Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: DeShawn Washington, 23, of Natchitoches, La., sang “Twistin’ the Night Away” for his audition on The Voice. DeShawn turned in a solid and fun version of the song, but it wasn’t until the end that Shakira turned around. She was the only coach to do so. But Usher complimented him on performing classic soul music.

DeShawn Washington landed on Team Shakira on Season 6 of The Voice. (NBC Photo)

His background: DeShawn says he started singing with his brothers in church at age 4. He says he attended college for one semester, but decided to leave because his family was struggling. His father is on disability; his mother was having trouble finding a job. So DeShawn helped support the family. While he loves his hometown, he also dreams of traveling the world to share his music.

On having Shakira as a coach: “It is very nice to be working with Shakira. She’s very determined in helping me get better as an artist. She’s also very down to earth, and I think we’ll get along very good.”

What the show didn’t show: DeShawn’s favorite artist is Sam Cooke, and his prides himself on his “classic soul sound,” according to his bio on The Voice website. He sang the same song to impress producers and earn a spot on The Voice stage. But his large catalog of covers on YouTube also includes songs by Chris Brown and Robin Thicke, and DeShawn says he’s willing to stray from what he finds most comfortable in order to do well on the show. “I’m definitely going to expand my genre,” he said during a conference call with the media. “I don’t want them to look at me like, ‘Oh, man, can he do something else?'” Besides, he says he’s also a big fan of R. Kelly, Jamie Foxx and Tyrese.

On iTunes: Just his audition song.

Update: He lost to Dani Moz in the first battle round; they sang Emeli Sande’s “My Kind of Love.”

Keeping up with DeShawn:
On Twitter: @deshawnmusic23
Facebook
YouTube

Editor’s Note: For links to profiles of all the Season 6 artists on The Voice, go here. And check back for live blogging during every episode of Season 6.

“Bring It On Home to Me” (Sam Cooke cover)

“Lost Without You” (Robin Thicke cover)

“Beauty is Only Skin Deep” (Temptations cover)