{"id":82047,"date":"2023-11-25T17:27:18","date_gmt":"2023-11-25T17:27:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/?p=82047"},"modified":"2023-11-25T17:27:18","modified_gmt":"2023-11-25T17:27:18","slug":"i-was-in-huge-noughties-pop-band-but-ended-up-working-as-a-fencer-my-album-flopped-then-i-got-an-unexpected-lifeline-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/posterboyedit.com\/tv-and-movies\/i-was-in-huge-noughties-pop-band-but-ended-up-working-as-a-fencer-my-album-flopped-then-i-got-an-unexpected-lifeline-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"I was in huge Noughties pop band but ended up working as a fencer & my album flopped\u2026 then I got an unexpected lifeline | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"
HE was part of one of the biggest bands of the noughties and had been used to performing to sell-out crowds around the country.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n But by 2015, things were very different for Liberty X star Kevin Simm as he stood outside in \u201cthe freezing cold\u201d digging holes for a fencing company.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kevin had fallen on hard times when the group \u2013 most famous for UK No 1 Just A Little Bit \u2013 split in 2007 and his solo career hadn\u2019t gone to plan.<\/p>\n To support his wife Laura and two children Charlie, 12, and Oliver, ten,the self-confessed \u201cgrafter\u201d had tried a number of normal jobs including working as an electrician, a fencer and a wedding photographer between occasional singing gigs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kevin, now 43, tells us: \u201cWhen Liberty X finished I had no idea what to do. I didn\u2019t know how to get gigs. It was strange coming out of a big pop group and having to start again.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI was singing in pubs and clubs for \u00a3150 a gig but there wasn\u2019t a lot of work going around and typically it was only Friday or Saturday night.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThen sometimes I\u2019d get a call the night before saying the gig was cancelled and that\u2019s half of your income for the week gone.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI ended up trying to work as an electrician, a fencer, and a wedding photographer because I got frustrated with the insecurity of the singing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI thought, \u2018Why not try some other things where you know you will get paid at the end of the week\u2019. I had a family so it was doubly important to put food on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I was good enough at them, I would have continued but I\u2019m not a skilled worker and knew I would never be at that level where I was happy.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Kevin, from Chorley, Lancashire, rose to fame in Liberty X alongside Michelle Heaton, Tony Lundon, Jessica Taylor and Kelli Young.<\/p>\n They formed the group after being the runners-up in the ITV talent show Popstars in 2001 and went on to have 10 UK Top 20 singles before splitting six years later.<\/p>\n Subsequently, Kevin\u2019s solo career failed to take off and he played at festivals, pubs and clubs until ITV\u2019s The Big Reunion in 2013.<\/p>\n The documentary series, which brought chart-topping bands back together for a special performance, led to Liberty X going on a year-long tour in 2013 before parting ways again.<\/p>\n Between performing with the group, Kevin found it hard to carve out a career as a singer and would regularly \u201cput flyers up\u201d and \u201ccall pubs\u201d to see if they wanted to book him in.\u00a0<\/p>\n He recalls: \u201cIt was embarrassing and a bit demeaning going around saying I\u2019m available for bookings but I had to suck it up and swallow my pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re putting flyers through pub doors, you\u2019re kind of kneecapping yourself as far as bargaining power because they know how desperate you are. It was a strange time.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were some people who told me, \u2018We didn\u2019t know if you could sing and thought it would be a good laugh.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThey just booked me because I was \u2018Kevin from Liberty X\u2019 and thought it would be hilarious if I was tone-deaf and couldn\u2019t sing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n It was those struggles and a confidence boost from Liberty X\u2019s brief reunion tour, which led Kevin to apply for The Voice in 2016.<\/p>\n He says: \u201cI was frustrated and it felt like I had gone back to the beginning, music career-wise. I thought, \u2018Maybe there\u2019s a bit of fight left in me\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I applied, I thought, \u2018Even if none of the judges turns, maybe it could open a few doors for me\u2019. I didn\u2019t want to be famous again, I just wanted a challenge and to bump up my gig money.\u201d<\/p>\n Before getting through to the Blind Auditions, Kevin had to get through \u201ctwo or three rounds\u201d with the production team and says they tried to influence performers\u2019 song choices.<\/p>\n He says: \u201cI think they have a bunch of songs they want people to sing. The one they gave me was by One Republic and I\u2019d never heard of it in my life.<\/p>\n \u201cI was determined to sing Chandelier by Sia. Fortunately, I got my way, I don\u2019t think I would have got through with their choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin admits going on the show \u201cwas a massive, massive gamble\u201d and he was fully aware he risked \u201clooking like an absolute fool\u201d if things didn\u2019t go well.