WHAT DOES it take to get Kian Egan, Bressie, Sharon Corr and Brian Kennedy fighting over you?
Having a voice like Borris native Pat Byrne, it seems … and a harmonica.
The 22-year-old singer wowed all four judges on The Voice of Ireland at the weekend and had them bickering between themselves in the hopes of landing the talented local for their team.
Pat, who sang The River by Bruce Springsteen, dazzled all four judges as soon as he hit the right notes on the harmonica.
Ultimately, however, it was Bressie who nabbed Pat for his team after a phenomenal blind audition, which was broadcast on Sunday as part of the fourth week of the popular RTÉ programme.
“I honestly thought I wasn’t getting them; they left it so late to buzz. It was really tough; I wasn’t expecting the four of them to turn around. It hasn’t sunk in yet,” laughed Pat.
Pat was watched nervously backstage by his parents Pat Snr and Bernadette, his brother Simon and girlfriend Maria Leacy.
And another Carlovian was rooting for the young man from the sidelines, as host Kathryn Thomas clapped and cheered her approval for the man from her home county.
“She’s great. She relaxed me an awful lot; she relaxed everyone. It was a real comfort,” said Pat.
Pat, who is studying youth work part-time in Carlow at the minute, wants “music to be my life”.
“Primarily, I applied (to the show) because I want to get more gigs. This is a launch pad. And I feel The Voice is a bit more credible,” added Pat.
From Sunday 12 February, Pat will battle it out against the other acts in the “battle stages” of the competition.
Make sure to tune in every Sunday at 6.30pm on RTÉ One to cheer on our Carlow man.