Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Nelly’s Echo has one of the more interesting backstories among contestants on The Voice.

Nelson said his family fled Nigeria when he was a teenager because of political unrest; his father was even imprisioned for something he didn’t do.

With just two suitcases, his mother, his three brothers and Nelson settled in Baltimore. But Nelson says he viewed the U.S. as the “land of opportunity” and “uplifting music” helped him cope with the difficult times.

As for his performance name: “Nelly is me. Echo is the audience appreciation of the performance,” Nelson told Carson Daly, explaining that he views music as a two-way street.

For his audition, Nelson, 32, performed “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Christina and Adam turned around during the performance.

“I find you so interesting and compelling,” said Christina, his eventual coach. “It seems with you, the sky’s the limit.”

What the show didn’t show: First, his non-performance name is Nelson Emokpae. In a post-audition interview, Nelson told Christina Milian that before he sang, he decided “whoever chose me first, I’d choose them.” Hence, Team Christina. As a bonus, Nelson is hoping she can take his voice “to the next level.” Nelly’s Echo released an EP named “Live, Love ‘N Laugh” in 2007 and a full-length CD “Secrets to a Happy Life” in 2009. Both are on iTunes, but you can sample full-length versions of the songs on the latter at the Nelly’s Echo website.

Editor’s Note: Check back for live blogs once the battle rounds begin on The Voice.

Nelson’s Echo performing “If I Were King,” a song off the 2009 album.