Aleighcia and Y Llais

Aleighcia Scott is a reggae singer and presenter from Cardiff. She is also a coach on the new series, Y Llais on S4C and has learned Welsh.

Y Llais is a Welsh version of The Voice, and the other three coaches are the opera singer Sir Bryn Terfel, the singer-songwriter Bronwen Lewis and the pop star, Yws Gwynedd.

We had a chat with Aleighcia about being a coach on this iconic new series.

What is it like to be on the panel with Yws, Bronwen and Bryn Terfel?

I love working with Yws, Bronwen and Bryn - it's a lot of fun and I'm learning a lot of Welsh!  The four of us come from different genres and have had a lot of different musical experiences in the past.

But we have one thing in common - we are all from Wales and love music.

Did you know the other three before the programme?

I knew Bronwen because we both present on BBC Radio Wales, but I didn't know Yws and Bryn.  By now, they're like family to me - and even though I'm a little younger than Yws, he's like a little brother to me!

What do you think of the standard of the competitors?

I know Wales is the ‘land of song’, but I can't believe how much talent we've seen - everyone has been absolutely amazing.

We thought we would know most of the competitors as Wales is so small - but that is not the case! It is wonderful to see so many people who love to sing.

Many of the competitors are learning Welsh like you - how does that make you feel?

It's great because it's very important to give a platform to people who are learning Welsh on S4C, and to show that you don't need perfect Welsh to be on TV - when speaking or singing. Programmes like this are extremely important in order to show that the Welsh language belongs to everyone and that you don’t need to be perfect. 

What would be your advice to people who watch the programme and want to start singing?

I would say - always be yourself and stay true to yourself. It’s also important that you enjoy singing.

Is Y Llais going to change the music scene in Wales?

Yes, I believe it is.  It is going to open doors in terms of singing in Welsh and I believe we will see more people making music in Welsh and speaking Welsh. People have sent me messages from all over the world saying that they’ve seen the programme. It introduces the Welsh language to countries and people who have never heard it before.

I'm also so proud that The Voice is now available in Welsh, putting Wales on the big screen. It has been an amazing experience for me and I have enjoyed every moment.