Weston singer Harrisen Larner-Main was ‘nearly brought to tears’ after advancing to the next stage of ITV’s singing competition The Voice.
The 25-year-old continued his rise to stardom after wowing the crowd, the judges and the millions watching at home in a performance which aired on Saturday.
Harrisen was competing in the second stage of the contest, battling against Blackpool’s Lauren Hope for a place in the knockout round.
The pair – who both won a spot on popstar Olly Murs’ team after impressing in the blind auditions which were screened in January – were tasked with singing a duet of U2’s hit I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.
Both delivered a stunning performance, but it was Harrisen – a regular fixture on Weston’s live music scene – who impressed Murs the most and won a spot in the next round.
Harrisen said: “It was unbelievable. I was full of pride and I felt really confident for the first time.
“I knew it was a hard decision for Olly, but he still has faith in me which is amazing.
“It was absolutely incredible.
“I was nearly brought to tears.”
The long-haired singer said the battles presented a ‘daunting and brutal’ proposition, having to go head-to-head with another contestant on stage.
He added: “When I was paired with Lauren I was worried as she has a powerhouse voice.
“When it got to the day of the audition, Olly was there for a lot of it and he was giving us advice. The main comment he gave to me was to open my eyes and to engage with the audience.
“I loved the song already. I had never performed it but I loved it and it worked really well and we sang it really well together.
“I really enjoyed myself, but Lauren and I were really nervous, and we really appreciated we could do the experience together.
“When the song started it was a bit brutal. We had to face each other and battle, but the song was amazing and it sounded really good. Luckily I got through.”
The next stage of the process – the knockouts – begin on Saturday and will see the teams whittled down from six to two, and Harrisen has been working hard in preparation with Murs and chart-topper Anne Marie.
The Voice airs on ITV1 at 7.30pm on Saturday.
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