Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Vance Smith, 22, of Detroit, Mich., sang The Four Tops’ “Reach Out, I’ll Be There.” A big finish prompted Christina Aguilera and Pharrell Williams to turn around. Christina complimented his range and the fact that he had so much fun performing. Vance joined Team Christina.

His background: He grew up on the east side of Detroit, which he calls a “dog-eat-dog type place.” When he was 8 or 9, he recalls riding bikes and a car driving by and firing shots. At age 14, the family moved to Georgia and started a new life. Vance is now a diesel mechanic. “When I’m not working on big rigs, I’m back home working in my studio.” His mom says he’s very dedicated to music. “With him, it’s music, music, music,” she says. Vance calls his mom very inspirational; at one point, she worked three jobs to make ends meet. “She showed me that no matter what life does to you, you can make it through it.”

What the show didn’t show: “In his Voice video, Vance says music has been his “number one passion” since he was just 6. His father performed in a band, and he said he used to sit on the stairs in the basement and watch them rehearse. “And just seeing him in front of the mic, I knew I wanted to mirror that,” Vance recalled. He started off playing drums and singing in church back in Detroit. Once in Savannah, Ga., he tried a variety of musical outlets, including performing in a group called Young Cash Clique as “Fella Fresh,” according to his Facebook bio. He eventually left that group to pursue a solo career, and released a single you can hear below in 2011. On it, he displays that range Christina praised so highly. At the time, he was performing simply as Vance and got to open for Trey Songz. Vance describes himself as a mellow, laid-back guy and his music as “smooth” R&B/soul. Oh, and he says his mother is the one who convinced him to audition for the show.

On iTunes: His audition song and a 2011 single called “Caught Up On Your X.”

Update: In the battle round, he was matched against Koryn Hawthorne. They sang “Love Me Harder” by Ariana Grande and The Weeknd. Christina declared Koryn the winner; Vance was eliminated from the show.

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Twitter: @ItsVanceSmith

“Caught Up on Your X” (2011 single)

“All of Me” (John Legend cover)

“Beg to Differ” (original)