Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Ryan Mitchell, 25, Los Angeles, Calif, performed “Baby, One More Time” by Britney Spears: A night after getting no chairs to turn — more on that in a moment — Ryan returned, putting a tock spin on the Britney pop hit. An appropriately titled song choice, since he was auditioning for the second time in two nights. Late in the performance, Reba McEntire turned. Reba said she was thrilled with the show’s new gimmick — the Carson Callback — because Ryan’s a great singer and deserved a spot on the show. Since she was the only one to turn, Ryan automatically joined Team Reba.

Here’s more about Ryan:

* On the season premiere, he performed “Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage the Elephant. None of the coaches turned.

* But noting the dearth of talented alternative rockers on the show, host Carson Daly thought that was a mistake. So he used his one and only Carson Callback card to grant Ryan a second audition.

* During the bio segment of his audition, Ryan said he fell in with a bad crowd in high school and wound up dependent on alcohol. The situation came to a head around the time of the pandemic and he wound up entering rehab.

* While in rehab, Ryan turned to music as a source of healing and hope. “I think that music really kind of saved my life,” he told The Voice.

* He’s now been sober for four years. And three days before The Voice premiere, Ryan released a five-song EP called “My Very Own Disease.” The title track is about his struggle with addiction.

* Feels good to make music that feels like me,” Ryan wrote on social media.” This song is about discovering that chasing artificial highs was the thing making me feel empty and low in the first place. Part of my own sobriety / recovery story, but told through the lens of a loud, unapologetic rock banger.”

* Ryan actually has a good deal of music out dating back to 2020. That includes another five-song EP, “Shadows,” that was released in 2021.

* In fact, two of Ryan’s songs — “Russian Roulette” from 2022 and “Too Sweet” from 2024 — have more than 1 million streams on Spotify.

* In his Voice bio package, Ryan said music has always been part of his life. His dad has an in=home studio, and Ryan was fascinated by his ability to “create amazing songs.”

* When Ryan was 8, he and an older sibling started a band. By age 12, they were playing a show at the Whiskey A Go Go. Ryan says that’s when he decided performing was what he wanted to do with his life.

* Ryan auditioned for Season 22 of American Idol and earned a golden ticket. I don’t recall him appearing on the show.

Ryan on social media:
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