\u00a0<\/p>\n On the day of the Blind Auditions, Kevin waited from 7am until 6pm before he could perform and says it was the \u201cscariest thing I\u2019ve done in my life\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI was the last person to perform, everyone else had gone by that point. You didn\u2019t know how they got on, which added to the tension and drama.<\/p>\n \u201cThe crowds always cheer on The Voice and because the buzzer sounds are added in post-production you couldn\u2019t tell if any of the coaches had turned for anyone.<\/p>\n \u201cThe wait to perform was horrendous and on stage, I was really nervous. Everything felt like it had slowed down. It felt like I was out of time and out of tune.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen all four coaches turned for me, I couldn\u2019t believe it. It was the best experience of my life on stage. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll get anything close to that feeling again.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin chose Paloma Faith as his coach \u2013 rejecting Boy George, will.i.am and Ricky Wilson \u2013 but was nearly sent home when she dumped him after his next performance, of Jennifer Hudson's Spotlight.\u00a0<\/p>\n Instead of choosing to take the Liberty X star through to the next round, she selected 17-year-old Faith Nelson.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fortunately, Ricky stepped in at the last moment and used his \u2018Steal\u2019 option, which allowed Kevin to join the Kaiser Chief singer\u2019s team and prevented him from leaving the competition.<\/p>\n Kevin says: \u201cNot being picked by Paloma felt like an absolute kick in the teeth. She told me things that made me feel like I was in her plans going forward.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like I nailed the song \u2013 even though it was in a woman\u2019s key \u2013 and felt I\u2019d done enough to stay in. Fortunately, Ricky took me under his wing.<\/p>\n \u201cRicky was very good at motivating me and made me feel like I was worthy of being on the show. I don\u2019t think I could have won the show with Paloma as my coach.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin admits he was \u201cgobsmacked\u201d when he reached the finals and \u201cnever for a second\u201d thought he would go on to win the competition.<\/p>\n He tells us: \u201cI felt like I was too old to win it, everyone was young, good-looking and ready to be a pop star. I thought getting to the live shows would be the ceiling for me.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI thought the public would want someone young too, I never thought I had a chance of winning but strange things do happen sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin says he was \u201con cloud nine\u201d after being named champion and believes the show helped to change the public\u2019s opinion of him.\u00a0<\/p>\n He explains: \u201cEven though I sang a lot in Liberty X, I think people thought only the girls sang and so they didn\u2019t know whether I could sing or not.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was also this belief that no one could sing in a lot of noughties and nineties bands and that everyone was miming for the majority of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n That same year, Kevin released his single All Your Good Friends, which reached No 24 in the UK charts, and then the album Recover.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, neither took off. The singer believes more should be done to help winners \u2013 and other stars \u2013 to break through after the show.\u00a0<\/p>\n He says: \u201cI have plenty of good things to say about The Voice but the only negative thing was that I wasn\u2019t allowed to go back on to perform the following year, unlike previous stars.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause the show had moved from the BBC to ITV I was told I couldn\u2019t go back on. It would have been a big boost for my music performing in front of however many million people.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not me slagging the show off but how many seasons have gone by and you\u2019ve never had a winner who has become a successful commercial star? I think they need to change the format.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Eventually, Kevin returned to performing on the circuit but due to the exposure of the show was able to book \u201cbetter venues and bigger gigs\u201d.<\/p>\n In late 2018, his fortunes changed dramatically when he was contacted by the group Wet Wet Wet, who were looking for a new lead singer after the departure of Marti Pellow.<\/p>\n Kevin says: \u201cThey asked me to meet up with them and sing some of their songs. I literally got a call from them one hour later asking if I\u2019d join the band. <\/p>\n \u201cI was asked by them because the wife of [bandmate] Neil Mitchell saw me on The Voice.\u00a0 So really I have to be grateful to the show for that."<\/p>\n Kevin says playing with Wet Wet Wet \u2013 who are back on tour in January \u2013 is \u201cmassively different\u201d from his time with Liberty X.<\/p>\n He explains: \u201cThe buck stops with me, if I lose my voice I\u2019m kind of buggered whereas with Liberty X someone else could sing my parts or we could just mime.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin admits he is \u201cvery grateful\u201d for all that singing has given him and feels his hard work has \u201cfinally paid off\u201d.<\/p>\n He says: \u201cI loved my time in Liberty X and Wet Wet Wet has been an amazing experience \u2013 I guess there are not many people who get to be in two big bands in their lifetime. I\u2019m very lucky.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not a big name and I\u2019m not in the charts but I have been able to make a living singing since I left school and that\u2019s not a bad place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
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