Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Awari from The Voice Season 20

Here’s more about Awari.

* His name is Julian Awari, he’s from Virginia and he’s a U.S. Air Force veteran.

* He was previously a full-time youth pastor for a church in Warrenton, Va., and Miami, Fla.

* Awari is now a bodypainting fitness model for Jan Tana, which sure sounds like a Voice first. Check out the photos on Awari’s Instagram.

* He announced that he might audition for The Voice in an Instagram post last January.

* That post features an image of a demo he recorded back in 2003 as Julian. That demo, he said, got him into Pharrell Williams’ studio. He recorded three songs and gained recognition from Teddy Riley.

* “I been at this music thing for a minute and it’s been quite the journey … Oddly enough, think I’m gonna audition for The Voice this year,” he wrote on Jan. 23, 2020.

* He has a 16-track R&B / soul album called “Beneath the Surface” on streaming sites from 2018 and released a follow-up, the six-song EP “Journey” last April. He used his stage name Awari J for both. Check out the excellent “Moving On” from that EP below.

* As Julian Awari, he released a debut Christian album called “Identity” back in 2013.

* The Voice won’t be his first singing show. He auditioned for BET’s “Sunday’s Best” in 2012 and was Top 20 in Season 5.

Editor’s note: Season 20 of The Voice is scheduled to kick off Monday, March 1 on NBC.

Awari on social media:
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