# The Voice UK series 7

The Voice UK is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. The seventh series began airing on 6 January 2018 and concluded on 7 April 2018. It was presented by Emma Willis on ITV. will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson and Sir Tom Jones return for their seventh, second and sixth series, respectively, with Olly Murs replacing Gavin Rossdale as a new coach for the series. Previous runner-up Jamie Miller replaced Cel Spellman as the presenter of companion show, The V Room, broadcast through the ITV Hub.

## Coaches

On 6 March 2017, it was announced that will.i.am would be returning as a coach on the show for his seventh series, with ITV stating that they were in "all parties" to have Sir Tom Jones to return as a coach as well. After much speculation regarding his future on the programme, on 6 August 2017, Gavin Rossdale announced his departure from the programme, after just one series as a coach. Following this announcement, Danny Jones became the favourite to replace Rossdale, after impressing show producers in his performance on the junior spin-off programme The Voice UK, though former coach Ricky Wilson was also in the running, as he previously stated that the door would be left open for him to return to the show after his first departure in 2016. On 11 October 2017, Olly Murs was confirmed as Rossdale's replacement, after being linked with the position for many weeks, along with the news that Jennifer Hudson would be returning for her second series as a coach. Emma Willis will return for her second series as solo presenter, her fifth overall, with Jamie Miller replacing Cel Spellman as the presenter of companion show The V Room.
On 8 February 2018, it was announced that the coaches will have Guest Mentors to help them choose their acts in the Knockout stages and they are as follows: Craig David will help Olly Murs, Apl.de.ap and Taboo will help will.i.am, Kylie Minogue will help Sir Tom Jones and Mo Adeniran and Leona Lewis will help Jennifer Hudson.
It was announced on 12 March 2018, Vick Hope would be replacing Jamie Miller as the backstage presenter.

## Promotion

The first teaser trailer for the seventh series was released in December 2017, featuring coaches will.i.am, Hudson, Jones and Murs. The coaches were also interviewed by The V Room presenter Miller, at the red carpet for the blind auditions.

## Teams

Colour key:
* Winner
* Runner-up
* Third place
* Fourth place
* Eliminated in the Semi-Final
* Eliminated in the Knockouts
* Artist was stolen by another coach at the Battles
* Eliminated in the Battles
| Coach | Top 40 Artists | Top 40 Artists | Top 40 Artists | Top 40 Artists | Top 40 Artists | Top 40 Artists |
| will.i.am | | | | | | |
| will.i.am | Donel Mangena | Tai | Mark Asari | Saskia Eng | Paige Young | Anna Willison Holt |
| will.i.am | Chantelle Nandi | Rhianna Abrey | Kade Smith | Loaded Sista | Wesu Wallace | |
| Jennifer Hudson | | | | | | |
| Jennifer Hudson | Belle Voci | Gayatri Nair | Rhianna Abrey | Jason Nicholson-Porter | Jake Benson | Ross Anderson |
| Jennifer Hudson | Ant & Ox | Tesni Jones | Harri Oakland | Jilly Riley | Scarlett Quigley | |
| Sir Tom Jones | | | | | | |
| Sir Tom Jones | Ruti Olajugbagbe | Lucy Milburn | Chantelle Nandi | Wayne Ellington | Kalon Rae | Eliza Gutteridge |
| Sir Tom Jones | Saskia Eng | Jade Williams | Chloe Jones | Simon Davies | Courtney O'Neil | |
| Olly Murs | | | | | | |
| Olly Murs | Lauren Bannon | Jamie Grey | Kirby Frost | Shane McCormack | Holly Ellison | Kade Smith |
| Olly Murs | Ivy Paige | Debbie Aramide | Bailey Nelsen | RYT | Chris James | |

## Blind auditions

On 14 December 2017, it was announced by ITV that the seventh series would begin broadcasting on 6 January 2018.

