Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition Talakai, 34, of Sacramento, Calif., performed “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith. Talakai delivered a wonderful version of this song with a strong, pleasing tone. And he, indeed, looks a heck of a lot like John Legend. John and Reba McEntire turned for the performance. John said he loves Talakai’s tone and the smoothness in his voice. Reba complimented Talakai on his range. Talakai decided to join Team Legend.

Here’s more about Talakai.

* He’s an R&B and hip-hop artist from Sacramento, Calif. who looks a heck of a lot like John Legend.

* He also scored a hit as a youngster with a song called “Beautiful Creation,” released in 2008 under the stage name Young Dee the Singer.

* That song has more than 300,000 streams on Spotify, and DeAngelo Talakai released an updated version of the song in 2002.

* That’s just one of about a dozen singles he’s released as Talakai. The most recent, “Made for You,” dropped a year ago.

* In his Spotify bio, Talakai says he used music and poetry as his escape from the reality of growing up in foster care and being a victim of abuse and hardship.

* “I decided to take control of what I could and that was always how I made people feel with my voice and my music,” he writes.

* And on TikTok, he recalls one of his many foster mothers telling him that music “isn’t going to take you anywhere … Stick to finding a real job!” His reaction: “Why not do both?” His message: Don’t let others keep you from doing what you’re passionate about.

* In that Spotify bio, Talakai says he’s also battled mental illness and depression, something he takes on in his 2020 single “Beautiful Day.”

* “When I wrote this song it helped me battle my anxiety and depression,” he wrote on Instagram. “Life isn’t perfect, but I try my hardest daily to see beauty in it.” You can check out the music video below.

* Talakai, who has also use the stage name D Young, describes himself as a “R&B singer who sometimes expresses my passion in melodic rap and spoken word. My poetry is turned into a song that speaks to listeners willing to invite me into their hearts.”

Talakai on social media:
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
YouTube