the time my diary was completely empty. All my classes and gigs had dried up, so working towards it at the time really gave me a purpose professionally.
“They’d actually asked me nine years ago but I was pregnant at the time and I had to say no. But this time around I couldn’t say yes quickly enough.
“The auditioning process was brutal. It took six months just to get to the blind auditions. Once I got through the first interview I had to sing on three separate occasions on Zoom. Then after getting through that I had to go to London for an audition day where I had to prepare nine songs for them.”
Despite not getting through to the next stage, the former Duffryn High School pupil said she would do it all again in a heartbeat. “To be honest I didn’t realise how long it was, but if I could do it all over again I would. Thousands of people attend the first interview, so to manage to get to the last 70, I’m really pleased.
“I’m only human, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed. But I try to be positive about things and take in experiences. I didn’t go there thinking they’d turn, I went to have an experience and gain some exposure.”
Alicia’s call time was 7am in the studio, so she had to be in Manchester the night before. Auditions finished at 10pm the following day, and her slot was at 4.30pm.
She explained how the show really is as brutal as it appears on screen. Contestants who do not get anyone to turn don’t go on to meet the judges backstage, and no feedback is provided.
“I do think that’s a shame,” she said regarding the lack of feedback on her performance. “In America the judges all turn around afterwards, even if they haven’t pressed the buzzer. As a Welsh girl I’d really have liked a chat with Sir Tom and some feedback from him. But it was a great journey and something to tell the grandkids.”
Life is now busier than ever for Alicia who teaches singing three days a week at schools across Gwent and is gigging flat out from Friday to Sunday. She couldn’t watch herself on the TV on Saturday night because she was gigging at The Glamorganshire Golf Club near Penarth.
“It is so, so busy,” she said. “I’m primarily doing weddings and there is such a backlog, things have turned from not much to busy all the time.
“I think the pandemic really made people realise how important live music is, and how much we miss it when it’s not around. It’s great to be doing it all again.”
She hopes her journey on The Voice can help to inspire her students, and teach them an important lesson. “Unfortunately in this business we’re all going to have rejections. People might see my time on The Voice as a rejection, but I don’t see it that way. I see it as another fantastic experience.
“You can be negative about life if you like. I could sit here and say I’ve got no record contract, I’m not famous. But I get to get up every day and do what I love and inspire the next generation hopefully. And that’s something I love doing.”
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