Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Matt Johnson performs during the blind auditions on The Voice Season 15. (NBC Photo)

Just look at what happened for Matt Johnson on The Voice this week.

During his bio package, Matt revealed that he’d been auditioning for the show since Season 1, but never made it as far as the blind auditions.

In Season 15, he did that. He also turned a chair. He also earned the very final spot on the Season 15 roster as a member of Team Jennifer Hudson.

It didn’t come easy. Jennifer hadn’t turned as Mike headed into the final seconds of his performance. Then he hit a big note, held it and wound up with Jennifer facing in his direction.

The big note that enticed her to turn wasn’t even planned, Matt told Voice Views.

“I’m going to tell you, man, the day of the blinds a lot of what came out of my mouth, I was surprised with,” Matt said. “So you go in and they do such a great job of preparing you for stepping on the stage
for that moment.

“But when the lights hit and you see the red chairs, it’s a whole different story.”

As for that specific note …

“I just knew if she hadn’t turned around by that point, I’m going to have to do something. And it worked.”

His song choice, on the other hand, was a matter of strategy, Matt said during the conference call with the media.

“I knew since I’ve auditioned so many times, I needed to do something dramatic. So I was like, I’m going to step up to the plate with the big boy Luther Vandross (“Never Too Much”), and it worked out for me.

“And Jennifer Hudson commented on that and said that she was really, really happy with my song choice and what it speaks about me as an artist. So I’m glad I went with it.”

One of the best parts about the experience is that his parents — Alex and Wendell — got to watch him perform on The Voice stage, Matt said. Since his mom has been diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer, he wasn’t sure that would happen.

So why did Matt keep coming back to audition over and over again?

“A little voice inside me honestly,” the 26-year-old from Staunton, Va., said. “The first season of The Voice, I believe, was 2011. That was like right after I got out of high school. I had been watching American Idol and all the other shows that you can watch and it just was my dream to be on one of these shows where the country could get to see you and see your story and hear you sing.

“If you’ve got a dream, go 15 times and the 16th time it will work out.”

See also …
Videos from Night 1 of the battles
Videos from Night 2 of the battles
Michael Lee talks about battling a friend in the battles
Patrique Fortson, Colton Smith talk about taking on a Blake Shelton song