Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: C. Perkins, 19, of New Orleans, auditioned with “Because of You” by Ne-Yo. As he was singing a run in the chorus, Shakira turned around. She turned out to be the only coach to do so.

C. Perkins of Team Shakira on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Knockout Round: He sang “She’s Ain’t You” and lost to Vedo, who performed “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You.”

His background: The Voice showed just a snippet of his audition, but according to the show’s website, C. is short for Craig, he’s been singing since he was about 4 years old and he’s an R&B artist who was inspired to start singing by hearing Usher’s music. He is also a big fan of Chris Brown and Ne-Yo.

On his coach: In an interview with The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, Craig admitted he thought Shakira was solely a Latin artist and was pleased to discover that her music is enjoyed worldwide. “One thing I learned about Shakira, if anyone doesn’t know, is that she’s a very truthful person,” he told the newspaper. “She knows we can all sing. She doesn’t want to hear what you can do with your voice. She doesn’t want to hear you hold the highest and longest note. She just wants to see if you can make her feel what the lyrics are saying.”

What the show didn’t show: Craig also told the Times-Picayune that though he starting singing when he was young, he was more into sports, especially football, growing up. Then, when he was a high school freshman, he discovered one of his teammates recording music through a program on his laptop. “Since then, it’s been music man.” He shortened his performance name to C. Perkins because he thinks it sounds more like an artist’s name, and more mellow, he says in a YouTube interview. He’s featured on a song called “I Wanna Know” by a rapper known as Buzy, and you can hear another song by C. — “My Love” — by heading here.

Quote: “When I walked on stage, it was unreal. And when I started singing, the crowd made me feel so comfortable. They were really into it. As soon as I walked on the stage, I see people waving at me. I’m like: ‘Hey, I don’t know who you are. But, hey, how you doing? Glad you want to wave at me.’ I started singing; they started clapping. I got into a run on the chorus and, boom, Shakira hit her button. I’m like, ‘I’m on the show. I’m on the show. I don’t need any other chairs. I’m on the show.'”

On iTunes: His Voice audition song, “Because of You.”

Keeping up with C. Perkins
Twitter: @Cperkins504
Facebook

“I Wanna Know You” (by Buzy, featuring C. Perkins)