Idol Chatter & Voice Views

David Vogel listens to the coaches’ feedback on The Voice Season 21. (NBC Photo)

But at the last second, his gamble of performing an Ariana Grande song in front of the newest Voice coach paid off.

And once Ariana turned, she was effusive in her praise for David’s performance of “breathin’.”

She called his “really unique take” on the song “so beautiful.”

And since Ariana was the only coach to turn, she automatically landed David for her team.

Here’s what David, 23, from Valhalla, N.Y., and lead singer for the band JADN, told Voice Views about his blind audition experience.

Voice Views: How did you wind up auditioning for Season 21?

David: Due to Covid, I lost a lot of work and wasn’t able to play any shows with my band. I felt pretty stagnant and uninspired. My brother texted me the virtual audition link one day back in January of 2021 and said, “You should do this! You’ve got nothing to lose, and everything to gain if it works out!” I thought about it for a day or two and last minute auditioned and here we are!

Voice Views: Why did you decide to perform “Breathin'”?

David: When I heard Ariana was going to be a coach this season I couldn’t believe it. She’s one of my favorite singers/artists and I’ve admired her work for years now. I decided to sing “breathin'” because I absolutely love that song and thought I could do a cool alternative-indie version of it, and maybe impress her enough to turn her chair. Huge risk, huge reward, and I guess it worked out!

See also:
More about David, JADN and the music the band has released

Voice Views: How would you describe that blind audition experience? Especially since it went down to the last few seconds before Ariana turned?

David: It was actually the scariest and most stressful thing I’ve ever done, but also the most fun. I knew I had to just go out there and sing my lungs out, regardless of the outcome.

As the song was coming to an end and still no chairs had turned, I thought to myself, “Well, I’m going home… but I’m so grateful for this opportunity.” So I hit that last big note, and when I opened my eyes she was standing up looking right at me. Instant relief and joy and every emotion possible. My serotonin levels were wild hahah.

Voice Views: In your bio package, you said your dream coach would be Ariana. Why was that the case?

David: She’s on top of the world right now. She will go down in history as one of the best to ever do it. I figured if I could work with her and learn anything from such an icon in the music industry, it would be so surreal.

She’s a phenomenal vocalist and also a very talented producer. As a producer myself, I knew we would have that in common and vibe with each other. She’s also the sweetest human ever and is such a joy to work with!