Tyler James has revealed that best friend Amy Winehouse inspired him to audition for The Voice UK.
The singer, who discovered Winehouse's body last year, admits on tonight's (April 7) show that he still feels her presence, The Mirror reports.
"When I was a teenager my best friend was Amy Winehouse. We became friends when we were like 12, 13. We both went to the same school - we've been best friends since then," James said.
"We were like two peas in a pod, we were like two halves of the same person. Last summer it was the worst day of my life. Amy died and my whole life changed. Now she's here with me, I know that.
"It's about me finding my own feet and the only way for me that I'm ever going to find that is through music. This competition is about me building up my confidence. There's a lot riding on this."
James was previously signed to Island Records and reached number 16 with single 'Foolish' in 2005 before being dropped.
He sent demos of Winehouse's tracks to management companies back in 2001, leading to her being signed to Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment.
James performs Otis Redding's '(Sittin' On) The Dock of The Bay' on The Voice UK, which airs tonight (April 7) on BBC One from 7pm.
