Cumbrian singer Jolan eases into next round of The Voice

The 22-year-old, from Moor Row near Whitehaven, won through the battle round of the BBC 1 singing contest on Saturday.

He went head-to-head with fellow contestant Efe Udugba in a rendition of Beat Surrender by The Jam.

Their celebrity mentor, Ricky Wilson, of the Kaiser Chiefs, could only put one through and chose Jolan.

He said before they sang: “They have both got soul and I wanted to put them with a song I love.

“Any one of them could go on and be in the final three.”

The performances wowed the other mentors, Paloma Faith, Boy George and will.i.am.

Boy George said: “I was like hyperventilating. You were both great.

“Jolan, the little falsetto things you do are genius. As you know I tried to get you on my team so I would probably go with you.”

It was an emotional night for Jolan, who appeared on The Voice two years ago only to be eliminated in the first round, the blind auditions, when none of the four mentors offered him a place on their team.

This time he sailed through the blind auditions with a compelling performance of Terence Trent D’Arby’s classic Wishing Well, which saw three of the four judges turning for him.

Now, following his success in the battle round, he goes forward to the knock-out stage before the live shows begin.

Since his first appearance on The Voice, Jolan’s mum Joanne has passed away. He dedicated his performance to her.

Blinking back tears backstage, he told viewers: “I need to do it for my mum. She’s always been there. She’ll be proud.”

He has been inundated by support. A Facebook page, Jolan To Win The Voice 2016, has around 800 followers. Londoner Efe Udugba was eliminated from the show.

Since appearing on the blind auditions, Jolan has been inundated by supporters both nationally and locally.

A Facebook page Jolan To Win The Voice 2016 has around 800 followers, with a host of messages of support.

Efe was not 'stolen' by one of the other judges and was eliminated from the show.