Kevin Simm, from Liberty X to series five

Kevin Simm is the clearest 'already an act' story among the early winners. He had been in Liberty X, a group the British public knew from the years after Popstars, and he later won series five of The Voice UK. The blind audition is built for exactly that kind of surprise: the coaches hear a voice that a face would have given away.

Fans like this story because it proves the format can still work on someone who is not unknown. If the chairs stay turned, fame in the room does not help. If a coach knows the voice from an old record and still has to decide blind, the game is the same game.

His win is also a reminder that 'coming up through the years' does not only mean teenagers on a first stage. Some of the people who stood there had already had a hit, a band, or a previous television life. The show took them anyway.

The later career is his. This page only records the route: a known group, a gap, a blind audition, a series five win on the early run.

This is an independent fan note by Aston Kennedy, founder and owner of this site. It is not written by the artist, and it is not an official page.

The music sites that sit beside this fan writing are Roktalk, NTS Music, Kool 946 FM, The Shapeshifters and Simian Mobile Disco. Family pieces are on The Mother Magazine. The fan site is The V Fan Site.