Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Jon Mullins, 32, of Nashville, Tenn., listens to the coaches’ feedback following his blind audition on The Voice Season 18. (NBC Photo)

Whitney fell and hit her head on a concrete floor. Initially diagnosed with a concussion and sent home, she wound up losing 60 percent of her speech and motor skills as a result.

Through rehabilitation, she’s recovered, but Jon had to put music temporarily on hold to help Whitney.

Then we saw Jon perform a song that related to that experience, Andy Grammar’s “Don’t Give Up on Me.”

Blake Shelton turned early in the performance, but wound up being the only coach to do so. That meant Jon automatically became Team Blake.

He’s not complaining in the least. Here’s what the 32-year-old Nashville resident told Voice Views about his blind audition experience.

Voice Views: How did you wind up auditioning for The Voice Season 18 and what prompted you to do it?

Jon: A friend of mine was in the audition process and recommended that the voice reach out to me to audition. Once I got the email, I was super hesitant and was thinking about not doing the audition. With my wife’s encouragement, I decided to take the leap!

Voice Views: Why did you choose “Don’t Give Up on Me” for your audition song? Obviously, it fit your backstory with what your wife had been through, but other songs likely would have as well. What’s your performance history with that song (for instance, is it one you’ve played often)?

Jon: A week before the audition, Whitney and I were sitting in the car discussing which songs I should prepare for my audition. She had heard this song for the first time about a week before that and it popped into her mind. She said, “I have the perfect song.” She played it for me and we just sat in the car and cried. It completely summed up what had been happening the past 3.5-4 years in our life. I hadn’t previously performed that song, but it felt so right for that to be the song to use to show my heart to the world. Andy Grammer is such an incredible artist and I am so grateful that he gave the world this song.

Voice Views: Did you have a coaching preference heading into the blind audition? How did you feel about landing on Team Blake?

Jon: Heading into the blind audition, I had a pretty strong preference on who I would love to have as a coach. Thankfully, that coach is the person who turned for me… BLAKE!! I had seen how he invests in his artists and that was something that I knew I really wanted to experience. Nick was a VERY close second choice for me! (what an incredible artist) I am so honored and grateful to be on Team Blake!

Voice Views: Can you tell me a little about what that blind audition experience was like? I mean, you had a Blake’s chair turn and you were only about 30 seconds into the song.

Jon: The blind audition was probably one of the scariest experiences of my life. There was so much riding on that one small performance, so I knew that I had to give it everything and leave it all on the stage. Walking out on to the stage, I was just praying that I would not trip up the steps. When the music started, I knew it was time. I truly wanted to convey the message of the song and what it meant to myself and my wife, Whitney, so I tried not to concentrate on the chairs. I heard the crowd cheer at a high note before the chorus and then the cheering got louder. What I didn’t know, is at the time they started cheering, Blake had turned for me. I finally saw for myself 1/2 way into the chorus that Blake turned. My heart rate doubled. I finished the song just like I started it, giving everything I had. After the last note, I was staring into the crowd and taking in the whole experience. I was brought back to reality by none other than Blake Shelton giving me a big ole bear hug and then saying, “This is the greatest day of my coaching career on The Voice.” I thought I was going to pass out. The other coaches were so incredible with their kind comments and it meant so much to hear all of these music industry giants comment on my performance. What a dream.

Voice Views: From what I can tell, the only music you’ve released recently is a 2016 EP. Is that the case? Do you have more original music on the way? And, if so, how would you describe the music you’re working on?

Jon: My EP “20 Something” is currently the only music have that is released. I do, however, have new music slated to release as singles!! I would call the style “pop soul.” The single that is set to be the first to release is best described as piano driven pop with big vocals. The production on this one is epic and I can’t wait for the world to hear it!

For more on Jon, his background in music and his social media links, head here.