### Episode 1 (6 January)

The series premiere aired from 8.00pm until 9.35pm.
* Group performance: The Voice UK coaches – "Feeling Good"
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices |
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly |
| Jake Benson | 1 | 26 | "Issues" | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Chloe Jones | 2 | 22 | "Like a Star" | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Lauren Bannon | 3 | 27 | "Lean On" | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Niall Donnelly | 4 | 35 | "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" | — | — | — | — |
| Jimmy Balito | 5 | 22 | "Concrete" | — | — | — | — |
| Jason Nicholson-Porter | 6 | 33 | "Amazing Grace" | — | ✔ | — | — |
| RYT | 7 | 24–30 | "JCB" | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Donel Mangena | 8 | 16 | "Cold Water" | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |

### Episode 2 (13 January)

This episode aired from 8.00pm until 9.30pm.
* Performance: between Sir Tom Jones & Jennifer Hudson – "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On"
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices |
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly |
| Kade Smith | 1 | 16 | "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Belle Voci | 2 | 25–26 | "Flower Duet" | — | ✔ | — | — |
| Ivy Paige | 3 | 37 | "Why Don't You Do Right?" | — | — | — | ✔ |
| Jade Williams | 4 | 32 | "Secret Smile" | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Jacob Simpson | 5 | 21 | "Over" | — | — | — | — |
| Jamie Grey | 6 | 29 | "Rise Up" | — | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Benn Helm | 7 | 43 | "Always on the Run" | — | — | — | — |
| Lucy Milburn | 8 | 20 | "Colorblind" | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |

### Episode 3 (20 January)

This episode aired from 8.00pm until 9.30pm.
* Performance: from Olly Murs – "Dance with Me Tonight"
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices |
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly |
| Chris James | 1 | 28 | "Prince Ali" | — | — | — | ✔ |
| Tai | 2 | 18 | "Move On Up" | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| Gemma Kalmakrian | 3 | 34 | "Born to Be Wild" | — | — | — | — |
| Ruti Olajugbagbe | 4 | 18 | "Budapest" | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Ant & Ox | 5 | 21 | "Sunday Morning" | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Micky Cohen | 6 | 24 | "Despacito" | — | — | — | — |
| Janel Antoneshia | 7 | 24 | "Magic" | — | — | — | — |
| Mark Asari | 8 | 28 | "Walking Away” | ✔ | — | ✔ | — |
| Simon Davies | 9 | 30 | "Sign of the Times” | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |

### Episode 4 (27 January)

This episode aired from 8.00pm until 9.30pm.
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices |
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly |
| H Boss | 1 | 28 | "Don't Mind"/ "Antenna" | — | — | — | — |
| Kirby Frost | 2 | 17 | "Ciao Adios" | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Loaded Sista | 3 | 30–34 | "Black Widow" | ✔ | — | ✔ | ✔ |
| Anna Willison Holt | 4 | 17 | "Never Forget You" | ✔ | — | — | — |
| Eliza Gutteridge | 5 | 16 | "Wild Horses" | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Jordan James | 6 | 25 | "Don't Go" | — | — | — | — |
| Zak Archer | 7 | 17 | "Handbags and Gladrags" | — | — | — | — |
| Holly Ellison | 8 | 23 | "Sorry Not Sorry” | ✔ | — | — | ✔ |
| Gayatri Nair | 9 | 16 | "Powerful” | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |

### Episode 5 (3 February)

This episode aired from 8.00pm until 9.30pm.
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices |
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly |
| Saskia Eng | 1 | 16 | "Strong" | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Faith | 2 | 21 | "Hold On" | — | — | — | — |
| Paige Young | 3 | 25 | "Crying in the Club" | ✔ | — | — | — |
| Shane McCormack | 4 | 21 | "Moondance" | — | — | — | ✔ |
| Rhianna Abrey | 5 | 20 | "Ghost" | ✔ | — | — | — |
| Ross Anderson | 6 | 17 | "Drag Me Down" | — | ✔ | — | — |
| Wendi Harriot | 7 | 41 | "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" | — | — | — | — |
| Ellis Bridgewater | 8 | 25 | "Big White Room” | — | — | — | — |
| Wayne Ellington | 9 | 46 | "We Were Raised Under Grey Skies” | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |

