ITV Ace, wearing jeans and a denim shirt, singing on The Voice. She has short blonde hair, and out of focus behind her is a man playing the pianoITV

Ace performed a cover of Aretha Franklin’s Ain’t No Way at her blind audition

A performer who came to the UK from Vietnam as a teenager has reached the semi-final of TV singing contest The Voice.

Ace joined the team of legendary Welsh singer Sir Tom Jones following her blind audition – in which all four of the programme’s coaches turned their chairs.

The 20-year-old, from Oxford, said her success on the programme thus far had only sunk in after receiving messages from friends and relatives she “didn’t even know” she had.

She added that she was “just a lowly transsexual with a dream and some high heels” who “has something to say”.

Ace, who grew up in the Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Hoi An before moving to Oxfordshire, had initially been asked to take part in the show a “couple of years ago” but “politely declined”.

“Honestly I was afraid to be thrust into a world of entertainment with so many eyes on me that I wouldn’t know what to do with myself,” she said.

“I just started taking the time to understand myself, my sound, my boundaries and my vision before thrusting myself into the public eye.”

After another call from the show’s producers earlier this year, Ace said “age and wisdom” convinced her to sign up.

She said she only realised “this is really happening” during a sound-check for her blind audition – in which she sang a cover of Aretha Franklin’s Ain’t No Way.

ITV Ace, wearing a long oversized denim shirt and talking into the mic during the callback round of the voice. She has short blonde hair and behind her are other contestants sat downITV

She made it through the callbacks round to reach the semi-final

By the end of her audition all four judges had turned round, with Ace selecting Sir Tom as her coach.

Sir Tom said he “loved” Ace’s performance, describing it as “refreshing” and “wonderful”.

“I tried not to think about it in the moment – it was an amazing experience,” Ace said.

Asked by the BBC what she wanted her music to convey, she said it “tells of a 21st century journey”.

“I want people to be able to listen and understand my own journey in my life that I’ve had as a child of an immigrant, as a trans woman and a multicultural person.”

The semi-final of The Voice UK airs on ITV1 at 20:20 BST on Saturday.