Llantwit Voice fans keep fingers crossed for Cate

By Philip Irwin

3 minutes read

SATURDAY, 24th October is the next big day for fans of Llantwit Major’s Cate McHugh as she takes her next step on ITV’s top talent show, The Voice.

Her supporters cheered last Saturday as Cate triumphed in her ‘battle’ with her rivals, the country music duo, Eric and Jensen.

In the ‘battle’ Cate triumphed over Eric and Jensen. Photo supplied by ITV. — **| In the ‘battle’ Cate triumphed over Eric and Jensen.** *Photo supplied by ITV.*

Cate’s ‘journey’ started last month when, in the blind audition, Welsh music legend Tom Jones put himself forward as her mentor and Cate became a member of ‘Team Tom’.

Of course, the rules of The Voice meant that she had to go into a sudden death ‘sing off’ with her fellow team members, tackling the Chuck Berry classic, ‘You Never Can tell’.

As Cate performs a number of country classics in her live show, she wasn’t fazed when the production team presented her with Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band’s version – familiar to any 1970s country rock fan. Cate said: “It was a song I was very comfortable singing.”

So comfortable was she that Sir Tom chose her to go through to the semi-final on Saturday, 24 October. But more on that later.

Cate performing in the ‘blind audition’. Photo supplied by ITV. — **| Cate performing in the ‘blind audition’.** *Photo supplied by ITV.*

As someone who worked on The Cowbridge GEM, this reporter remembered Cate from Cowbridge Comprehensive School’s production of Oliver! She played Nancy and, after hearing her barnstorming version of ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ when she was 18, this reporter can say that if Sir Tom asks her to sing a big ballad, it will be no problem.

Of course, there has been a great deal of concentration on Cate’s vision. She has some peripheral vision but can’t see something right in front of her. When Sir Tom selected her in the ‘blind audition’ – an unintended irony – she was not sure who had said yes. When he identified himself, she was delighted and is enjoying her working relationship with him.

When Cate was singing in school, her eyesight was not an issue and after A-Levels, she threw herself into performing on stage. In 2015, she signed up to work on cruise ships. The upside was that it gave her valuable experience of performing live and building up a relationship with an audience. It was hard work but well worth it.

The downside was that, over her five years on the cruise ships, she became aware of issues with her eyesight. Typically, Cate takes a positive view of this frightening period, saying: “I’m really grateful that I was able to travel and see so much of the world before my vision deteriorated.”

The cruise ship gigs ended when Covid hit. Cate returned to Llantwit and she and husband Nathan started a family. Lily, now six years old came along on cue.

Once the country opened up again after Covid, Cate returned to developing her singing career. In recent years she has gigged all over the UK. As time has gone on, she has found herself singing more and more country songs – from Dolly Parton to Shania Twain.

She has found herself drawn to the music of Emily Ann Roberts, a US country singer four years her junior. By coincidence, Emily Ann found fame on the US version of The Voice.

So, Cate’s musical ‘journey’ has not been straightforward. The next step will be on Saturday, 24th October in the semi-final, when she will go up against the surviving members of Team Tom. Three girl singers as it happens.

I did ask what song she will be singing but Cate was guarded. A ballad was as far as she was prepared to go.

If she is selected from Team Tom’s semi-final, she will go up against the other team winners in the final.

How did she do? As in a song she is unlikely to sing in the final (recorded by the Go-Gos): ‘Our lips are sealed’.

By Philip Irwin – Senior News Reporter

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