Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Jacob Miller, 29, of Eden, Wisc., performed “The Times They Are a Changin’” by Bob Dylan: Jacob delivered a solid acoustic version of the song, prompting quick chair turns from Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson. Nick Jonas later turned as well. Kelly called him very talented. John Legend called it a powerful performance. Nick Jonas said he’s excited about Jacob’s original music and even mentioned the possibility of collaborating with the Jonas Brothers. Jacob opted to join Team Nick.

Here’s more about Jacob.

* He’s from Eden, Wisc., but the singer-songwriter calls Portland, Oregon, home.

* In 2009, he says he boarded an Amtrak with a suitcase and a guitar “and little idea of what my plan was — except to get out of the hometown mindset.”

* He wound up doing that in a big way, embarking on a hitch-hiking tour of North America during which he studied traditional music, spending time in the Appalachians and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

* After a year and a half, he returned to Portland and formed a roots band called Jacob Miller and the Bridge City Crooners. They became popular on the tour circuit and released four albums between 2012 and 2016.

* Jacob said the band was “a beautiful experience,” but he reached the point where he wasn’t content writing “old-time music” any longer. The band disbanded in August 2017.

* Jacob, meanwhile, launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund his first-ever solo album and writes that the “change was more artistically satisfying than I ever could have imagined.”

* The end result — a 10-song album called “This New Home” — landed last June. Check out the impressive lead single “Take Me Home” below.

* Jacob then embarked on a tour of Europe that included nearly two dozen shows with stops in Germany, France, Luxembourg and Austria.

* Jacob announced his Voice audition earlier this month, writing on Instagram: “In a bizarre turn of events, a group of producers thought it wise to invite me to sing on national television — and I took them up on it.”

See also …
Jacob Miller talks about his blind audition on The Voice

Jacob on social media:
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