Keeley hails Offaly support on Voice of Ireland contest

Tullamore singer/songwriter Brendan Keeley hopes to perform one of his own songs on RTÉ's "The Voice of Ireland" if he gets through the next round of the talent show. Brendan, who is part of Team Brian (Kennedy) on the show, sailed through last Sunday's live show with his rendition of "You Are So Beautiful". Team leaders Brian Kennedy and Bressie were forced to choose between the bottom two performers on their teams, and it's this fate Brendan hopes to avoid in the final show which asks team leaders to do just that before all competitors return to being judged against each other in one group. Brendan has been garnering praise from all judges with the exception of Westlife's Kian Egan. Last week Bressie praised Brendan for clearly meaning every word of the song he sang and said his voice "has grown on me more and more". Sharon Corr said Brendan really lights up when he sings and said she really enjoyed the performance. However even though Kian Egan admitted Brendan put on a good performance, he said it didn't captivate him. Brendan's team leader Brian Kennedy was behind him all the way however, saying that he stands out from the crowd "the moment he opens his mouth". Speaking to the Offaly Independent from Germany this week, where he has two gigs scheduled, Brendan passed on his thanks to everyone in Offaly who continues to vote for him. "Keep it up," he said, "and let's see how far we can go." Brendan said that the process involved with "The Voice of Ireland" process is interesting, but tough. "The hardest part is standing on stage waiting for the results," he said. "It seems like ages even though it's only a few seconds." For the most part Brendan said he is good at blocking out the nerves that other participants have throughout each week. "I kind of lock it out of my head," he said, adding that he tries to look at each show performance as a gig. When not on stage he said he simply puts his headphones on and ignores the nerves. Brendan said his work with the Tullamore Gospel Choir has so far been unaffected by his participation in "The Voice of Ireland", thanks largely to his second in command Ulrika Maher. Brendan said one of the effects of the show is that he knows for sure his fan base is "alive and well". It's that same fanbase he hopes will see him through to bag the ultimate "The Voice of Ireland" prize.