Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: J. Paul, 37, Washington, D.C., “I Keep Forgettin'” by Michael McDonald: J. Paul uses his impressive range to make this cover his own. Gwen Stefani and Michael Buble turn almost simultaneously. If anyting, J’s performance got more impressive after that. That enticed a last-second chair turn from Reba. She complimented J. on having a powerful voice to go with his impressive range. Gwen liked how comfortable he was on stage. Michael called him the “real deal.” J. Paul opted to join Team Michael.

Here’s more about J Paul.

* J Paul is the stage name for Jason Paul, a musician from San Diego, Calif.

* For the past 10 years, he’s been based in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia metro area.

* He’s among The Voice artists who have already released music, beginning in 2021 when he dropped covers of two classic songs — Aerosmith’s “Dream On” and Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song.”

* Then in the fall of 2023, he released a seven-track album called “Post 2020.” Based on Spotify streams, the most popular songs on it to date are “Waves” and lead single “Sexification,” which you can check out below.

* In his Spotify bio, J says he started singing in church, placed in the soprano section of the adult choir by his mother at age 3.

* He eventually became a background vocalist and served that role for Stephanie Mills beginning in 2015.

* J has also performed background vocals for Tonex and Tamar Braxton, but says his career path changed when the pandemic hit.

* “In February, we’re meeting Stevie Wonder,” he recalls in a YouTube interview. “The next month, we’re on total shutdown, with no expiration date.”

* That shutdown prompted J to do a lot of self-evaluation and ask himself what he wanted to do as a musician, he says in the interview. He decided to step out as a front man.

* The decision to make that transition is why J titled his debut album “Post 2020.”

* While he enjoys performing several genres of music, J says “gospel pulls the passion out of me.” And his main goal in his music is “authenticity.”

J Paul on social media:
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