Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Anthony Riley, 27, Philadelphia, Pa., launched into an energetic performance of “I Got You (I Feel Good)” by James Brown. And within seconds, all four coaches were facing in his direction. Pharrell called his performance “electric” and complimented him on his “big spirit.” Anthony opted to join Team Pharrell.

His background: Anthony told The Voice he’s been singing since he was very young. Says sister Nefertiti: “The type of stuff he would sing would be the type of stuff my grandmom had on — old school, all the time.” Adds Anthony: “I love my Motown.” He eventually joined the school choir and told his dad he wanted to become a professional singer. His dad works as a train conductor, said he saw performers singing for people in the train stations and suggested his son give it a shot. Hence, Anthony has been a street performer in Philly and New York for the past seven years. “Loving what I do makes it a lot easier, not only to make money, but to draw people in,” Anthony says. Ah, but there was the time he got locked up for performing in a Philly park. He took the case to court and won, Anthony says. He wound up being named Philly’s top street performer in 2013. “I’ve had eight years to hone my craft for this moment,” he says of The Voice.

What the show didn’t show: His Facebook bio tells us Anthony was an active member of the University City High School Music Department and the Annenberg Fellowship Fund for Performing and Visual Arts as he was growing up. That suggestion from his dad came when he was 19, shortly after Anthony’s mom had died. “Two weeks later, I felt on top of the world,” Anthony says in a YouTube video. “I was going out every single day, doing something I loved. That was really the moment when I decided I was going to be a performer the rest of my life.” His goal: To spread a message of love and positivity through his music. In addition to being named Philly’s top street performer, he took 1st place in Amateur Night at the Apollo in June 2014. And he has released a cover album, called “To Philly, with Love,” that’s available on his website and includes his version of songs by a wide range of artists, from Adele to The Beatles to Marvin Gaye. He also performs at weddings and parties. As for receiving what The Voice called the fastest four-chair turn in the show’s history … “I thought maybe the chairs malfunctioned or something,” Anthony says in his Voice video. “I thought, this can’t be happening … I was freaking out. I couldn’t believe I pulled it off.”

On picking Pharrell: “I knew, coming into it, that I wanted Pharrell as my coach. You can’t even talk about all of his accolades there are so many. I want to win the show, but I also want to work with a coach that can help me execute my vision.”

On iTunes: Just his audition song.

Update: Anthony was pitted against Travis Ewing in a Team Pharrell battle round match. They sang “Get Ready” by The Temptations. Pharrell declared Anthony the winner, but Travis was stolen by Blake Shelton. Anthony left the competition after the battle round for what was described as “personal reasons” on the show. He later revealed it was because he was struggling with addiction issues and entered rehab.

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Twitter: @iamanthonyriley

A Change is Gonna Come (from To Philly, with Love album)

Drops of Jupiter (Train cover)

Come Together (The Beatles cover)