A FLINTSHIRE musician has spoken of the 'surreal' experience of having appeared on The Voice UK.

Tom Collins appeared alongside seven other musicians on the blind auditions episode which aired on ITV on Saturday (September 10).

The show features judges Olly Murs, Sir Tom Jones, Anne Marie and Will.i.am sitting with their backs to the stage as musicians perform and attempt to get them to hit their buzzer, turn around and pick them for their team.

Sadly, Tom, who is from Bagillt, wasn't selected by any of the judges despite Olly Murs commenting after that he regretted the decision.

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But, 24-year-old Tom - who has been a musician since the age of 17 - says he 'took a lot' from the experience and found it 'pretty overwhelming' watching the episode back with his family on Saturday.

Speaking to the Leader, he said: "I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty overwhelming. I had my family and close friends around at the house to watch the show and I just felt a really good buzz.

"Everyone was so supportive. It was emotional seeing my mum and dad talk about me and show their love and support. I couldn’t do it without them at the end of the day. They’ve been brilliant since day one.

"Of course, I was gutted I didn’t get a chair turn but I just absolutely loved the experience of performing on TV. The crowd was ace and I know I gave it my all."

Tom added: "It was great to meet new people and hear about their musical journeys. You almost feel like you’re on the same team when you meet, and people are so supportive.

"I think I enjoyed the rehearsals for the show and the vocal warm ups with the vocal coach. I found out things about my voice that I’d never even challenged before. It was really interesting, I definitely took a lot from that."

The Leader:

PICTURE BY ITV shows Tom Collins on the Voice UK.

On the show, Tom performed the song 'Dakota' by Stereophonics.

Prior to his performance, he could be seen coaching children's football in his role as a member of the Flintshire Play Development Team for Flintshire Council.

He said: "I went through a collective set of songs with the producers but this one stood out. It’s a song that I’m used to and it’s close to home in the sense that it’s performed by a Welsh band in Stereophonics. I knew I could do it well enough and it’s up beat. It was a no brainer for me."

Asked about how the opportunity first came about, he added: "A scout from ITV approached me on Instagram after seeing my Tik Tok page and said I should apply.

"I initially wasn’t interested because I didn’t believe I could do it, but then I thought I had nothing to lose so I just went for it eventually. It was such a surreal experience and something I will hold onto forever. I’m massively grateful for the opportunity."

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He added: "I was a bit of a ‘hermit’ when it came to music as a child. I didn’t have much influence from my parents and I didn’t have a great interest until I went to high school.

"I slowly got into bands like; Catfish & The Bottlemen, Oasis, Coldplay and listened to a bit of everything really. My main idol at the moment is definitely Sam Fender. He’s unreal. His voice is awesome and his songs are so personal yet resonate with everyone. Would love to get to his level one day, what a dream."

You can follow Tom's journey via his social media platforms @tlcollinsmusic and find him on music platforms under Tom Collins.