Tanya Lacey wrote a hit song for Will.i.am, but when she auditioned on The Voice UK, the hip hop star didn’t turn for her! The 31-year-old Bristol singer-songwriter sang Linda Clifford’s “All The Man That I Need,” and judges Sir Tom Jones and Gavin Rossdale loved it, and both turned their chairs for her. Will.i.am seemed stoked to hear her take on the R&B classic, which Whitney Houston recorded a hit cover of. However, he declined to turn his chair for Lacey, although he later came to regret it.
Lacey co-wrote Will.i.am’s single “T.H.E. (The Hardest Ever)”, which was a top-five hit in the UK in 2011. Before hitting the stage she spoke to the camera, saying, “It’s going to be so weird singing for Will.i.am. This is the first time, potentially, that we might meet each other and we’ve already got history. Imagine if he doesn’t turn for me!” Her fears turned out to be justified, and not only that, Will.i.am didn’t even know who she was until she revealed her previous work for him.
Lacey nonetheless gave a passionate performance, really putting her stamp on “All The Man That I Need.” When she hit the big chorus, both Jones and Rossdale instantly hit their buzzers, sending the crowd wild. Both Will.i.am and Jennifer Hudson seemed ready to hit their buzzers at several points, but in the end, Lacey only managed to turn two chairs.
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Sir Tom was 100% on team Lacey, and the Welsh star gave her a standing ovation at the end of the performance. Will.i.am was the first judge to comment after the performance and immediately regretted his hesitation, saying “I should have turned around.” During the knockouts round, Lacey performed a fiery version of Sigma’s “Changing.”
As the judges began their comments, Rossdale suggested that a standing Sir Tom looked like he was about to deliver a sermon. Sir Tom played along without missing a beat, showing off his comedy chops and getting some belly laughs from the audience and judges.
Sir Tom then showed that he was a true believer in Lacey, saying, “The way you sing is really, really something. I would love to have you on my team.” He then pointed out his longevity in the music business, saying, “If you want to sing for a long time, if you want to make it your life, I can help you there. I can get as much out of you as anybody else can, maybe even more.”
Rossdale then gave his pitch, saying, “Your voice is so beautiful, and I had to turn around because I need someone like you.” Lacey was impressed by Rossdale, who really turned the charm up during his speech, and she decided to join his team.
If you would like to hear more from this talented singer-songwriter, you can follow Tanya Lacey on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/tanyalaceyofficial/) or check out her latest updates on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/tanyalacey/).