Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Denton Arnell, 31, of Chicago, Ill., sang “Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake. His upbeat performance prompted an early chair turn from John Legend. But he couldn’t entice another chair to turn, in spite of an impressive ending. That means he automatically became a member of Team John Legend.

About Denton Arnell …

* Denton grew up around music in church and started playing the piano at 4 years old.

* According to his Voice bio, he continued playing keys and piano in church. That church was the Greater Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, where his uncle was pastor and his mom was a director. Singing, he said, was always secondary.

* That changed after he performed a solo during his senior year of high school, shocking friends with his vocal talent.

* After college, he took a job running the church music department, which is where he met Tiffany, who became his fiance when he proposed on stage at the end of his Voice audition. You can check out that moment, including an unintentional head butt between the happy couple, below.

* He said he never envisioned himself on a singing show, but a friend nagged him to try The Voice and he eventually submitted an online audition.

* In an interview with The Jam TV Show, Denton said the performance was more nerve-wracking than the proposal. The most nerve-wracking part of the proposal, he said, was finding a way to get Tiffany out on stage. For those wondering, the wedding is being planned for the fall of 2020.

* As for the performance, he said his stomach was at his feet and he felt more nervous when John Legend turned. “I thought, should I stop singing?” he joked. “He turned. He couldn’t take it back.”

* Denton has released two albums — the 14-track “Heart to Heart” in 2015 and the 11-song “Collision” in September. “Collision” was listed as Vol. 1, so it’s a safe bet that Denton has more original music he plans to release.

* Denton also released a four-song holiday EP, The North Soul of Chicago Holiday Collaborations” in 2014.

* In a separate interview, Denton told Chicago radio talk show host Bionce Foxx that he’s looking forward to collaborating with his fellow Voice contestants and working on a mentorship program that teaches music, dance and character building to children and young adults.

On social media:
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Twitter: @DentonArnell
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