The NBC stage was covered with confetti last night as the winner of “The Voice” was announced: Jermaine Paul, who will receive $100,000 and a record deal with Universal. As friends and family rushed the stage to congratulate Paul, another unexpected congratulation came in over his cell phone. Paul spent many years singing back up for Alicia Keys and being a support for her, but this time Keys called to congratulate Paul and let him know just how much she has been supporting him during his journey on “The Voice.”
Throughout the competition, Paul revealed several times that although he loved singing backup for Keys, he was ready to be in his own spotlight. Thanks to the new singing competition, which has just completed its second season, Paul’s dreams are becoming reality. According to US Weekly, Alicia Key’s manager is a very close friend of Paul and was with him on stage when the call came in. “She was screaming with excitement. She told me she’s been watching me and supporting me the whole time. She was saying how proud of me she was,” said Jermaine, as he recalled the touching conversation between him and Keys.
Paul’s finale performance of R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” was perfectly fitting for the moment, as his life just took a drastic turn for the better. With only an hour of sleep, Jermaine was rushed away to appear on Ellen DeGeneres and Jay Leno to talk about his incredible victory. “It’s been a non-stop situation, but I’m loving every bit of it. I’m in no way complaining,” says the 33-year-old father of four.
Before the competition Paul was a choir director and youth pastor, but he was always focused on his dreams of a singing career. “This is a dream come true. I’ve been dreaming about a moment like this my whole life,” Paul said.
After a day full of red carpets and media interviews, Paul awaited his flight to get back home to upstate Harriman in New York. “The Voice” winner has finally been able to break out of the background and into his own spotlight. As Paul began to wonder about what the future may bring, he said, “I’m so excited about the future and getting in the studio and creating this album.”
