Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Nathan Hermida, 17, of Boston, Mass., auditioned with Miquel’s “Sure Thing.” Adam Levine turned around quickly; Christina Aguilera followed shortly thereafter. Adam said Nathan delivered a “seasoned performance.” Nathan decided to join Team Adam.

His background: His parents came to the U.S. from the Philippines in the 1980s in search of a better life. They used to have Filipino parties featuring karaoke and music. “That was really influential with me getting involved with music,” he says. He likes R&B music and, when he was younger, would always try to lip synch Justin Timberlake songs. His mother calls him a “geeky boy,” and Nathan admits he’s also interested in science, and his Plan B would be to go to college and become a biology teacher.

What the show didn’t show: Nathan attends the prestigious Boston Latin School where he is a member of the choir, an a cappella group known as ALOUD and the school’s theatre company. And he comes from a musically inclined family; his mother and aunt have been part of a Filipino singing group. In his Voice video, Nathan says he’s into R&B and pop and soul, but also gets a lot of inspiration from other types of music. Among the artists he’s influenced by are Jason Mraz and John Mayer. He said he’s posted several covers on YouTube, and that led to a contact from a casting agency inquiring about whether he’d be interested in auditioning for the show. Oh, and before his performances, he said he gives the sign of a cross because “religion is very strong in my family.”

On picking Adam: “Adam was really convincing. And he made me believe he really, really believed in me. He’s an awesome performer and I know he can capture the stage in a really awesome way. I’m hoping he can teach me how to perform like that.”

On iTunes: Just his Voice performances.

Update: He was paired with Josh Batstone in a Team Adam battle round. They sang “Thinking Out Loud” in a performance that was montaged. Adam declared Nathan the winner; Josh was eliminated. In the knockout round, he was pitted against Clinton Washington. Nathan performed Sam Smith’s “Leave Your Lover” and made the live playoffs when Adam declared him the winner.

Facebook
YouTube
Twitter: @nathanhermida

“Sunday Morning” (Maroon 5 cover)

“Get Lucky” (Daft Punk cover)

“Treasure” (Bruno Mars cover)