It’s completely foreign for a contestant on”The Voice” to stand up to the coaches – usually, the coaches just bicker amongst each other. But when 33-year-old Jermaine Paul, a former backup singer for Alicia Keys, hit the stage, he did just that.
He was discovered by Keys when he sang to her at a nightclub, and she hired him to tour the world with her.
“I’ve been able to open up for her all around the world, but ‘The Voice’ is my opportunity to … be Jermaine Paul, I feel like it’s my time. This is a complete faith leap. This is me walking away from a situation that most people wouldn’t walk away from.”
In a calculated choice, Paul sang “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne, flipping it into a bit of a rock anthem. Cee-Lo and Blake Shelton turned their chairs around. “With my back turned, I could hear the swag,” Cee-Lo says.
After that, Paul said that he didn’t just want to hear that they wanted him, but that they needed him on their team and that they’d keep him around. Cee-Lo confirmed that Paul was needed, but neither artist would make any solid promises of keeping him on their teams.
Ultimately, accompanied by his wife and daughter, who told him about the show, Paul chose to join Team Blake.
Turn the page to check out his performance. What do you think of his choice? Sound off in the comments below.
