Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Michael Lynch, 27, of Chicago, Ill., auditioned with Enrique Inglesias’ “Bailamos.” Just a few seconds into his performance, Christina Aguilera turned her chair. Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green followed, giving Michael as many chairs as he could possibly get because Adam Levine had already filled his team. Christina complimented him on his near a cappella opening.

Background: Michael, 100 percent Irish, says he’s a pop singer with a “little bit of Latin infusion.” He began to study Spanish his freshman year of high school; he says he used music to help himself learn the language. While in college, Michael told The Voice, he began to see himself as a singer and started performing more in public. After graduating, he went to a music school in Mexico and stayed there about a year. “It’s a tough industry to break into, especially being an American. So I moved back home to Chicago. Now I’m landscaping during the week and singing on weekends, still looking for my big break.”

On choosing Christina: “When I knew the four original judges were coming back, Christina is just the one who jumped out as the perfect coach for me. Not only because of her style and who she is as a musician. When I look at her, I see myself a little bit. The male version.”

What the show didn’t show: According to his Facebook bio, Michael began working in landscaping at age 14, and that’s when co-workers began teaching him Spanish and exposing him to Latin music, which he instantly fell in love with. He eventually went on to study music and Spanish at the University of Iowa. While there, he earned the title of Iowa Idol as the top musical performer on campus. That bio says he also appeared on TV in Chicago’s “Windy City Live: Search for a Star” competition and on “Sabado Gigante,” the Spanish-language equivalent of Saturday night live. In 2012, he released a single called “It Isn’t Me” that’s available on iTunes. He told the Daily Herald that he tried out for The Voice last year, but failed to make the cut. Since then, he’s been performing weddings and other gigs as part of The Ken Arlen Orchestra, based in Evanston, Ill., to hone his performance skills. Mastering those is one reason he’s so thrilled to be a member of Team Christina. “She just commands the stage,” he said in a conference call interview the day after is audition aired. “She’s such a powerful performer, and that’s something that I really hope to learn from her.”

Quote: “By the time I got backstage (after the audition), everyone was like, ‘Do you understand what just happened?’ You were singing and dancing with Christina Aguilera?’ That’s when I realized it was just insane what had just happened.”

On iTunes: The studio version of his audition song and that 2012 single (listen below).

Keeping up with Michael: On Twitter — @MichaelLynchML — Facebook — YouTube — Website

For profiles of other Season 5 contestants, go here.

Michael Lynch, “It Isn’t Me” (snippet of original)

Michael Lynch, “One More Night” (Maroon 5 cover)

Michael Lynch, “Finally Found You” (Enrique Ingelsias cover)