Idol Chatter & Voice Views

The audition: Deion Warren, 28, of Conway, N.C., auditioned with “Shallow,” the Lady Gaga-Bradley Cooper duet. John Legend and Kelly Clark turned quickly; Nick Jonas followed. Blake Shelton said he would have turned, but wanted to keep the R&B lane open for an artist he landed earlier in the blinds. Kelly and Nick said Deion has the talent to make the finale. John liked the song choice, saying it wasn’t a natural choice for Deion, but allowed him to show off his musicianship and artistry. Deion opted to join Team Legend.

Here’s more about Deion:

* Deion said his dad is the pastor of two churches and getting involved in music through church helped him stay out of trouble in a community plagued with gangs and violence.

* He sang throughout his school years, earned a scholarship to college and graduated from Elizabeth City State University with a degree in criminal justice. As we heard on the show, he’s now a parole officer, hoping to guide others to a more fulfilling life.

* Deion is also a member of a band called “New Band Band On The Block.” Deion told Voice Views they perform locally for businesses who want live entertainment.

* Deion said the band began in February 2019 as a backing group for people who needed musicians. Then one of Deion’s singing videos went viral, and they reached out to him to join the group as lead vocalist.

* The band also includes Joshua Askew on background vocals and drums, Jamarcus on lead guitar, Jamrui on drums, Ryan on bass guitar and Devonta on piano. “We play all genres of music so that we are able to arise to any occasion and play/sing with confidence,” Deion said.

* New Band on the Block also released a song called “Fantasy,” which you can check out below. Deion describes it as “an R&B love song that basically thanks God for allowing a person to finally get the person of their dreams, even when doubts of having a love life seems to be impossible. God is always capable to giving you the desires of your heart.”

* When he’s not working his parole job or performing with New Band on the Block, Deion said “I’m in the studio working on new music and writing songs.”

* As for his decision to audition with “Shallow,” Deion said it’s “a vulnerable song and it’s so passionate in its delivery. I love country music and I had been singing the song at shows since 2019, and I felt it was the perfect song because I know most wouldn’t expect me to sing a song of that caliber.”

* And, in terms of his decision to join Team Legend, Deion added: “I chose John because I felt like he understood who I was as an artist/musician. He complimented me on the way I made a ‘country song’ my own and (said that) it takes skills to pull that off. I really appreciated it and from there I was sold on my decision of joining his team.”

Deion on social media:
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