Kevin Simm: The Voice isn't cursed with unsuccessful winners

It's fair to say that winning The Voice does not guarantee a high profile, successful recording career.

But this year's winner, Kevin Simm, hopes he will prove that wrong.

"I suppose there is pressure and there is a tag with The Voice winners," he tells Newsbeat, just hours after winning the public vote.

Leanne Mitchell, the first winner, only got to 134 in the charts with her album. Last year's winner, Stevie McCrorie reached number 35.

"I personally don't believe The Voice is cursed," Simm says.

"I genuinely thought and said that out of the four people who were in the final, and the final 10 even, I truly believe any of us could have had a career outside of this."

Kevin was mentored by Ricky Wilson of the Kaiser Chiefs

And Simm has had a successful career outside of The Voice, having been one fifth of Liberty X, the band formed out of the runners up on the 2001 ITV show Popstars.

He is aware that some fans of The Voice have been less than impressed that he has had another chance to compete on a reality show - and that he has gone on to win.

"If you lose your job, or you get made redundant, can you not apply for the same job because there's other young people coming through?" he asks.

"No, usually it's best person for the job who gets it. Why is it any different?

"I didn't 'have' a chance with Liberty X - I went out there and got it and instead of feeling sorry for myself when it all ended, I grafted through the pubs and clubs and I've been doing that for the last six years.

"If there was a rule in place on The Voice that I couldn't go for it then that would be fair enough, but there wasn't so, let's have it."

Despite being billed as a documentary, Popstars tends to mark the dawn of the age of Saturday night talent shows that now dominate.

Hear'Say, the winners, had a couple of number one singles, before disappearing.

Liberty X meanwhile had the greater commercial success with three albums and numerous top 10 singles.

Simm's former bandmates were in the audience to support him during the final and it is clear that meant a lot to him.

"I don't think I put my head on the chopping block on The Voice to start dancing around with canes again," he says, when Newsbeat asks if their attendance suggests plans to reform.

"It is a great laugh. When we do get together and do stuff, it is just for the laugh and for the memories and nostalgia.

"I'm totally not discounting getting the canes out and performing but as far as new music, that's definitely not on the cards."

For the first time in its history, the winner's single was written especially for The Voice.

Rival judge Boy George has said he was "pleased" his act, Cody Frost, didn't win, because she didn't want to sing the track, called All Good Friends.

"With the winner's song, a lot of the lyrics in it are quite relevant to my - I don't want to be cliched and say journey - but yeah, my journey," laughs Simm.

"So for me to sing it, I can put my heart into it and believe the lyrics.

"Hopefully people at home will see that too."

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