Kylie Minogue has admitted that joining The Voice UK was like "a baptism of fire". The pint-sized Australian actress and singer is the latest arrival to this year's judging panel, alongside Kaiser Chiefs singer Ricky Wilson, and spoke of her experience ahead of this Saturday's premiere. "I wish everyone could experience being in the chair," said Kylie.
"It's not as simple as watching it at home. You think it is a guy and then it is a girl. You just don't know. You form a picture in your mind from your set of life experiences about what the voice says to you, and then you turn around and it is very different. The hardest thing I have found is saying no to people.
"For the newbies, it was so totally different being in the chair and not seeing anything. It was intense but parts of it were so fun."
Kylie joins fellow mentors Sir Tom Jones and will.i.am on the panel. The Black Eyes Peas singer said that contestants were already looking up to the blonde beauty as their role model. "Kylie is a great coach, not just for the girls but also for all the dudes who want to be a pop star," said will.i.am. "It's something we didn't have in the first two seasons. We didn't have someone who has the stripes and badges for, 'I know how to get to pop status and keep pop status.' And so Kylie is definitely the queen of that."
The arrival of Kylie and Ricky, who have replaced former mentors Jessie J and Danny O'Donoghue on the show, has changed the dynamic on the panel, added will.i.am. "There hasn't been as much banter because it has been warmer," said the artist. "It has been more caring. The first two seasons, we cared about the contestants, but it was different. This time, Kylie is like a mediator. She is too snuggable. I want to cuddle her. I can't go tit for tat with her. I am more likely to say, 'Let me just give you the singer then.' I am not going to fight for it, as I just want to snuggle with her."