### Episode 6 (10 February)

This episode aired from 8.15pm until 9.45pm.
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices |
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly |
| Michael Harrison | 1 | 30 | "Last Request" | — | — | — | — |
| Bailey Nelsen | 2 | 18 | "There's Nothing Holdin' Me Back" | — | — | — | ✔ |
| Wesu Wallace | 3 | 36 | "I'm Not the Only One" | ✔ | — | — | — |
| Courtney O'Neil | 4 | 21 | "When You Say Nothing at All" | — | — | ✔ | — |
| Keilah Miller | 5 | 21 | "What's Up?" | — | — | — | — |
| Jilly Riley | 6 | 35 | "All Right Now" | — | ✔ | — | — |
| Jodie Knight | 7 | 18 | "Iris" | — | — | — | — |
| Jess Herring | 8 | 20 | "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” | — | — | — | — |
| Tesni Jones | 9 | 32 | "Highway to Hell” | — | ✔ | ✔ | — |

### Episode 7 (17 February)

This episode aired from 8.00pm until 9.30pm.
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices | Coaches and artists choices |
| Artist | Order | Age | Song | will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly |
| Scarlett Quigley | 1 | 20 | "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | — |
| Maria Le Belle | 2 | 34 | "Ghetto Story"/ "Get Busy" | — | — | — | — |
| Chantelle Nandi | 3 | 29 | "Kiss Me" | ✔ | — | — | — |
| Sand & Stone | 4 | 21–25 | "I Will Wait" | Team full | — | — | — |
| Harri Oakland | 5 | 19 | "Say You Won't Let Go" | Team full | ✔ | — | — |
| Kalon Rae | 6 | 30 | "Only You" | Team full | Team full | ✔ | — |
| Lekenah Eccles | 7 | 27 | "No Scrubs" | Team full | Team full | Team full | — |
| Sammi J | 8 | 29 | "Fever” | Team full | Team full | Team full | — |
| Navi Chahal | 9 | 20 | "Frozen” | Team full | Team full | Team full | — |
| Aimee Fitzpatrick | 10 | 22 | "Wrecking Ball” | Team full | Team full | Team full | — |
| Debbie Aramide | 11 | 29 | "Love Is a Losing Game” | Team full | Team full | Team full | ✔ |

## Battle rounds

Filming for the battles began in December 2017 at dock10, MediaCityUK, following the taping of the blind auditions. Each coach has only one steal. The first part of the battle rounds will be broadcast on 24 February 2018.

### Colour key

| Episode | Coach | Order | Winner | Song | Loser | 'Steal' result | 'Steal' result | 'Steal' result | 'Steal' result |
| Episode | Coach | Order | Winner | Song | Loser | will.i.am | JHud | Tom | Olly |
| Episode 1 (24 February) | Olly Murs | 1 | Holly Ellison | "I'd Do Anything for Love" | Chris James | — | — | — | — |
| Episode 1 (24 February) | Tom Jones | 2 | Eliza Gutteridge | "Fight Song" | Courtney O'Neil | — | — | — | — |
| Episode 1 (24 February) | will.i.am | 3 | Mark Asari | "Don't Let Go (Love)" | Loaded Sista | — | — | — | — |
| Episode 1 (24 February) | will.i.am | 4 | Tai | "Stand by Me" | Kade Smith | — | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Episode 1 (24 February) | Jennifer Hudson | 5 | Belle Voci | "Smells Like Teen Spirit" | Scarlett Quigley | — | — | — | Team full |
| Episode 1 (24 February) | Tom Jones | 6 | Lucy Milburn | "Too Good at Goodbyes" | Simon Davies | — | — | — | Team full |
| Episode 1 (24 February) | will.i.am | 7 | Donel Mangena | "Rain" | Rhianna Abrey | — | ✔ | ✔ | Team full |
| Episode 2 (3 March) | will.i.am | 1 | Anna Willison Holt | "Teardrops" | Chantelle Nandi | — | Team full | ✔ | Team full |
| Episode 2 (3 March) | Olly Murs | 2 | Jamie Grey | "Falling Slowly" | RYT | — | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Episode 2 (3 March) | Jennifer Hudson | 3 | Jake Benson | "Every Breath You Take" | Jilly Riley | — | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Episode 2 (3 March) | Jennifer Hudson | 4 | Ross Anderson | "September Song" | Harri Oakland | — | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Episode 2 (3 March) | Tom Jones | 5 | Kalon Rae | "Vincent" | Chloe Jones | — | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Episode 2 (3 March) | Olly Murs | 6 | Kirby Frost | "Friends" | Bailey Nelsen | — | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Episode 2 (3 March) | Jennifer Hudson | 7 | Jason Nicholson-Porter | "Let It Be" | Tesni Jones | — | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Episode 3 (10 March) | Tom Jones | 1 | Ruti Olajugbagbe | "Dog Days Are Over" | Saskia Eng | ✔ | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Episode 3 (10 March) | Olly Murs | 2 | Lauren Bannon | "Praise You" | Debbie Aramide | Team full | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Episode 3 (10 March) | Jennifer Hudson | 3 | Gayatri Nair | "Skin" | Ant & Ox | Team full | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Episode 3 (10 March) | Olly Murs | 4 | Shane McCormack | "Sway" | Ivy Paige | Team full | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Episode 3 (10 March) | will.i.am | 5 | Paige Young | "Faith" | Wesu Wallace | Team full | Team full | Team full | Team full |
| Episode 3 (10 March) | Tom Jones | 6 | Wayne Ellington | "What About Us" | Jade Williams | Team full | Team full | Team full | Team full |

