A Northampton contestant on BBC One’s The Voice has told how a record company rejection sent him on a downward spiral.
Karl Michael, from Standens Barn, is living in a bedsit despite a short time ago being within touching distance of the big time and signed with a record label.
He said: “Some people think that having a record deal means you’ve made it. It doesn’t.
“About six months ago I was in a studio making an album and literally three days later the record company decided to pull out.
“I went from recording in a studio in New York to cleaning windows in Earls Court.
“In a matter of six months I lost everything.”
Karl has had two recording contracts in the past and has sung vocals on a Bruno Mars track,
But lately he has been making ends meet by cleaning windows during the day and working in a bar at night to pay his rent.
He said: “It’s like climbing a mountain and as you’re about to reach the top you fall.
“I feel like I’ve taken about five steps back in my life.
“I should be living with a girlfriend in a house not living in a bedsit. It’s not where I want to be.”
On Saturday night he told The Voice judges - Danny O’Donoghue, Jessie J. will.i.am and Sir Tom Jones - “I can’t seem to catch a break.”
But his fortunes may now be on an upward trajectory after he wowed the superstars with his version of ‘No More I Love Yous’ by Annie Lennox.
All four signalled their approval in the ‘blind’ audition, where listen with their backs to the stage, by turning their chairs to face him.
They all then tried to persuade Karl to join their team for the later stages of the competition, with the 27-year-old eventually picking Danny, partly because of their shared Irish heritage.
Telling Danny on last night’s show “I won’t let you down,” he described his shock at the judge’s reactions, but has now stated his determination to win the contest.
He said: “I still feel I’m in a dream. I was thinking ‘hang on a minute, actually all four have turned around’.”
He added: “Things happen for a reason. I’m going to grab this opportunity with both hands and I’m going to own it.”
And Danny, had high praise for his new protégé.
He said: “That was the biggest one of the day; everyone was going all in on that one.
“One person comes along in the series who you really see a lot of yourself in.
“It might be something to do with all the troubles and the pain that we’ve had in the past but that kid’s special, very special.”
Earlier in the show Karl had told viewers: “Everything is at stake for me. I’ve got nothing, all I’ve got is my voice. I’ve got to prove to myself and my family that I can do this.
“It’s my last shot. I don’t want to fail, I want to win.”