Night 5 — October 8, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veys1OWRomM
Colton Smith, 21
Team Jennifer
Hometown: Albertville, Alabama
Resident: Nashville, Tennessee
Growing up in Alabama wasn’t always easy for Colton as he struggled to meet the many expectations of being a stereotypical boy. From a young age, Colton knew that he was gay and was not openly accepted by his community. He turned to theater and songwriting to help process his emotions. It wasn’t until college that Colton gained a sense of freedom. With the support of his mom and stepdad, Colton feels The Voice is his platform to showcase his musical calling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fwvAk00GNs
Erika Zade, 20
Team Kelly
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Resident: Boston, Massachusetts
Erika infuses her Cuban-American roots into her music. She received her first guitar from her father who serves as a huge musical influence for her. Erika’s interest in music often led to bullying in school, where the arts were not as popular. During this time, Erika turned to songwriting and became involved in fostering young talent in visual, literary, and performing arts through the YoungArts foundation. She is currently a sophomore at the esteemed Berklee College of Music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1dSSKXXa1s
Jarred Matthew, 31
Team Adam
Hometown: Riverside, California
Resident: San Diego, California
Jarred grew up singing in church surrounded by a musical family, but for him, music mostly took a backseat in life. Jarred recently received his PhD in Experimental Astrophysics from the University of Hawaii. Now back in California, he currently works on a NASA project at the University of California, San Diego. Even though Jarred is working on groundbreaking research, he secretly just wants to sing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztQdeqBDWuc
Joey Green, 35
Team Blake
Hometown: Crowley, Texas
Resident: Nashville, Tennessee
Joey received his first guitar on his 13th birthday and has been hooked on music ever since. When he’s not playing gigs, Joey runs a screen-printing business from his kitchen in Nashville. He gets his entrepreneurial spirit from his father and always knew he wanted to be his own boss. Designing t-shirts for regional bands allows him the flexibility to focus on his dream of being a musician. After playing live shows for 18 years, Joey’s ready to make the most of his time on The Voice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=241mbykgHBE
Kayley Hill, 28
Team Blake
Hometown: Fort Myers, Florida
Resident: Nashville, Tennessee
Kayley always knew she was destined to perform. Throughout her life she was immersed in all kinds of music including musical theater, which took her to the Boston Conservatory. After college Kayley got a taste for professional music while singing on a cruise ship. She knew she wanted more, so her and her husband moved to Nashville to further her career. Kayley now performs and writes original music as much as she can and in her spare time enjoys renovating her home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4E4MXe1zCrA
Kirk Jay, 22
Team Blake
Hometown: Bay Minette, Alabama
Resident: Montgomery, Alabama
Kirk grew up in Alabama extremely poor and remembers times when there was no electricity, water, or even food. At five years old, Kirk started playing drums at church and singing in choir. In 2014, Kirk met a music manager that took him to perform for Teddy Gentry, the bass player for the band Alabama. In 2015, Kirk started doing open mics and shocked the audience with his country sound. Word spread and bar owners started booking him. Currently, he travels the south with his band Kirk Jay and Kuntry Funk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcBrcauxzTU
Mike Parker, 23
Team Jennifer
Hometown: Warrenton, Virginia
Resident: Gainesville, Virginia
On the weekends, Mike can be found performing at many local clubs. He gets his music talent from his parents, but growing up the focus was always football. By high school, Mike was ranked fifth athlete in the nation and received thirteen full-ride scholarships. Unfortunately, he did not have the grades to pursue these big college dreams. He started working to get by, and it was his parents that helped him realize he needed to get back to his musical roots and take a bold move towards making his dreams come true.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp033lxuzNQ
Natalie Brady, 33
Team Adam
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Resident: Nashville, Tennessee
Natalie’s a single mom chasing her rock star dreams in Nashville. She takes care of her two kids during the day and spends her nights performing. Natalie’s father, a one-man-band touring musician, inspired her love for music and she’s always wanted to follow in his footsteps. Natalie is ready to take the next step on The Voice stage to prove to her kids that anything is possible if you never give up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_OGLaCqSKo
OneUp, 35/35
Team Kelly
Hometown: North Branch, Michigan (Adam) & Lubbock, Texas (Jerome)
Resident: Manhattan, New York
As the only duo this season, Adam and Jerome share more than just their love for music. In New York City, they were cast as love interests in a music video and quickly fell into a real-life relationship. For the past six months, they have been cultivating their act OneUp in which they showcase their complementary voices. Gaining acceptance from their friends and family has been rather difficult, but The Voice gives them the opportunity to reveal the strength of their talent and relationship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7hyOBnlH2M
Zaxai, 29
Team Jennifer
Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
Resident: Brooklyn, New York
Zaxai is first generation Haitian-American and attributes his musical diversity to his father. Zaxai didn’t discover his voice until he was 11 and a few years later picked up guitar. In college, Zaxai toured with a gospel band and since graduating has been part of other various bands. Currently, Zaxai can be found in Brooklyn at Baku Palace’s house band where he performs in a variety of languages and music genres or performing in his own band Date Night.
