Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Aquile, 24, of San Diego, told The Voice about the challenges he’s faced in life.

He grew up in the small town of Douglas, Wyoming, in a mostly white community. He’s biracial.

“A lot of people loved me. There were also people who had their own opinions of me without really knowing me,” he says, hinting that he faced at least some discrimination.

Then, at 19, he was punched, his jaw was broken and had to be wired shut.

In hindsight, he calls that an “amazing blessing” because he learned to play guitar and wrote music while recuperating.

On The Voice, Aquile performed “Your Song.” Adam and Christina turned their chairs almost immediately; Cee Lo joined them at almost the last second.

Then the praise began. Christina called the performance amazing and joked that she’d like her own private concert because Aquile is one of those guys who didn’t exactly need a blind audition.

Said Adam: “From the minute you starting singing, there was this really unique, rich, buttery consistency. It was so good from the very first note.”

What the show didn’t show: In a post-audition interview, Aquile told Christina Milian he picked Christina because she turned around first and seemed most excited about his performance. His Voice bio tells us Aquile has a child on the way, meaning “the days of pursuing music as just a passion are over.” On Facebook, we learn that he excelled in choir while living in Wyoming, attended Casper College and performs with a band called The Orbit Group. Oh, and that his name is McChale “Aquile” Gunby. The Orbit Group released an EP, “Live at the Bar Deluxe,” in 2010; it appears Aquile released a single, “Sweet Mistake,” a year earlier. Go to Aquile TV on YouTube to hear more.

Editor’s Note: Check back for live blogs once the blind auditions begin on The Voice.

Aquile singing “Typical” with The Orbit Group