When New Zealand-born country singer Keith Urban announced he would be jumping ships from The Voice Australia to American Idol, host Darren McMullen was sceptical about finding a suitable replacement.
However, when it was announced that Latin singing sensation Ricky Martin would be joining fellow coaches Seal, Joel Madden and Delta Goodrem on the show, McMullen was livin’ la vida loca.
“We all thought it was going to be really hard when Keith left, and I hate to say it because I love Keith to death, but Keith is replaceable because Ricky Martin is amazing,” says McMullen.
“Ricky brings a new dynamic to the show. He’s such a sweet and spiritual man.
“The moment they made the decision, all my friends started calling me, especially my gay friends, and said, ‘Oh my god, Ricky is amazing’.
“He’s brought his family over. He’s got the cutest twins. They hang on set sometimes. It’s always good to have the kids around. Seal has his kids, so does Joel (Madden) and it creates a good family atmosphere.”
Initially, McMullen was put off by the idea of taking part in yet another reality music TV series.
“I was in America when I heard The Voice was coming. I was thinking, ‘Here we go, another music show. It sounds terrible’. I thought no one will want to tune into this.”
The first season was a runaway success – the number-one rated entertainment show of all time in Australia – and McMullen believes it is a unique and superior format that benefits from utilising social media effectively.
“It’s a different show. It has integrity and actual working artists at the top of their game – not some old hack telling people they couldn’t make it because of the way they were dressed. It’s about the music.
“I love the social media integration too. I was trying to find a show that would mesh social media with television and The Voice does it so seamlessly. You just can’t escape it, it’s everywhere you go. It created the whole water-cooler chat but on a grand scale. People couldn’t help but be involved in it.”
Last year 20-year-old Karise Eden took out the top prize and secured a music contract with Universal Music Australia. Darren, who last year briefly dated judge Delta Goodrem, thinks contestants will be more street smart with how they approach season two.
“People will be more strategic this year. The contestants will know how the coaches work. All three coaches have different styles.
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“Last year people got a bit bewildered by the big names and just wanted to be friends with the coaches and hang out with them all the time and didn’t think of the opportunity for their own careers.”
The Voice Australia – TV2 Friday
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