Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Vedo, 20, of Atlanta, Ga., chose to sing Justin Beiber’s “Boyfriend” for his audition, knowing it was a major hit for an artist Usher discovered. Early in the song, Usher turned his chair. As it turned out, he was the only artist to do so.

Vedo of Team Usher on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Knockout Round: He sang “Everything I Do, I Do It For You” and defeated C. Perkins, who performed “She Ain’t You.”

Live Playoffs: Performed “Against All Odds” and advanced to the Top 12 based on fan voting.

His background: An R&B singer, Vedo said music was a hobby for him … until he was 13 and performed at a talent show at this brother’s high school. “From that point on, it was a love that grew with me,” says the Michigan native. During his pre-audition interview, he said he was hoping he could entice Usher to turn around. He’s also the young man who told the story of his mother, who helped the family survive two years of homelessness, but was recently diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Despite her illness, she told The Voice she encouraged Vedo to continue on the show to pursue his dream.

On his coach: “Usher’s my idol. He’s an icon, man. I study him. Every song he ever came out with, if I don’t know the lyrics, I’ve heard it before. I felt like he could really give me that push, teach me things I need taught. Like how to survive in this industry. How to market yourself. How to create your brand like he has done so well over the years.”

What the show didn’t show: Though he performs as Vedo, NBC’s photo gallery identifies him as Wilbert McCoy III. On Facebook, he writes that his mother discovered his musical talent at 9, and he started pursuing music seriously after moving to Atlanta when he was 14. He has released two singles as Vedo The Singer — “Traffic Jam” in 2011 and “She Got That Bass” in 2012. The video for “Traffic Jam” is embedded below. He bills himself as an “explosive singer, dancer, writer and perfomer” on his Facebook profile. You can judge for yourself by heading to YouTube, where you’ll find “Traffic Jam” and a wide range of covers.

Quote: “On Usher’s squad, everybody on the squad is just crazy with the vocals. Honestly, not to toot my own horn, but I think I can go up against any one of them. I believe I have what it takes to win this thing.”

On iTunes: His audition song, “Boyfriend,” plus a 2011 single, “Traffic Jam,” and a 2012 single “She Got That Bass.”

Keeping up with Vedo:
Twitter: @VedoTheSinger
Facebook
YouTube channel

“Traffic Jam” (2011 single)

“Little Things” (One Direction cover)