He found fame on X Factor but Olly Murs has confirmed he’s jumping ship to join The Voice UK!
Ooh, we wonder what Simon Cowell will make of that?!
As had been widely rumoured, the Troublemaker singer was officially revealed as The Voice’s brand new coach on Wednesday, stepping in to replace departing Gavin Rossdale.
And naturally, Olly is rather thrilled!
He’ll take his big red seat alongside returning coaches Sir Tom Jones, Jennifer Hudson and will.i.am. Not exactly a bad group of colleagues, eh?
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“I’m absolutely buzzing about being a coach on The Voice UK and can’t wait to sit in the big red chair alongside will, Jennifer and Tom,” he said.
“I’m excited to mentor new artists and without doubt, I’m in it to WIN!”
Ha, we’ve all heard that one before!
Olly’s certainly qualified to mentor aspiring singers: okay, maybe he doesn’t have an Oscar like J-Hud or a knighthood like Tom, but he knows what it takes to succeed on a talent show and enjoy a post-show career.
He finished second on X Factor back in 2009, returned to co-host both the spinoff show, Xtra Factor, and main series, and has four UK number one albums and singles.
Pretty impressive!
So far there’s no word from Simon on what he thinks of Olly swapping sides, but reports swirling earlier this month suggested X Factor boss Simon wasn’t too impressed.
A source told The Sun: “Simon isn’t happy Olly’s swapped allegiances, especially as he left the X Factor to concentrate on his music.”
However, we’re not convinced by that… after all, when American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson chose to join The Voice in the US this year rather than judge on Idol, old boss Simon was nothing but happy for her.
He even told Extra: “It would just be too weird… For her to be on the show and win and then judging other people on the show — that would have been quite uncomfortable. So, she is excited to be doing The Voice and I am happy for her.”
The Voice’s new series, hosted once again by Emma Willis, will air on ITV early next year.
Already Olly’s been welcomed with open arms by the legendary Sir Tom, who tweeted: “Welcome to The Voice family Olly! Look forward to working with you.”
Fans have also been excited about Olly’s addition to the panel, with many already predicting Team Olly for the win!
Give him a bit of time to settle in, guys!
Bush frontman Gavin, meanwhile, was reportedly dropped from the show after one series as bosses wanted someone with a bit more spark and charisma.
A source told The Sun: “Gavin was great to work with during the series, but the bosses just felt he wasn’t right in the end.”
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Gavin himself later said: “It was a great experience. I had an amazing time on the show I loved it, I love all the people on there. Especially Tom.
“It’s okay, it’s showbiz. I’m fully grown, I understand how it works.”
Good luck, Olly!