Country music career beckons for The Voice of Ireland’s Kieran McKillop

The Feystown singing sensation, who achieved fourth place in the live finals of the RTE One show on April 26, says he hopes to use the music industry contacts he has made to launch a country music career.

Kieran told The Times: “I made a lot of good contacts through the show and I want to go into country music and sign with a manager. If Nathan Carter’s manager is looking for another singer I would like to go into that genre!”

Kieran is officially contracted to The Voice of Ireland until July, meaning that Universal music have first refusal on whether to sign him for a recording contract.

On finals night, Kieran performed Maroon 5’s “She will be loved” and “We Cry” by The Script in front of an audience packed with his family and friends. Despite losing out to winner Patrick Donoghue, Kieran is gracious about his fellow contestants.

“I always had it in my head that Paddy would win,” he revealed. “Or either of the two girls. I tried to be like a brother to them.”

After the show, The Voice hired out a bar in Dublin where the finalists were reunited with the other 36 contestants and partied with the judges until the early hours.

Now back in Feystown helping his father with lambing, down-to-earth Kieran paid tribute to his supporters. He stated: “I want to thank my family, friends and everyone who voted for me for their support, it meant the world to me and I couldn’t have got as far without them.

“I especially want to thank Cathy, Johnny and Karen Agnew for their help with publicity, and the friends who helped my parents on the farm when I wasn’t there.”

Despite his love of country music, Kieran will attend one pop concert this summer. He revealed: “My coach from The Voice of Ireland, Rachel Stevens, has invited us to see her in London with S Club 7 which I’m looking forward to.”