## Knockouts

Filming for the show was on 10–11 March 2018 at Elstree Studios (Shenley Road). The first part of the battle rounds was broadcast on 17 March 2018. In this round the mentors helped at the piano rehearsals.
Colour key:
| Episode | Coach | Order | Song | Artists | Artists | Song |
| Episode | Coach | Order | Song | Winner | Losers | Song |
| Episode 1 (17 March) | Olly Murs | 1 | "Believer" | Lauren Bannon | Kade Smith | "Express Yourself" |
| Episode 1 (17 March) | Olly Murs | 1 | "Believer" | Lauren Bannon | Holly Ellison | "Perfect" |
| Episode 1 (17 March) | will.i.am | 2 | "Jolene" | Tai | Paige Young | "Power" |
| Episode 1 (17 March) | will.i.am | 2 | "Jolene" | Tai | Anna Willison Holt | "Master Blaster (Jammin')" |
| Episode 1 (17 March) | Jennifer Hudson | 3 | "This Is Me" | Gayatri Nair | Jake Benson | "Sun Comes Up" |
| Episode 1 (17 March) | Jennifer Hudson | 3 | "This Is Me" | Gayatri Nair | Ross Anderson | "Torn" |
| Episode 1 (17 March) | Tom Jones | 4 | "Gravity" | Lucy Milburn | Kalon Rae | "California Dreamin'" |
| Episode 1 (17 March) | Tom Jones | 4 | "Gravity" | Lucy Milburn | Eliza Gutteridge | "Don't Kill My Vibe" |
| Episode 2 (24 March) | will.i.am | 1 | "Finesse" | Donel Mangena | Saskia Eng | "Came Here for Love" |
| Episode 2 (24 March) | will.i.am | 1 | "Finesse" | Donel Mangena | Mark Asari | "Don't Dream It's Over" |
| Episode 2 (24 March) | Tom Jones | 2 | "Dreams" | Ruti Olajugbagbe | Chantelle Nandi | "Sing It Back" |
| Episode 2 (24 March) | Tom Jones | 2 | "Dreams" | Ruti Olajugbagbe | Wayne Ellington | "Man in the Mirror" |
| Episode 2 (24 March) | Jennifer Hudson | 3 | "Nella Fantasia" | Belle Voci | Rhianna Abrey | "Anywhere" |
| Episode 2 (24 March) | Jennifer Hudson | 3 | "Nella Fantasia" | Belle Voci | Jason Nicholson-Porter | "When You Believe" |
| Episode 2 (24 March) | Olly Murs | 4 | "Faith" | Jamie Grey | Kirby Frost | "Crazy" |
| Episode 2 (24 March) | Olly Murs | 4 | "Faith" | Jamie Grey | Shane McCormack | "City of Stars" |

## Live shows

The live shows began on 31 March 2018.

