Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Marcus Ladden Jr., 19, Atlanta, Ga., “Cry Me a River”: Michael’s theatrical opening certainly showed off tons of vocal talent. And it prompted quick chair turns from Queen Latifah and Kelly Clarkson. They wound up being the only coaches to turn in spite of a great ending by Marcus. Kelly complimented him on being a great entertainer as well as a great singer. Queen Latifah reminded Marcus of her theatrical experience and said his performance touched her heart. Marcus decided to join Team Latifah. (Watch his blind audition below)

Here’s more about Marcus:

* He’s a singer, actor and dancer who lists himself as a member of the Class of 2029 at the Berklee College of Music on his Facebook page.

* Marcus is from the Atlanta, Ga., area and attended Pebblebrook High School, where he was the president of his class as a sophomore and heavily involved in musical theater.

* He’s also trained in musical theater through performances with Broadway Dreams Atlanta. Broadway Dreams describes itself as a non-profit designed to “dismantle the barriers that stand between talented young people and their dreams in the performing arts.”

* The program has also taken Marcus to New York City twice for a showcase that features the top 5 percent of the performers in the Broadway Dreams program.

* Writes Marcus on social media: “If you’ve known me for any amount of time, then you know Broadway Dreams has had such a huge impact on my journey. Every time I come back, I’m reminded why I love this program so much. Forever grateful for the opportunities, the people, and the constant reminder to keep dreaming bigger!”

* Marcus has also built a solid fan base through his TikTok. He has nearly 19,000 followers and more than 1.5 million likes on his site.

* Check out some of his posts there and it’s obvious why. He turns a Drake song into a musical number in one video that has more than 1 million views, plays the villainous Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog in another with more than 500,000. But he’s also versatile enough to pull off a lovely cover of “Jolene” when Dolly Parton passed. Check out the latter below.

Marcus on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
YouTube

@marcusladdenjr I’m am devastated!! WE LOVE YOU FOREVER AND EVER DOLLY!! #dollyparton #jolene #fyp ♬ original sound – MARCUS LAMAR