Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Sid Kingsley, 37, of Richmond, Va., performed “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” by Bob Dylan. His original sound prompted quick chair turns from John and Gwen. A big note got Blake to turn as well. John called it incredible, saying he heard soul and power in Sid’s voice. Sid opted to join Team John.

Here’s more about Sid:

* He’s one of the most prolific members of the Season 19 cast, releasing 11 singles — a mix of originals and covers — in 2020 alone.

* Among the originals is “Grow Something Beautiful,” a collaboration from afar with Devonne Harris of Butcher Brown during the quarantine period.

* Sid released the song on July 2, his birthday, writing on Instagram “given the current climate of the country I feel that’s exactly what we are working towards. A more beautiful and understanding world for the future.”

* Sid’s 2020 cover releases range from “Mind Games” by John Lennon to “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum to “The Scientist” by Coldplay.

* All of the 2020 music follows a 2017 debut album called “Long Way Home” and a pair of 2019 singles — “Bar Room Queen” and “Sweet Virginia” — with frequent collaborator Jordan Stoll.

* According to Sid’s website bio, he grew up in the tiny town of Branchville, Va., near the North Carolina border, and fell in love with jazz music and playing the saxophone.

* He also grew up around music, watching his grandmother play piano and organ and his father play drums.

* After high school, he served a stint in the Coast Guard, tried college and hitchhiked across the country to the West Coast.

* He eventually landed in Richmond, Va., where he found his musical footing, played in other people’s bands and began working on that debut album.

* Sid told RVA Magazine that he likes to call his more recent releases “freedom music” because they’re being released independently, giving him and his collaborators more control over the final product.

* “Music should be human,” he told the site. “It should be all those emotions. We’ve been tossing around this term calling it ‘freedom music.’ Not to say that all music isn’t free, but this is more about feeling free — however you interpret that.”

Sid on social media:
Website
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube