Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Funsho, 28, of Lagos, Nigeria, auditioned with “Finesse” by Bruno Mars. He earned a quick chair turn from Adam Levine. Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson followed. Adam called him a complete vocalist. Funsho decided to join Team Adam.

His background: He’s from Nigeria and still remembers the country, but says he was young and somewhat oblivious to the hardships his family faced at the time. He says he was 7 when his family moved to the U.S. for a better life. Over the years, he said he’s auditioned for other televised singing shows and that those made him want to keep pushing musically. He recently left a government job to pursue his career as a singer in Los Angeles.

On joining Team Adam: “Going into my audition I intended on picking Adam. Like I said I’ve always been a fan of Adam and Maroon 5. And I just appreciate his artistry and what he’s done on the show, his tenure, being there since Season 1. I just felt he would be the best person to work with on the show because he knows the ins and outs. He’s been through it 14 times already. And then him saying all the complimentary things that he said only reassured that even further.”

What the show didn’t show:

* His family got to move to America after his mother won the green card lottery, settled in Maryland and became U.S. citizens after living in the country for 10 years, according to his Voice bio. Prior to his move to L.A., Funsho was based in the D.C. area and previously performed as Seth Ade.

* Those previous singing shows mentioned in his bio package included a shot at American Idol and previous auditions for The Voice, he said in a conference call with the media. “So that whole process of trying and failing sort of conditioned me to work harder as an artist and get to the point where I’m at now where I can audition and actually be successful,” he said.

* Funsho told TheHotBoxTV.com that he started writing poetry when he was in middle school. At the time, he admits he was reluctant to show it to anyone. “Then I learned I could sing and they turned into songs that I now share with everyone,” he told the site.

* In the same interview, Funsho said those who inspired him to become a musician include Sade, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Lauryn Hill, and Outkast. “I’m inspired by people who push the envelope when it comes to visual style, their message, and the boundaries of their sound.”

* One of his singles is a song called “Prezzy,” released during the 2016 presidential election in response to “frustration that many people feel with politics and society in general” and the willingness to break rules for profit, Funsho told ConcertDaily.com.

* It’s written from the perspective of a political novice running for president on a platform of love, not war, and doing so for mankind. Funsho even used a fall 2016 presidential debate as the setting for his single release party.

* He’s released lots of other music, including a debut album called “Love Acoustically,” a followup called “S.H.E. (Sounds Have Emotions)” in 2015 and an EP called “The Free Love” earlier this year.

* The title track to that EP isn’t what the title or the breezy melody might imply. In fact, it too was inspired by a current political and societal topic. “I was thinking about women’s rights and women wanting to feel safer in a world driven by the male gaze,” Funsho told YouKnowIGotSoul.com.

On social media:
Instagram
Twitter: @Funshomusic
Facebook
YouTube