Gold Coast trio The Koi Boys ready to make a name for themselves after being headhunted for The Voice

AN invitation to audition for The Voice forced a popular Gold Coast vocal trio to come up with a name for their long-running live act.

UNTIL a few weeks ago, The Koi Boys were an unnamed vocal trio best-known for their long-running residency at one of the Gold Coast’s most popular Sunday sessions at Koi, in Broadbeach.

Tonight, the performing pals step into the ring on national television as smooth new soul trio The Koi Boys to sing for an estimated audience of more than 1 million viewers after being headhunted to appear on The Voice.

Originally from New Zealand, Nuz Ngatai, 31, Danny Faifai, 43, and former Sex N Chocolate member Kevin Keepa, 46, have become popular fixtures on the local live music scene thanks to their B-boy style, Motown sound and almost decade-long residency at Koi.

“We didn’t apply — we were scouted by the show’s team. We didn’t even know the auditions were going on,” Ngatai said.

The vocal locals will become the first-ever trio or group to audition for the Channel 9 reality TV sing-off tonight when they perform The Chords’ Sh-Boom (Life Could Be A Dream).

“To be called to be on The Voice, for myself it was a real eye opener,” Ngatai said.

“I’ve done X Factor in the past and Kevin had done X Factor when he was in Sex N Chocolate but we were just a bit lost as far as where we were headed.

“Everyone would ask us what’s your group called and we didn’t know.

“It wasn’t until we went to audition that we decided to get a name.

“This has definitely put us into focus.”

Ngatai said the blind audition was an emotional experience for the musical mates who have endured several major tragedies, including the death of Keepa’s 16 year old son and the tragic, sudden deaths of three close mates — tradie Chris Gear, singer Taj McCaskill and former Sex N Chocolate vocalist Tony Williams.

“Tony Williams was part of the X Factor experience with Kevin in 2011,” Ngatai said.

“When we were backstage waiting to audition a lot of those emotions we had gone through — especially for Kevin — came up.

“We lost a lot of mates and they were in our thoughts and there were a lot of prayers for them before we went on stage.”

Eager to focus on the positives, The Koi Boys wanted to wow The Voice coaches with their upbeat choice of song.

“Sh-Boom is a very happy feel-good song. It’s a classic song,” Ngatai said.

“The joy and happiness really comes through and makes us happy and ready to go and puts a big smile on our faces.”

School music teacher Kim Sheehy is back for another shot at securing a place on a coaching team on The Voice after her unsuccessful blind audition for the show in 2013.

Much like The Koi Boys, schoolteacher Kim Sheehy, 28, doesn’t mind which coach spins their chair around for her blind audition tonight — as long as someone does.

Sheehy, who sings Sara Bareilles’ She Used to Be Mine, made The Voice's blind auditions in 2013 but failed to advance.

The Jimboombah music teacher took the coaches’ advice — “they said I needed more experience performing in front of people” — and has been “gigging every weekend since pretty much” as a solo artist, in a duo with brother Chris Sheehy and with a band.

Born in McLean, in NSW, began playing piano when she was five, picked up a guitar at eight and began writing her own songs when she was 10.

She moved to the Coast after finishing high school, graduating from the Queensland Conservatorium in 2009 with a Bachelor of Popular Music before self-funding her debut EP, Neighbours and Highways.

“People are extra critical when you’re a music teacher — they think what you can’t do you teach,” she said.

“There’s extra pressure that you should be this total musician but I’m kind of lucky I get to break the mould and can demonstrate that.

“It would be bad if I went out there and sucked.”

She said her students at Jimboombah had been driving her crazy trying to find out how she fares tonight.

“They’ve been trying to trick me into giving it up,” she said.

The Voice blind auditions continue tonight at 7.30pm on Nine.