Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Blind audition: Jason Warrior, 21, of Chicago, Ill., auditioned with Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City.” His theatrical background showed in his performance and he displayed nice range, prompting chair turns from Adam Levine and Alicia Keyes. Alicia complimented him on his energy and his soul. Jason joined Team Alicia.

His background: Jason says his last name “definitely describes who I am as a person.” He grew up in a rough neighborhood with drug dealers always around and fights always breaking out. His dad was in and out of jail. After high school, he attended Northern Illinois University on a theater scholarship. And he got to gig at bars around college and back in Chicago. He now lives with his mother and stepdad and his younger brothers, but doesn’t have a car. “So I have no way getting around to even gig or perform.” But he says he’s been watching video tutorials in order to improve his singing. He says his audition song told the story of the life he’s living.

What the show didn’t show:
* According to his Voice bio, as a teen Jason traveled around the world with the Chicago-based gospel group Walt Whitman and the Soul Children. They even performed for Bill Clinton.
* In high school, he was involved in musical theater and a performance of “Clue.” He’s been posting lots of throwback photos on his Facebook page.
* In 2014, Jason started a production company called Dramatic Studios in his college dorm room. The result was a web series called The Truth in which young people deal with difficult issues. You can check it out on the Dramatic Studios YouTube channel.
* That Voice bio says Jason spent his pre-Voice time at home learning up to 10 songs a day so he’d be prepared for “whatever The Voice throws his way.”
* Jason talked about his decision to go with Team Alicia in a conference call with the media. “For me, this whole process isn’t about just winning and being the greatest person of all,” he said. “It’s so much about allowing people to be moved and inspire people through my music. And that’s my ultimate goal — to change the world one song at a time. And everything that she (Alicia) said to allow me to spread my wings and to grow and become better as an artist is what really pushed me to pick her.”

Keeping up with Jason:
Twitter: @Jason_Warrior_
Facebook
YouTube