Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Taylor John Williams, 23, of Portland, Oregon, auditioned with a stripped-down version of “Heartless.” One line in, Adam Levine had already turned his chair. Midway through the performance, he was joined by Gwen Stefani. Gwen complimented him on making the song his own. “You can tell you’re an artist, that you’re a writer, your own unique individual.” And Taylor joined Team Gwen.

His background: Taylor is introduced to us as a pop-folk singer and he says he’s always loved entertaining and “getting the attention of the room.” And he’s had practice trying to do that in his job as a barista at the Sniff Dog Hotel, where folks can drop off their dogs for the day. Taylor serves drinks and plays music. And he figured if he can get the attention of customers there, he should be able to get the attention of The Voice coaches. “I need this opportunity,” he says of The Voice, “because I do not have a Plan B.”

What the show didn’t show: He’s performed as Taylor Williams and released a five-track EP called “Proverbial Elephant” in 2009. Taylor no longer works at the doggie hotel, but says he’s done lots of busking in his hometown. “Portland’s a really good city for that, playing for anybody who’s willing to listen.” He describes himself as a “’90s kid” who grew up listening to the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and NSYNC and says that sound drew him in. “But I kind of realized that really good writing and that kind of pop music I was listening to didn’t mesh very well.” He now describes himself as a soulful folk singer-songwriter who’s determined to be himself on the show, no just do what might be popular. Why Team Gwen? “She could tell through the way I delivered that I have a passion for lyrics and a passion for the message of a song and the heart of a song. That sold me.”

Update:
Blind audition: His stripped-down version of “Heartless” prompted two coaches to turn their chairs.
Battle round: He defeated Amanda Lee Peers; they performed Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.”
Knockout round: He defeated Troy Ritchie with a performance of “Mad World” by Tears for Fears.
Live playoffs: Sang “Stuck in the Middle with You” by Stealers Wheel. The song landed at 63 on the iTunes singles chart and number one on the site’s rock chart. He was voted into the finals.
Top 12: He sang Bread’s “If.” The song hit number 34 on the iTunes singles chart and number 19 on the site’s pop chart. He was voted into the Top 10.
Top 10: He sang the Beatles “Come Together,” and it turned out to be the second most popular performance of the night on iTunes, hitting number 25 on the overall singles chart and number one on the site’s rock chart. He was voted into the Top 8.
Top 8: He sang Lorde’s “Royals” and scored bonus points toward staying on the show when it landed at number six on the iTunes overall singles chart. It also finished at number two on the site’s alternative chart. Taylor John was voted into the Top 5.
Top 5: He sang “Falling Slowly” and “Blank Space.” They landed at number 18 and 27, respectively, on iTunes’ singles chart. But Taylor John was not voted into the Top 3, sending him to the Wild Card round. He sang “Wicked Game,” and it landed at number 24 on iTunes, best among all the wild card performances. But the wild card spot went to Damien.

On iTunes: His Voice performances. Also, one of his originals — “Too Pretty for the Nerds” — is available on a compilation album, “Eugene Weekly: Next Big Thing 2010.”

Keeping up with Taylor:
Twitter: @MrTaylorJohn
Facebook
YouTube
Website (coming soon)

Pre-Voice

“Too Pretty for the Nerds”

“Stand Up and Run”