9 MTV Reality TV Stars With A Secret Music Talent, From Holly Hagan And Zahida Allen To Joel Corry And Pauly D

A lot of the time, reality stars get a pretty bad wrap for being talentless, and we’ve had enough of it.

Strange folk who don’t appreciate the genius of shows like Geordie Shore, Ex On The Beach or Just Tattoo Of Us are forever going on about how they don't really have any skills to offer to the world.

Before you have your mind blown by all this secret talent, how about we watch the moment Holly Hagan quit Geordie Shore...

But hey - they’re the ones who’ve figured out how to tash on, eat kebabs, wear insane swimwear and scream insults for a living. Maybe they are in fact genius…

Alright, so it might not be mega IQ levels and masters degrees that make us fall in love with our reality faves, but they’re way more talented than you’ve ever given them credit for.

Don’t believe us? Here’s 9 MTV reality TV stars who are actually blessed with a secret musical talent that’ll blow your socks off.

1. Joel Corry

Joel has been showcasing his DJ skills at Geordie Shore house parties since day one (and we all know what happens when he and Soph are in the DJ booth together - agh), but did you know that he is actually a legit DJ and producer these days?

His mix was played on KISS FM just this week, he's currently working on a new track, and you can expect to see Joel in a club near you as he's appearing at big nights all over the country with his tunes. Impressive.

2. Holly Hagan

Okay, so we could have included Holly's official music video for 'Milkshake' in this round up, but let's just say that erm... it doesn't exactly showcase her actual talent. And now let's never speak of it again.

Hollz actually has an insanely good singing voice. The music career might not have kicked off as planned, but you can hear just how good she is in this impromptu remix from her and Charl back in the day.

3. Mel Reeves

Straight outta Season 3 of Ex On The Beach, Gaz Beadle's ex Mel has gone down in reality TV history as one of the ultimate trouble makers, but brawling with Kayleigh Morris on television isn't her only major talent.

Mel now impressively calls herself an international DJ as the day job, with recent gigs including O'Neils in Tenerife, Alexanders in Worcester, and Tamworth's only 2 floor nightclub alongside Lewis Bloor. 

4. Megan McKenna

Fellow EOTB babe Megan McKenna left us all shocked, shaken and officially shook when her attempt to break into the music business resulted in a number one debut single that knocked Taylor Swift off the top spot. WERK.

She's even taking a step back from TOWIE now to focus more on her singing career, and next month she's embarking on her first tour of the UK as a country singer.

5. Zahida Allen

Zahida became an MTV reality fave after appearing on both Ex On The Beach and Geordie Shore, thanks to her endless sass, no nonsense attitude and slight psycho tendencies towards boyfriend, Sean Pratt.

But the Geordie lass also has a secret softer side, as her secret musical talent is actually playing the piano like a pro. Zahida to take the classical world by storm in 2018?

6. Pauly D

Alongside Megan McKenna, Jersey Shore's king guido Pauly D is probably the MTV reality star who's managed to make the biggest success from his undercover musical talents. 

Back at the shore he was attempting to book gigs for tiny crowds, but these days he's worth around $15 million, plays at some of the biggest clubs in Vegas and is number 7 in Forbes' list of the world's highest paid DJs. WOAH.

7. Heidi Montag

Truly iconic in the universe of MTV reality, Heidi's next step after The Hills was to try and use her semi-decent singing voice to break into the music bizz. It went about as well as rekindling her friendship with Lauren tbh - maybe worse.

Her album Superficial reached number 41 in the US charts, and she told RadarOnline that the whole thing was unfortunately a financial disaster.

"I spent $2 million on my music career, and it didn’t happen for me..." she said. “I want to make my own niche in the music world, that’s just Heidi. It could be a Pink meets Britney Spears.”

8. Chloe Khan

Chloe appeared on Just Tattoo Of Us with ex Ashley Cain with fairly nightmareish results, but who knew that she had the singing voice of an actual angel?

Back in the Chloe Mafia days she made it through to the Boot Camp stages of X Factor, and in 2015 she posted an updated version of her audition song to prove that she's still got it.

9. Scotty T

And last but not least, it needs to be more well known that there's a possibility of a Scotty T music career on the horizon. Yes, seriously - he's even taking singing lessons to perfect his natural hidden talents.

"This year I want to focus more on actually doing different things instead of just partying. I want to try and get singing lessons, I know that sounds daft..." he spilled on Big Brother.

The 2017 MTV EMA will broadcast from the SSE Arena, Wembley on Sunday 12th November on MTV UK.

Have you heard about MTV Music Week yet? In the lead up to this year’s EMA we’re hosting four days of unmissable panels, sessions and events across London. Head to mtvmusicweek.co.uk now to get involved.

Words by Lucy Wood