Will.i.am turns chair for Irish a cappella group Ardú on The Voice UK

Irish a cappella ensemble Ardú appeared on the new series of The Voice UK on Saturday for their blind audition - earning a chair turn from American artist and producer will.i.am.

The troupe will move forward to the battle rounds and compete directly against one fellow contestant for their chance to earn a spot in the semi-final.

The next episode's air date has not yet been announced.

In their audition, they performed a mashup of Doechii's 'Anxiety' and Gotye's 'Somebody That I Used To Know' to judges Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am, Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones (sharing a chair) and Kelly Rowland.

The six-piece vocal group is the largest act to ever compete on the UK version of the series to date.

Ardú have represented Ireland in festivals and competitions across Europe, including Solala Festival Germany, for which they won the Audience Award this year, Tampere Vocal in Finland, The Edinburgh Fringe festival and most recently, Vocal Champs Germany, where they won this year's audience prize on September 12.

They have also released three studio albums to date, Gravity (2018), LIVE (2020) and Songs from Here (2022).

Their most recent album was nominated for a CARA (Contemporary A cappella Recording Award) and selected as runner-up in the category of Best European Album while the music video for single 'I Wouldn't Be' - a cover of the Kodaline song - was nominated for an AVA (A cappella Video Award) as Best Video by a Professional Group.

In 2017, they founded the Irish International A Cappella Festival which featured groups such as Euphonics, operAcappella, Bristol Suspensions, Strictly A Cappella, 4 in a Bar and more.

Ardú have an upcoming run of Irish shows, with a date at The Whale Theatre in Wicklow on October 30, the Púca Festival in Meath on October 31 and the dlr Mill Theatre in Dublin on November 1. Tickets are available here.