Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Ethan Butler, 25, of Chicago, Ill., auditioned with Labrinth’s “Beneath Your Beautiful,” showed off nice range during a solid performance and earned early chair turns from Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Adam praised Ethan for his “soulful” performance and for staying “in the pocket” from start to finish. And Ethan opted to go with Team Adam, despite voicing a pre-audition preference for Blake.

His background: His dad was a pastor and led the band on Sundays, so Ethan says he only heard gospel music for the first half of his life. But during the last year and a half, he’s started pursuing music outside the church, “going out to bars, open mics. It was like this is what I want to do.” His mom’s response: “He’s not doing really nasty stuff, so I appreciate that.” He says he’s also inspired by his sister, who has cerebral palsy and autism. And while he now works in a church, he’s hoping to make music his full-time job.

What the show didn’t show: His website bio says he really didn’t take an interest in music until getting his first guitar at age 13, but soon discovered a love for writing music and was participating in a church talent show. He now refers to himself as a center city artist, a singer-songwriter “who blends acoustic pop with undertones of jazz, R&B, alternative, and folk. And while he apparently hasn’t released any music, you can check out a number of originals and covers here, and I’ve embedded a couple below. Why Adam? “One thing that really sold it for me was he said something my dad had said before. My dad was always impressed by how well I can sing and how well I can play guitar simultaneously. Adam brought that up. Then I asked them, ‘Well, what are some things I need to work on?’ Adam pointed out that I need to be cautious of being too perfect in my songs, basically allowing room for imperfections so that it comes across a little more relatable.”

Update: Ethan was eliminated from The Voice when he lost a battle round match to Matt McAndrew. They performed “Yellow” by Coldplay.

On iTunes: Just his audition song.

Keeping up with Ethan:
Twitter: @iamethanbutler
Facebook
YouTube
Website

“Say Something” cover

“Mr. Negativity” (original)

“Alright With Me” (original)