Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Blind audition: Riley Elmore, 16, of West Dundee, Ill., auditioned with Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight.” He delivered a nice, smooth performance for his age and prompted chair turns from Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Adam said he loves the song and thinks he can teach Riley “a lot of stuff.” Adam strolled on stage to sing the song with Riley. And Riley joined Team Adam.

His background: Riley says he got into music in fourth grade because he wanted to play the trombone. “I thought it was cool,” he recalls. Now he loves jazz music. He says he didn’t start singing seriously until he joined the choir in high school. In his freshman year, he sang a Frank Sinatra song. “Everyone loved it.” Now he considers himself a crooner, “a guy who sings at the clubs and occasionally gets the lady.” He admits he’s never performed alone and has a lot to learn.

What the show didn’t show:
* Riley is a junior at Dundee-Crown High School.
* He previously attended the private school Immanuel Lutheran School.
* He discovered the music of Frank Sinatra after joining jazz band, according to The Voice website.
* When he tried out for choir at Dundee-Crown, choir teacher Lisa Bettcher said her reaction was “Oh my gosh, can this kid sing,” according to a story in the Daily Herald. She describes Riley as “a very well-liked and admired kid.”
* Riley is a member of two school choirs at Dundee-Crown, sometimes sings with the jazz band, and mentors freshmen singers.
* When he performs, Riley typically wears a pin that reads: “It’s Sinatra’s world. We just live in it.” It was a gift from his grandparents.
* Riley told Voice Views he seldom performs in a solo setting, and when he does, it’s usually “at a park or something small.” To prepare for the show, he says he practiced every day, if only for 10 minutes on days he was squeezed for time.
* His Voice single landed at number one on the jazz charts, something he describes as “unbelievable. It just made me feel like all that hard work payed off.”
* Riley said he decided to join Team Adam in part because Adam took the stage to perform with him. “It showed me that he really wanted to work with me. Also he loves jazz and swing music.”
* Post-show, Riley’s hoping to “incorporate jazz and swing music into the modern music of today.”

Keeping up with Riley:
Twitter: @rileyelmore
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