Carrickfergus singer Robbie McMinn picked by Sir Tom Jones on The Voice UK

Carrickfergus singer-songwriter Robbie McMinn has taken another major step in his music career after being picked by Sir Tom Jones during the Blind Auditions on The Voice UK.

The Northern Ireland musician appeared on the ITV singing competition on Saturday night, 3 October, performing in front of coaches Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am, Kelly Rowland and McFly stars Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones.

And it was music legend Sir Tom Jones who secured Robbie for his team, meaning the Carrickfergus singer’s journey on The Voice UK will continue as part of Team Tom.

For those who have followed Robbie’s career locally, however, his appearance on one of the UK’s biggest television talent shows is the latest chapter in a musical journey that has been developing for years.

Robbie McMinn’s journey from Carrickfergus to The Voice UK

Robbie is a singer-songwriter from Carrickfergus, County Antrim, whose music combines modern American country, Irish country, folk and rock.

Northern Ireland Online first spoke to Robbie about his musical ambitions back in 2023, when he discussed his move from musical theatre into country and commercial music.

At the time, Robbie explained that music had been part of his life from an early age before he moved into musical theatre, performing leading roles at venues including Belfast’s Grand Opera House.

His theatre credentials were already attracting attention. In 2022, The Irish News highlighted Robbie, then a Carrickfergus Grammar School pupil, performing the role of the Pirate King in the Grand Opera House Summer Youth Production of The Pirates of Penzance. The Irish News

He would later move increasingly towards the contemporary country sound for which he is now known.

Read our original interview: Robbie McMinn – From Musical Theatre to Country Music

Inspired by Zach Bryan and Luke Combs

Robbie has previously named Zach Bryan and Luke Combs among the biggest influences on his music.

Speaking to Northern Ireland Online in our earlier interview, he described his sound as a mixture of American and Irish country with a strong rock influence — an approach aimed at bringing modern country music to a wider and younger audience. Northern Ireland Online

His current artist profile describes him as a modern country and folk singer-songwriter whose performances combine storytelling with country, folk and rock.

His original track Battle Scar has accumulated more than 75,000 Spotify streams, according to his booking agency, while Spotify currently lists Robbie with around 9,800 monthly listeners. Atmosphere Agency

The night Zach Bryan brought Robbie McMinn on stage

One of the defining moments in Robbie’s early career came when he travelled to Dublin to see one of his biggest musical heroes, American country star Zach Bryan.

Robbie and his dad arrived early enough to make it to the front of the crowd, with Robbie carrying a handwritten sign asking Bryan to let him sing with him.

It worked.

Bryan spotted the sign and invited the Carrickfergus singer onto the stage.

Robbie later told Northern Ireland Online that standing alongside his musical idol and hearing the audience sing back at him was his “I want to make it” moment.

Video of the appearance subsequently attracted hundreds of thousands of views online and introduced Robbie’s music to a much wider audience. Northern Ireland Online

Gigs across the UK and Europe

Robbie’s career has continued to grow since that Northern Ireland Online interview.

He has performed hundreds of shows and has headlined Belfast venues including The Belfast Barge and The Limelight, alongside appearances at festivals and events further afield. Atmosphere Agency

He was included in the line-up for the Roadhouse Weekender 2025, alongside a large roster of country artists. Country Music

In 2026, Robbie also headed into Europe as a support act on dates connected with the Morgan Wallen Tribute UK tour, including performances in Germany and Switzerland. FKP Scorpio

His appearance on The Voice UK now gives the Carrickfergus musician an opportunity to introduce himself to an even larger national audience.

Sir Tom Jones picks Robbie McMinn

Robbie was one of the performers featured during the sixth Blind Auditions programme of the 2026 series of The Voice UK. TV Zone UK

The concept is simple but daunting: contestants perform without the coaches initially seeing them, with each hoping their voice will persuade one of the famous red chairs to turn.

For Robbie, that moment came from Sir Tom Jones.

The Welsh music legend selected the Carrickfergus singer, securing Robbie a place on Team Tom and keeping his Voice UK journey alive.

It also means Robbie will receive guidance from one of Britain’s most celebrated singers as the competition progresses.

From a local stage to national television

Robbie’s appearance is particularly notable for Northern Ireland Online because we’ve been able to follow part of that journey from much closer to home.

When we interviewed him in 2023, Robbie was already clear about how seriously he regarded his music and the amount of work required to build a career.

He told us at the time:

“Anything really is possible with a bit of hard work and commitment.”

Three years later, Robbie has now walked onto the stage of The Voice UK and earned a place on Sir Tom Jones’ team.

Not bad for a singer-songwriter from Carrickfergus who simply wanted to see how far his music could take him.

And his journey isn’t finished yet.