Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Dawson Coyle, 17, Williamstown, N.J., performed “Happiness” by Needtobreathe for his blind audition. Despite a solid performance, he didn’t get a chair turn until late in the performance, from Blake Shelton, but it was enough to earn him a spot on the show, not to mention the final spot on Team Blake.

His background: Dawson says he’s been homeschooled since third grade and attended a co-op on a weekly basis. That’s where he got started with music, taking a 10-week guitar lesson course and falling in love with it. Turns out 2016 has been a tough year for the family. A fire destroyed their home, but the church community rallied and replaced Dawson’s music equipment. “Life is precious and you need to take advantage of every single drop of it,” Dawson says.

What the show didn’t show:

* Dawson released a four-track debut EP in 2015 called “Welcome Home.”

* He followed that up with a 10-track Christian album called “Battle Cry” in July of last year. You can check out two songs from the album below, including the excellent “The Light’s Battle Cry.”

* In addition to singing, he plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keys, drums and ukulele, according the bio on his Facebook page.

* As part of his music ministry, he has performed at nursing homes, medical centers and the Code Blue Homeless Ministries in New Jersey.

* He also went on a mission trip to Haiti, ministering through his music, according to his website bio.

* Dawson competed in the Delmarva Idol competition, finished in the Top 3 and took part in a concert in which contestants opened for former American Idol standout Danny Gokey.

* He was named best new artist of the year in 2015 by Kindred Concerts.

* Dawson and late Voice standout Christina Grimmie are from the same part of New Jersey. Dawson described himself as a “huge, huge fan” of Christina in a conference call with the media. “She is definitely one of the big influences that got me into music.”

* During the same conference call, Dawson said his musical aspirations include performing on a Winter Jam stage and at the Creation Festival. The former is a nationwide tour featuring Christian artists; the latter a once-a-year event that Dawson says typically draws 50,000 fans.

* That said, he’s leaving his post-Voice musical path open, he told Voice Views. “I am following God’s path for me … and just kind of figuring out what is the right door for my music path. If that is to go full Christian industry music or to, you know, be light in the secular industry.”

* And Dawson admitted he was giving up hope as his blind audition wound to a close without a chair turn. “I just kind of gave myself that goodbye speech in my head. And once (Blake) turned, it was just the most relieving and exciting moment of my life. It was amazing.”

Keeping up with Dawson:
Twitter: @Dawson_Coyle
Website
Facebook
Instagram
YouTube

“Save Me from Myself” from his 2016 album

“The Light’s Battle Cry” from his 2016 album