Kian and Jodi to team up for romantic duet

VOICE star Kian Egan and his wife Jodi Albert are set to become Ireland's answer to Sonny and Cher after duetting on his new album.

The couple, who will perform the US country hit Run To You, have spoken of their collaboration and how they initially rejected the idea.

Jodi, who was been in a number of girl bands including Simon Cowell's Girl Thing, said she never imagined singing with her husband.

She said: "We never thought about singing together at all. A lot of people asked us and we thought, 'No, no, we won't be doing that'.

"He just sprung it on me at the last minute. He told me the album was going to be finished in three days and needed me to go into the studio on Friday. I love the song."

Kian, who performed the Lady Antebellum hit with his wife on BBC's Weekend Wogan show, joked that they had not sung together before because they did not want to be "cheesy".

But he said he decided on the romantic duet after making his unexpected album on the back of his newfound popularity since winning I'm A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out Of Here.

He said: "Music has come around since doing I'm A Celebrity. Even with Westlife, I thought for me that music was probably done in a serious sense.

"I wasn't actively searching for a record deal. Then when I came out of the jungle I got approached by Warner Brothers and after a bit of talking with my lovely wife I thought, 'Let's do it'. It wasn't something I had planned, it just came around."

Since returning from the jungle Kian has been juggling TV presenting on British breakfast television and The Voice of Ireland and making his new album. Jodi has been on ITV's Big Reunion with former band Girl Thing.

Kian said their schedules have been so hectic that they have had to hire a nanny for the first time for their two-year-old son Koa.

He said: "It's been a mad hectic schedule between coming out of the jungle, making the album and doing The Voice and Jodi's been doing the Big Reunion. Hence the reason we have a nanny. We never had one before.

"It's been pretty hectic, but it's been such an amazing few months. We're just so grateful for all the opportunities we've been given."

The Sligo singer also told how he loves doing The Voice because it kick-starts the contestants' music careers.

He said: "You just try your hardest to give them the best advice you can and try to guide them through what can be a very, very tough industry and hope they come out the other end shining and most of them do," he said.

"Even if they don't have a big massively successful career, they end up singing and having a career in music for the rest of their lives, be that as wedding singers or country singers or whatever.

"Most of my guys have done very well in Ireland."

Source: www.independent.ie