A singing duo well known for their performances across the North East say they have been "overwhelmed" by support ahead of their appearance in the final of The Voice this weekend.
Jen Wheatman, 22 from Whitley Bay and Olivia (Liv) Irvin, 24 from Spennymoor have this year impressed judges with their singing prowess enough to reach the final of ITV's singing competition The Voice which will air on Saturday (December 30).
Mentored by Black Eyed Peas star Will.i.am on Team Will, the pair performed Saweetie's hit Sway With Me in the latest round of the competition which secured their place in the finals.
Ahead of the finals, Jen and Liv confessed they have been "overwhelmed" by support from the whole of the North East as they recounted their muscial journey.
Jen explained: "We actually met at a Little Mix tribute but when we did meet properly it was genuinely like love at first sight.
"We got hired and met in a professional setting but we were like 'wow', we'd both never met someone who was so on our wavelength before.
"Then, we started busking together and we were asked if we could do events like weddings and birthday parties - it just took off from there."
The girls then explained that they were scouted for The Voice in 2021, but it "wasn't the right time".
However, in 2022 they decided to take the leap and have now soared through 2023's series to the finals.
Jen added: "We just cracked on doing our gigs and busking, but then when we got scouted for it again last year we thought we'd give it a go and now we're in the final!
"We've learned so much about ourselves, our sound and each other. It's just been such an amazing process and every step of the way we've been happy to be there. It's so surreal."
The pair have been a part of Team Will for the show, and emphasised they have nothing but good words to say about his support.
Liv said: "It's been crazy to work with him, but he's someone we've looked up to for so long, we grew up listening to his music."
Jen added: "It's insane, not only is he an amazing producer but he is a great entrepreneur who is always thinking about the future.
"To have benefitted from his knowledge and expertise has been amazing alongside the competition itself."
Along the way, the pair of course have benefitted from swathes of support from family and friends but have also built up an impressive 42,000 followers on Facebook.
Liv said: "The North East in general is super friendly and the support has been lovely across social media. It's been great to see all the love and nice comments."
Jen added: "The way people are rallying behind us is overwhelming - it's really showing its magic."
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With just days to go until the big finale, Jen and Liv say they are massively proud of their final performance as they look to the future with dreams of releasing their own music one day.
Jen said: "We are so happy with the performance - the style we've been working on through the show carries on and reflects the style of artists we are.
"The songs we sing in the final really reflect our tone and make us feel like ourselves as performers - we can't wait for people to see it."
The Voice airs on ITV at 8:30pm on Saturday, December 30.
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