Idol Chatter & Voice Views

On making the finals: “I am just so excited to even be able to be on national television singing on a live stage,” says Delvin Choice of Greenville, S.C. “The closest I’ve gotten to that is singing in church. I’m a fan of all 11 of the contestants that are here with me. We have the best show. Period. I’m looking at it as, ‘I’m at their concert. I’m getting the first glance of somebody big.’ It’s amazing to be alongside them.”

His audition: Delvin, 24 at the time, sang a lovely rendition of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You.” Three coaches turned on the song’s second line. Usher took longer to impress, but spun his chair just before Delvin finished. That made Delvin just the second returning singer in the show’s six-season history to earn a four-chair turnaround after failing to land a spot on the show with his first audition. Adam Levine said he’s become “20 times the singer” between the two auditions. Delvin decided to join Team Adam.

Since then: He defeated Caleb Elder in the first battle round; they sang “Aloe Blacc’s “The Man.” In the second battle round, he defeated Josh Kaufman; they performed “Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours.” Josh was then stolen by Usher. He earned a spot in the finals by singing “Let’s Stay Together” in the Team Adam playoffs. The song reached number 11 on the iTunes R&B chart, but didn’t crack the Top 200.

His background: Delvin auditioned for Season 5, singing Ne-Yo’s “Closer,” but failed to turn a chair. The coaches, though impressed with his hairstyle, suggested he return with a song “less dancey and more emotional.” A singing Starbucks barista. Delvin says he moved back in with his parents after the Season 5 blind audition and has been honing his skills by singing in his church, where his father is a reverend.

What the show didn’t show: About that hairstyle, a friend of Delvin’s dubbed it “the lobster,” and the name stuck. Delvin and his supporters now use a #TeamLobster hashtag. After all, Delvin says, you need to brand yourself on a show like The Voice. The hairstyle comes courtesy of Shunnola Brooks of Salon 24 in Greenville. Delvin wanted to make sure she got the credit, even spelling her first name for the media during a conference call after his blind audition aired. With four years of classical voice training under his belt, Delvin is no stranger to singing competitions. According to his Facebook page, he placed first in an Omega Talent Hunt competition in 2005, 2007 and 2008 and has performed in productions by the Greenville Little Theater and the South Carolina Children’s Theater.

Quote: Asked what he would say to his #TeamLobster fans, Delvin said: “The difference between a crab and a lobster is mind-blowing. When a crab is put under pressure and you have a whole bunch of crabs in a barrel, the first thing the crabs will do is pull each other down. But when you have lobsters and lobsters are put under pressure or at times of adversity, they build and step on each other for support. I’m here with everybody on my shoulders. I’m the based. I carry you guys with me everywhere I go.”

On iTunes: Just his four songs from The Voice.

Update:

Keeping up with Delvin:
Twitter: @drchoice
Facebook

Editor’s Note: For links to profiles of all the Season 6 artists on The Voice, go here.

“Closer” audition, Season 5

“Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”

“This Christmas”