Crouch End to The Voice

Korma Chameleon! From the COOK shop Crouch End to The Voice.

We’ve got a song in our hearts here at COOK, thanks to Vangelis from our shop in Crouch End absolutely smashing it on The Voice. We thought we should find out more about the star in our midst…

COOK: Hello Vangelis! That’s a very cool name you have. Where does it come from?

VANGELIS: Hello! It's Greek. A bit of conversation starter, isn't it? If I’d been a girl my mum would have called me Athena.

C: Ok, so you work at COOK – but can you cook?

V: I can! I'm actually all right at it. Sometimes I'll make something to go with a COOK dish and be really creative with it.

C: What’s your signature dish?

V: I make a great carbonara. Great to taste, bad for the body!

C: How did your colleagues in Crouch End react when you told them you were going to be on TV?

V: I had been going to all these auditions for The Voice, getting through the producer rounds. They were so excited and were all rooting for me. In fact, with the first producer round, Bahar covered my shift for me. I thought I’d be back in good time. I wasn’t.

C: What’s your favourite COOK meal?

V: Hmmm. I love the Rump Beef with Brandy. It’s so rich and creamy. I also love the Roasted Veg Lasagna. It’s amazing.

C: That was gutsy choosing a Boy George song, given he’s a judge. What other songs did you consider?

V: There’re about seven rounds you have to go through before getting to perform for the judges. So for the callbacks I sang ‘Wings’ by Birdy and an acoustic version of ‘One Last Time’ by Ariana Grande, which led me to being offered the blind audition.

C: Were you nervous?

V: I was really nervous! It was the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done. When you walk out it’s completely silent and you stand there for about 20 seconds before the music starts. I was determined to show everyone that I can sing and that I can do this. If I got through or not, I just wanted to do a great performance and it just happened to be my day. Or I should say my night because I didn’t sing until about 10pm.

C: If Boy George hadn’t turned round, who would you have gone with?

V: Maybe Paloma because musically she is closer to my style, but Ricky really did do a good pitch, and I respect him just as much. So maybe him. I don’t know.

C: What was the first album you ever owned?

V: Oh god … I think it was one of the Now albums. I also remember listening to Gabriele and S Club 7 and Hear'Say. I was so shy, but I loved to sing

C: If you could sing a duet with anyone, who would it be?

V: Celine Dion or Elvis, if he was alive. I just think they're two of the best vocalists and they really connect with the lyrics.

And here’s Vangelis performance on The Voice from last week