### Results summary
#### Team's colour key

    Team Will
    Team JHud
    Team Tom
    Team Olly

#### Result's colour key

    Artist received the fewest votes and was eliminated
    Artist won the competition
Weekly results per artist :
| Contestant | Contestant | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 2 |
| Contestant | Contestant | Week 1 | Round 1 | Round 2 |
| | Ruti Olajugbagbe | 2nd 22.91% | 2nd 29.41% | Winner 58.34% |
| | Donel Mangena | 1st 27.25% | 1st 29.58% | Runner-up 41.66% |
| | Belle Voci | 3rd 14.95% | 3rd 24.27% | Eliminated (Week 2) |
| | Lauren Bannon | 4th 11.65% | 4th 16.73% | Eliminated (Week 2) |
| | Jamie Grey | 5th 8.79% | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) |
| | Gayatri Nair | 6th 6.67% | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) |
| | Lucy Milburn | 7th 5.27% | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) |
| | Tai | 8th 2.49% | Eliminated (Week 1) | Eliminated (Week 1) |

#### Week 1: Semi-final (31 March)

This episode aired from 8.30pm to 10:00pm.
* Musical guest: Mo Jamil ("That Feeling")
| Order | Coach | Artist | Song | Result |
| 1 | Olly Murs | Jamie Grey | "Say Something" | Eliminated |
| 2 | Tom Jones | Lucy Milburn | "One Last Time" | Eliminated |
| 3 | will.i.am | Tai | "When Doves Cry" | Eliminated |
| 4 | Jennifer Hudson | Gayatri Nair | "Alive" | Eliminated |
| 5 | Jennifer Hudson | Belle Voci | "Skyfall" | Advanced |
| 6 | Tom Jones | Ruti Olajugbagbe | "Waiting for a Star to Fall" | Advanced |
| 7 | will.i.am | Donel Mangena | "Happy" | Advanced |
| 8 | Olly Murs | Lauren Bannon | "In the Air Tonight" | Advanced |

#### Week 2: Final (7 April)

This episode will air from 8:30pm to 10:10pm.
Group performance: The Voice UK coaches – "Come Together"
| Order | Coach | Artist | First song | Order | Duet (with Coach) | Order | Winners single | Result |
| 1 | will.i.am | Donel Mangena | "Let Me Love You" | 7 | "OMG" | 9 | "Cold Water" | Runner-up |
| 2 | Jennifer Hudson | Belle Voci | "O Fortuna" | 5 | "My Heart Will Go On" | N/A | N/A (already eliminated) | 3rd Place |
| 3 | Tom Jones | Ruti Olajugbagbe | "If You're Not the One" | 8 | "What a Wonderful World" | 10 | "Dreams" | Winner |
| 4 | Olly Murs | Lauren Bannon | "Stay" | 6 | "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | N/A | N/A (already eliminated) | 4th Place |

## Reception
### Ratings

Official ratings are taken from BARB.
| Episode | Date | Official ratings | ITV weekly rank |
| Blind auditions 1 | 6 January | 6.50 | 16 |
| Blind auditions 2 | 13 January | 6.60 | 15 |
| Blind auditions 3 | 20 January | 6.76 | 15 |
| Blind auditions 4 | 27 January | 6.24 | 15 |
| Blind auditions 5 | 3 February | 6.20 | 14 |
| Blind auditions 6 | 10 February | 6.37 | 14 |
| Blind auditions 7 | 17 February | 5.87 | 17 |
| Battle rounds 1 | 24 February | 6.56 | 13 |
| Battle rounds 2 | 3 March | 6.08 | 14 |
| Battle rounds 3 | 10 March | 5.71 | 16 |
| Knockout rounds 1 | 17 March | 5.70 | 16 |
| Knockout rounds 2 | 24 March | 4.76 | 16 |
| Live Semi-Final | 31 March | 5.40 | 17 |
| Live Final | 7 April | 5.87 | 14 |