Oldham twins hope hit the right note this weekend on The Voice UK

Oldham twins Jahz and Darius Duncan are hoping that the celebrity coaches on The Voice UK spin their chairs for their performance this Saturday.

It's the final Blind Audition, and things are hotting up as acts try to secure a place on a coach’s team. The competition is tense as will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones, Olly Murs and Anne-Marie search for a superstar.

Darius told the Chronicle that the whole experience has been nerve-wracking, but fun.

"We had to do our initial auditions with the producers on Zoom, so it was a weird situation.  Once we were invited to London, we knew we gave it our all and were really excited to know we'd be featured on TV."

"I think it helped that we're twins.  I guess it's our unique selling point.  There's not many duos about and the fact that we're pretty unique catches people's eye."

The 27 year-olds from Chadderton desribe their style as modern soul/pop and R'n'B and their influences range from Luther Vandross and John Legend, to Sam Smith and Adele.

The duo had recently returned to music after Coronavirus restrictions meant changes in their jobs.

"We both took a break from singing and performing for a while, but when the pandemic hit, it gave us more time to concentrate on our music again" says Darius, who works as a civil servant.

"At the beginning of the pandemic Jahz was furloughed from his job as a retail supervisor role at Oldham Athletic, and I was made redundant from my role as an account manager so we could spend time writing and rehearsing again."

Although the twins have performed cover versions, they also write their own material, and are currently working with a producer to develop some of their own compositions.  It's something that both brothers particularly enjoy.

"I think we've got a knack for songwriting, and really enjoy the process", added Darius.  "We're working on ten new songs at the moment."

Both brothers had to overcome stage-fright at Trafford College, where they studied under the Vocal Artist Programme. It's something that Darius says they've both conquered.

"At the end of the day, you just think 'what's the worst that could happen?'.  You might hit a bum note, or your voice might crack, but you take it in your stride.  I think it's something that comes with age.  As you get older you realise what's important."

The twins live together in Chadderton, but Darius says they get along like a house on fire: "Jahz is the boss.  He's always driven, he's always motivated.  We get along really well, even for twins"

You can follow the boys on Instagram @2chemusic

Darius and Jahz appear on The Voice UK this Saturday at 8:30pm on ITV.

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