Understandably the disappointment was plain to see on James Hodgkinson's face when Paloma Faith made her agonising decision not to take the young singer through to the final.

But James was not only gracious when Hayley was chosen over him and fellow contestant Sonny, he has now revealed his determination to carry on his dream of becoming a professional singer, and that set back was just a valuable learning experience.

12-year-old James from Woolverstone described to Nub News the incredible journey he has been on since his parents Chris and Angela, knowing how he always wanted to go on the show, secretly sent in a clip of him singing 'You Raise Me Up' to the producers of The Voice Kids while he was away boarding as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral.

He only found out when he came home for the summer holidays just over a year ago, and then was thrilled to learn he had been picked from more than 10,000 other hopefuls to take part in an audition, which proved successful and he was officially a contestant.

And what a contestant James was. He performed 'You'll Never Walk Alone' in his blind audition with judges Will.i.am, Pixie Lott, Danny Jones and Paloma, who all sat with their backs to him as they listened purely to his singing voice.

James told Nub News: "I'll always remember walking out on that stage in front of a live studio audience to sing You'll Never Walk Alone, and the thrill when Paloma turned very quickly and the cheering from the audience."

Not only did Paloma turn she jumped on stage to perform an impromptu version of an Aled Jones classic, with James.

"The unrehearsed singing of Walking In The Air with Paloma was very special, said James. "It is probably my best memory."

Paloma teamed the young singer with Hayley and Sonny for battle of the singers to get through to the semi-finals and, and their contrasting styles proved quite a challenge for the coach as she chose Bridge of Troubled Waters for the trio.

The team worked with a voice coach as well as their celebrity coach, at John Henrys and The Ugly Duck professional studios in London and in Manchester's Media City, and the performance was spectacular, which James saw a recording of for the first just as the television advice did on Saturday night.

James said: "My battle was tense and challenging. I was singing against two very powerful and different voices which had to blend.

"I'd not seen my Battle before and I was very pleased, as I watched last night, that my voice stood out in the high parts as it was meant to."

Although James did not get through, the experience has made him even more determined to perform professionally and he is prepared to try all sorts of songs to achieve his dream

"I learned a lot about being a performer which will help me in the future, said James. "This whole experience is a stepping stone to my goal of being a professional singer, probably classical and opera although I can and do sing lots of other genre. I'm always looking for opportunities to perform.

"This is only the start."

Watch how James wowed Paloma in the blind audition here...