Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Zach Day, 25, of Stearns, Kentucky, listens to feedback following his blind audition on The Voice Season 18. (NBC Photo)

He found himself on national TV again last week, this time on The Voice.

Two coaches — Kelly Clarkson and John Legend — turned for his performance of “Weak” by SWV.

John called his performance “mind-blowing” and “stunning” and complimented him on his flawless vocal acrobatics.

Zach opted to join Team Legend. Here’s what he told Voice Views about his blind audition experience.

Voice Views: How did you wind up auditioning for The Voice Season 18 and what prompted you to do it?

Zach: I received an email that mentioned private auditions happening in Louisville. I was laying in bed and never thought I would actually get an invitation, so I sent in a YouTube video of me singing Lianna La Havas and someone called me the next day. I had been stuck wondering why I wasn’t making music every day. I was finishing up school, but all I want is to make music. I was skipping gigs to do homework, skipping session work to go to class. I figured I would just see what would happen with The Voice so I could have an excuse to do more music. Now I have a degree and I’m on The Voice, and I’m stoked about that.

Voice Views: Why did you choose “Weak” for your audition song? What’s your performance history with that song (for instance, is it one you’ve played often)?

Zach: This is the weirdest story. I’m addicted to “Survivor” and Taj from SWV played once. I liked her and heard her talk about being in SWV, so I looked them up on the internet and found “Weak” and “Rain.” I would play those songs over and over again. I play “Weak” at every gig to this day, and The Voice band played my arrangement for my blind audition!

Voice Views: Did you have a coaching preference heading into the blind audition? And why did you decide to join Team Legend?

Zach: John reminds me of my mentor Dr. Roosevelt Escalante in many ways. Dr. Esco is also a pianist and singer and has taught me a lot. John just feels like home! He turned first and I know he has a picky ear and knows what he wants.

Voice Views: You had done pretty well on Idol back in Season 13. Had you tried a singing show since? And did the Idol experience help prepare you for The Voice in any way?

Zach: I had not tried another show since I got the boot on Idol. I met so many cool people and came back from Idol feeling more inspired to be a musician than ever. I worked really hard, wrote a ton of music, studied all my references, really started discovering my artistry as opposed to just enjoying singing. So I think it helped in a lot of ways!

Voice Views: You’ve released a lot of music in the past two years. What else have you been doing musically back home? I saw an interview where you talked about being part of “Mamma Mia” and your Voice bio talks about making music more accessible to the deaf community.”

Zach: Other than writing and releasing my own music, I have been doing some studio work, writing, and singing background vocals for bands and artists all over the place, (but not as much as I wanted). I was performing in wedding bands and gigging anywhere I could. I was in an a cappella group, EKos. I started auditioning for musicals on campus and through Distilled Theatre Company in Lexington. It really became something I enjoyed! They put me up in drag in our production of Wizard of Oz as Glinda the Good Witch. She was gorgeoussssss.

For more about Zach, the music he’s already released and his social media links, head here.