Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Jacob Rummell, 18, of Hartville, Ohio, sang Bruno Mars’ “Count on Me.” He displayed a very high and very good voice that enticed chair turns from Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Adam compared him to a young Michael Jackson. But Jacob surprised nearly everyone by deciding to join Team Blake.

His background: Jacob and one of his sisters are adopted. He explains that his parents had one biological child who was born with a genetic disease and decided to fill out the rest of their family through adoption. Jacob said he was in show choirs in high school, but now that he’s graduated, isn’t quite sure how to continue with music. “I want to pursue music, but I don’t know what I’m doing,” he confessed in his pre-audition interview. For the time being, he figured The Voice was a good alternative to college.

What the show didn’t show: Jacob says he didn’t come from a musical family, but he was introduced to music at Akron Springfield Assembly of God where he started performing in church. “I did a solo as the Little Drummer Boy when I was 9,” he told his hometown newspaper. “That’s when I thought, ‘I can do this.'” In high school, he says he got involved in musical theater. After graduating from Lake High School, he decided to audition for the show. But when July came and he hadn’t gotten summoned for a call-back, his parents started pushing him to apply for college. He even made an appointment with an admissions counselor at Kent State University; the next day, the invitation to the blind auditions arrived. Jacob said he auditioned with a Bruno Mars’ song because “he’s one of my huge influences.” He definitely prefers pop music, he told The Voice. “I like the sound, the energy, the fun, upbeat good vibes.” But he also told the Akron Beacon Journal he wants to be versatile in his career. “I’d like to act, I’d like to dance,” he told the newspaper. “My biggest dream is to be on the Disney Channel … It’s clean, fun, family-related.”

On picking Blake: “The decision was very difficult just because I had in my mind Blake, like I need to pick Blake. He’s always been number one for me. Everything Adam was saying was making 110 percent sense in my mind, but in my heart, it was like, ‘You have to pick Blake.’ I’m very, very happy to be where I’m at.”

On iTunes: Just his audition song.

Update: In the battle round, he was matched with Corey Kent White. They sang Hunter Hayes’ “I Want Crazy.” Blake declared Corey the winner; Jacob was stolen by Pharrell. In the knockout round, he was pitted against Lowell Oakley. Jacob sang “Life of the Party,” but was eliminated from the show when Pharrell declared Lowell the winner.

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Twitter: @jacobrummell

“Build Me a Girl” (Andy Grammer cover)

“I’m Not the Only One” (Sam Smith cover)

“18” (One Direction cover)