Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Keith Semple, 33, of Chicago, Ill., auditioned with “I’ll be There for You” by Bon Jovi. He ran through the chorus once before Adam Levine turned his chair. At the end of the performance, Gwen Stefani turned as well. Adam complimented Keith on his “powerful voice.” Keith joined Team Adam.

His background: Keith grew up in Ireland and says his dad wasn’t musical, but had him listening to the Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi and Bryan Adams at a young age, all of which “had a big influence on my vocals.” He’s been performing with bands and playing gigs almost every week since he was 16, started in his native Ireland. Then in 2006, 7th Heaven, which he describes as one of the busiest bands in Chicago, heard his voice online and asked him to be their new lead singer. Within a month, he moved to the U.S. and he’s been performing here ever since. By competing on The Voice, he said he’s looking to take his music to the next level in order to build a secure future for his wife and their young daughter.

What the show didn’t show: Keith has been down this road before. In 2002, he won a U.K. competition called “Pop Stars: The Rivals.” It spawned a vocal harmony group called One True Voice that included Keith and enjoyed a degree of success overseas before disbanding. Nevertheless, Keith has always managed to stay busy musically.

We heard about 7th Heaven during his Voice intro. We didn’t hear about his current band, Semple, which plays a combination of covers and originals and plays everything from bar gigs to corporate events. With Keith as the frontman, they’ve also released two albums worth of original music.

“I’ve always been in a band,” Keith said in a recent conference call with the media. “And I would say that today, I’m in the best band I’ve ever been in. The guys are just not only great players but I genuinely love them as brothers. They’re behind me 100 percent … And of course, if I can and things do well, I would like them to be able to be a part of what happens after (The Voice). And we’ve all discussed it. And we hope that that’s the way it’s going to work out. If, for some reason, they are not able to for whatever reason, they … will probably be with me everywhere I go, anyway. I’ll just make them like my entourage or something.”

As for his blind audition, Keith said he was surprised by the way he felt when he stepped in front of four superstar coaches, even if their backs were facing him. “I didn’t think that I could actually be nervous anymore,” he said. “And then I got up there and I was absolutely a nervous wreck and I’m like ‘Oh, that’s what it felt like to be like a teenager again.”

For links to more bios of Season 9 artists on The Voice, head here.

On iTunes: Keith released a 4-track EP “Slow Down the World” in 2011. Semple released two albums, “Not for Radio” in 2014 and “Live at H.O.M.E.” in 2013. You’ll also find lots of music from 7th Heaven on iTunes.

Update:
Battle round: Defeated Manny Cabo, singing “Baba, O’Riley.”
Knockout round: He performed Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” and defeated Dustin Christensen. His cover hit #111 on the iTunes Top 200.’
Top 24: He sang “To Be With You,” hitting number 115 on the iTunes Top 200 and number three on the rock chart. He was eliminated when Amy Vachal and Jordan Smith were voted into the finals and Shelby Brown got the Team Adam save.

Keeping up with Keith:
Website
Facebook
YouTube
Twitter: @keithsemple

Blind audition — I’ll be There for You

Battle Round — “Baba O’Riley”

Knockout Round — “I Want to Know What Love Is”

Hand on My Heart (from 2011 EP)

Take Me Home (original)

Uptown Funk (cove with Semple)