Former Liberty X star Kevin Simm has been out of the spotlight since his band reformed for The Big Reunion in 2013, but the singer took a second shot at music industry success by auditioning for The Voice UK – with a surprising reaction from the judges.
In scenes set to air on the BBC entertainment show at the weekend, Kevin blows the judges away with his rendition of the Sia hit Chandelier, with new coaches Paloma Faith and Boy George battling it out to become his mentor.
© Photo: BBCKevin Simm caused an argument when he auditioned on The Voice UK
However while Boy George pitched the reasons why Kevin should choose him, Paloma pretended to fall asleep, much to the annoyance of the Karma Chameleon singer.
"Is it finished, is it time for us to wake up?" Paloma joked when Boy George finished speaking. However he didn't take the comments in jest, and snapped back at his co-star.
"That's extremely rude. Very rude," he said, adding: "Anyway, you're amazing Kevin."
© Photo: BBCPaloma pretended to sleep while Boy George gave his pitch
When Paloma attempted to make her pitch for Kevin to choose her as a coach, Boy George had one final dig for the Fall to Grace singer, which appeared to bring her to tears.
"One thing you haven't done Paloma is had a hit in America. I've had a few, so we're talking about global strategy with me," he said, prompting awkward reactions from their fellow coaches Will.i.am and Ricky Wilson.
© Photo: BBCBoy George snapped at Paloma and brought her close to tears
It is not known who Kevin chose as his mentor following the explosive exchange, but he will surely be encouraged by the fact that both coaches wanted him on their team. The 35-year-old is no stranger to reality TV fame and was a member of Popstars runners-up Liberty X, who finished second to Hear'Say in 2001.
The band went on to achieve ten consecutive UK Top 20 singles before disbanding in 2007. Kevin released a solo album in 2008 and while he failed to chart in the UK, he reached number 12 with the album Brand New in Japan.
