Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Royce Lovett, 30, of Tallahassee, Fla., auditioned with Wyclef Jean’s “911.” He turned in a passionate, reggae-flavored performance, playing guitar all the while. And that earned a quick chair turn from Gwen Stefani. Blake Shelton later turned as well, but that merely prompted Gwen to start dancing to keep the attention on her. Gwen complimented the animated nature of Royce’s vocals while Blake barely put up a fight. Royce joined Team Gwen.

Here’s more about Royce.

* He’s a soul, R&B and hip-hop artist from Tallahassee who’s been pursuing music since 2003.

* His voice bio indicates he began singing in church, where his mother led worship. He taught himself guitar, started writing music and got his first gig at a local pizza shop in the 11th grade.

* Though independent now, he’s a former Motown gospel artist who has already released lots of music.

* That includes EPs called “Write It on a Wall” in 2015, “Love Wins” in 2016 and “Love and Other Dreams” in 2017.

* In June, Royce released videos for two new songs, “Dope” and “Everyday Problems.” Explains Royce: “Some fans have been saying that I don’t rap enough. We heard you loud and clear, and made a mixtape.” Check out “Everyday Problems” below.

* In an interview with Tallahassee Magazine, Royce says he was signed to Motown in 2014 and slotted into the label’s Christian artist category though he didn’t consider himself a Christian artist.

* Here’s what he told Voice Views about his already released music: “I feel like my songwriting has really improved since some of my earlier work. My most recent album — ‘Love & Other Dreams’ — is my favorite release thus far. It pulls from my soul hip-hop roots. Moving forward, I would like to continue to make music that touches the masses, merges new sounds and genres, influences the culture, and brings people together! I’m excited to see what’s to come.”

* Royce has also started a patreon campaign that would allow him to perform or speak at nonprofit events and provide free music to youngsters.

* He recently celebrated his 10th anniversary with his wife, Hannah; they have two young boys.

On social media:
Website
Instagram
Twitter: @RoyceLovett
Facebook
YouTube

See also …
Royce Lovett talks about his blind audition