Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Shi’Ann Jones and Stephan Marcellus prepare for their battle round on The Voice (NBC Photo)

Stephan Marcellus had to overcome a stumble at the start of his blind audition to land a spot on Season 13 of The Voice thanks to a chair turn from Jennifer Hudson.

But he sure made the most of the opportunity after that.

His battle round performance of “Oh Darlin'” was so strong that it prompted Miley Cyrus to break up her all-female team by stealing Stephan.

And though he didn’t advance, his knockout round performance of “Impossible” was so impressive it prompted a tweet of support from the original artist, Shontelle.

Stephan, from Englewood, N.J., was 26 when he auditioned for the show and had released two singles before appearing on the show.

He tells Voice Views he’s already picked out his post-show debut single. In fact, he’s already posted a teaser video for the song, which he plans to release later this month.

Here’s what he told Voice Views about his experience on the show.

Voice Views: I know the knockout round was filmed a while ago. What have you been doing musically since then?

Stephan: Coming back from The Voice it took me a few weeks to get into the swing of things. After such a whirlwind experience — basically an accelerated master class in the music industry — I needed time to re-center and focus on self.

Getting back on stage again was scary, but it felt good to dive back into my own artistry. My first performance was at an open mic night and that was a liberating experience. After that, I hit a few venues across New York, one of my favorite spots Harlem Nights and performed acapella at the NYC Marathon. Aside from performances, I’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio, really focusing on my craft and further developing my sound.

Stephan Marcellus performs during the knockout round on The Voice. (NBC Photo)

Stephan: It’s hard to pick just one as my favorite because choosing would mean deeming one larger than the other and I truly believe that each milestone was a success. My blind audition showed perseverance, even though it’s still embarrassing to watch. I appreciate that moment so much because I learned that sometimes when you get on stage it’s not just about your voice — it’s about uplifting other people and showing them that if you want something, you will fight for it.

Jennifer told me in my battle round to dig deep so I just focused on committing to the emotion of the song. Vocally, it was my favorite performance. But if I had to pick – I’d say my knockout round performance was my favorite because I was able to take ownership of the song and I performed freely. Then to receive a personal shout out from Shontelle Layne that she loved my performance was EPIC.

Voice Views: Where do you see this experience leading you musically? And do you have anything planned in terms of new music? If so, can you give me a sense of what fans can expect?

Stephan: This experience was the greatest Master Class, getting to work with Jennifer and Miley then to have Kelly Rowland, Kelly Clarkson, Adam and Blake confirm that I have the “X-Factor” really empowered me to keep creating. With the phenomenal vocal and performance coaching I feel ready for grander stages and excited about taking things to the next level.

My fans can expect to see a lot from me! The first single from my new project will be released soon; it’s called “Renegade.” I’m launching my new website stephanmarcellusmusic.com and I have shows and lots of opportunities to engage with my fans because I want to get to know the people who support me. So just follow me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to stay in the loop!

Voice Views: Other than the other artists you met and the hometown support, what will you remember most about The Voice experience? Do you think you grew as a musician? And, if so, how?

Stephan: My biggest memory and take away from The Voice — besides having two Kelly’s tell me I’m attractive lol — would be that I didn’t realize how much of a fighter I was until I came to The Voice. Everybody has this very resilient story and mine started to unfold on the show.

I was a workhorse, I had to prove to myself that I was worth it so I practiced-studied-rehearsed and would sleep/eat on occasion because I wanted to make the most of every single moment. I’ve grown so much as a musician and learned how to move in my voice now. I learned how to utilize my instrument. But also, I know now that I AM WORTH IT, you just have to keep going and really push embrace how limitless you are.

Here are Stephan’s social media links.

Instagram
Twitter: @Steph_Marcellus
YouTube
Facebook

Stephan Marcellus after the battle round, when he was stolen by Miley Cyrus. (NBC Photo)