Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: Zaxai, 29, of Brooklyn, N.Y. performed “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone for his blind audition. His killer range prompted a quick chair turn from Jennifer Hudson. Kelly Clarkson turned as well, only to realize she’d been blocked by Jennifer. Since no one else turned, that meant Zaxai automatically joined Team JHUD. Jennifer complimented him on “a beautiful voice.”

His background: He’s a first generation Haitian-American. His family moved from Haiti to give him a better life. His father is a chef and manager. His mom is a nurse. In addition to performing, he works at Radio City Music Hall. In fact, he recalls working as usher during a Kelly Clarkson concert and having her accidentally kick him in the head. As a performer, he sings with a wedding band, in various languages at a Russian restaurant (Baku Palace) and with a Jamaican band. He also got to demonstrate some dance moves for the judges.

On having Jennifer as coach: “The fact that JHud used her only block, I mean it felt kind of good. So special because she could have used that with the plethora of artists that you clearly see on the Season 15 roster. And when I say the Season 15 roster’s amazing, it’s amazing. So the fact that she did that, shows that I’m doing something right, that she sees something good in me and I’m just thankful for that.”

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* His last name is pronounced “Zah-K-eye” and he identifies himself as a singer-songwriter who also beat boxes and plays acoustic guitar.

* Zaxai said he loved singing at a young age, but didn’t realize he had vocal talent until he was 12 or 13 years old. One telling sign, he said, was his mother’s reaction when she heard him sing Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”

* He classifies his music as pop, soul and R&B, but adds that his influences are diverse and also include rock, gospel, classical music and the blues.

* Say Zaxai in his Facebook bio: “One genre isn’t enough. One language isn’t enough. Music and its artists are no longer confined to just one sound. Artists now days will have a little taste of one genre here, or a bit of this genre there. So I have to be diverse, I’ve got to be the best.”

* Zaxai says he got his start singing in church at age 12. In fact, thanks to his size and height, he was able to fib his way into joining choir early.

* He started playing acoustic guitar at age 14 and started singing professionally at age 18, his Facebook bio indicates.

* Those professional gigs started out as a background vocalist and he’s also done studio work.

* More recently, he’s been focusing on becoming a solo artist, performing as ZX & The Band Date Night, writing on Instagram: “It’s Date Night when I hit the stage.”

* He released an 8-track project called “Rendez-Vous Chapter 1” last year with producer Pinestro. He also released a music video for the single “Move With Me.”

* Zaxai followed that up with a single called “Find Me Here,” released in April. Check out the video version of that song below.

* He’s working on an EP called “Too Far Gone.” On his website, he describes it as “an emotional roller coaster that describes the loss of his best friend, fiancée, fun times, surreal moments, flashes of passion, mistakes and heartaches.”

* On Instagram, he mentions that he’s part of a second band, the Brooklyn-based IET Band. That’s short for International Electric Transfusion. They play a wide range of music at weddings, special events and parties.

On social media:
Instagram
Website
Twitter: @Zaxai_Official
Facebook
YouTube