HUMBLE CRAIG I’mjustawee guy from a smalltown in Scotland
ISinger is favourite to follow in footsteps of Dancing on Ice skater and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner as he is tipped to take crown on telly’s The Voice
T WOULD “mean the world” to Scots singer Craig Eddie to win tonight’s The Voice UK. The 23-year-old from New Carron, Falkirk, is the bookies’ favourite to win the 10th series of the singing competition and bag himself a recording contract with Universal’s label UMOD.
The former Greggs worker is hoping to make it a Scottish reality show treble. If he wins, he’ll follow Angela Egan who, with celeb partner Sonny Jay, won Dancing on Ice last Sunday – becoming the first Scot to win the skating show. And on Thursday, Lawrence Chaney was crowned winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK – again, the first Scot to do so.
Craig said: “Winning would honestly mean the world.
“I don’t think I’ve really processed it all to be honest. It’s not something that a lot of people do. I’m just a little guy from a little town in Scotland.”
Six years ago, fireman Stevie McCrorie became the first Scot to win The Voice UK and with the likes of Lewis Capaldi, Nathan Evans and The Snuts creating a new golden era of Scottish music, Craig is hoping the country will now get behind him and help Scotland make an incredible reality show treble.
He said: “I definitely want to bring it home for Scotland. There’s not a better feeling than a full country being proud surely? There’s a lot of undiscovered talent in Scotland.
“Each year there seems to be a new Scottish artist that’s just unbelievable.
“So it feels good to be waving the Scottish flag right now.”
Craig has travelled to Elstree with his mum Tracey for tonight’s final where he will sing two songs including a duet with Anne-Marie.
The other finalists he’s up against are Okulaja, an 18-year-old student for Team Will.i.am, Hannah Williams, 38, a mum and full-time singer in Team Tom Jones and Grace Holden, 18, a shop assistant for Team Olly Murs.
Craig said: “It’s been a mad week, I’m still getting used to it. It’s a lot to take in and process. But I’m feeling confident.”
After years of trying to make it as a musician, Craig has his eyes on the prize. He said: “I’ve always struggled financially with trying to get my creativity out there.
“There’s so many ideas and concepts that I have in my head. With a record deal, I would hope to get my music out there and allow me to express myself.
“It would really take me to the place that I want to be.”
Craig started young – aged three – when, on a shopping trip with his mum at The Howgate shopping centre in Falkirk, he began singing along to Enrique Iglesias’s Hero which was being played on the sound system. Craig drew a crowd then and wowed his family with his version of Sir Tom Jones’ Sexbomb at his granny’s birthday party a few years later.
At 13, Craig asked for a guitar for his Christmas and has never looked back, singing in Falkirk pubs and bars and putting his music online.
His dad, also Craig, is also a musician and now the youngster hopes to make his dream come true.
He said: “My dad brought me up on music. We always listened to it in the car. I was given my first guitar at 13 years old.
“That’s when I uploaded my first ever
video to Facebook, Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis.
“I was so nervous putting it out there as no one knew that I sang then. It makes me really happy that I’m making my dad happy and really proud, because this was really what my dad loves.
“My dad loves music and it feels really good to follow in his footsteps.”
As well as having a fantastic voice, Craig has also connected with the Voice audience by talking about his mental health and battle with depression and anxiety. His coach Anne-Marie has helped him find his voice.
He said: “I feel, if I incorporate the subject of mental health into casual conversation it almost takes the sting out of it and makes it normal to talk about.
“It’s so cool to see Anne-Marie so open about her mental health. That’s inspired me to be open and talk about mine.”
Since Craig’s blind audition of Make It Rain by Foy Vance, he’s captivated fans and the judges.
He is full of praise for Anne-Marie, who had a No1 with Clean Bandit, Rockabye, and her own top 10 hits like Don’t Play, 2002 and Friends.
He said: “I feel as if me and AnneMarie are on the same wavelength, so that makes it really easy to work with her. There’s that connection there.
“Mentally we’re very similar. She’s been amazing through this whole thing.
“And not just music but advice on how to handle certain situations. And obviously with the music too – it’s just been really solid advice the entire time.”
The young Scot has two songs to sing tonight, including a duet with his coach.
He said: “I’m really looking forward to it. The duet is sounding great and it’s all coming together. Me and Anne-Marie both put our own little spins on the song – I’ve got high hopes for it.”
The pandemic has meant a very different process for the hopefuls this year. Anne-Marie replaced coach Meghan Trainor, who couldn’t fly over from America because of travel restrictions. The show, hosted by Emma Willis, held auditions at the Dock10 Studios in Manchester with a virtual audience, the judges’ famous red spinning chairs being socially distanced and safety protocols in place.
For Craig, it’s been an incredible experience whatever happens.
He said: “I think the biggest thing I’ve learnt from this experience is a strong work ethic and to realise you can only get results from a consistent approach.
“So hopefully I’ll do well tonight but if I don’t win, that’s the best thing I’ve gained. The Voice UK final is on tonight, STV, at 8.30pm.