Local

Chris Jamison comes in 3rd place on ‘The Voice'

PITTSBURGH — After a night of special performances, the winner of “The Voice” was finally announced Tuesday evening, and although that person was not North Hills native Chris Jamison, he certainly made Pittsburgh proud.

Ultimately, Jamison finished third behind Matt McAndrew and the big winner, Team Blake's Craig Wayne Boyd.

He took “The Voice” stage for the last time Monday night to perform three times in the hope of being crowned the season 7 winner.

Jamison began his final night of performances with a duet with his coach, Adam Levine. The pair sang a version of Robin Thicke’s hit “Lost without U.”

He followed that performance with the debut of an original song called “Velvet.”

Pharrell Williams had a lot to say about Jamison’s journey on the show.

“A star was born on this television show with you. We are all watching this change, this metamorphosis,” Williams said. “Congratulations.”

To close out his appearance on the show Monday night, Jamison sang Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me a River.”

“Chris, my young Jedi, welcome and congratulations,” Levine said after the performance.

The North Hills native was the first to land a spot in the show’s season finale last week.

Craig Wayne Boyd and Matt McAndrew also moved on to the show’s finale. Damien Lawson was the fourth to join the finalists after being voted as the wild card pick, leaving Team Adam with three contestants in the last round.

After taking a brief break to visit his hometown two weeks ago, Jamison took “The Voice” stage on Dec. 8 to compete for a spot in the finale.

During the live broadcast, Jamison took on “Sugar,” one of Maroon 5’s singles from their latest album, increasing the pressure to impress his coach, Levine, who is the band’s frontman.

Blowing away all the judges with his falsetto, Jamison was given nothing but praise for his performance.

“Your falsetto is just so good. It’s the fun part of your voice,” said judge Blake Shelton.

“I’m just so proud of you, Chris. You’ve been through so much to get to this point. You probably had to fight the most out of the top five,” said Levine. “You could go home tomorrow or you could win the whole thing. You can’t do me wrong at this point."

After Jamison’s hometown trip to Pittsburgh was featured on the show, he took the stage for a second time to perform Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.”

Again, the judges had nothing but well wishes for the top three hopeful.

“I am sure that anyone back in Pittsburgh who saw this show is still standing on their feet for you,” Williams said.

“Tonight was Chris Jamison’s version of that song. Vote for this dude! He deserves to be there at the end," said Levine.

While visiting Pittsburgh Dec. 3, Jamison stopped by WPXI-TV and talked about the show.

Pittsburgh residents and Jamison fans across the country "instant saved" the 20-year-old on Dec. 2 by using the hashtag #VoiceSaveChris on Twitter. Jamison said it was nerve-racking.

"There were four of us who had to sing for our lives," he said. “I just wanted to be as relaxed as I could. I wanted to make sure America and Pittsburgh knew I really wanted to be in the competition. I tried to go out there and deliver a solid performance."

After Jamison's performance, Levine pleaded for America to help save the singer.

"That was one of the best moments on the show. The things he said were just so nice," Jamison told Channel 11 anchor Peggy Finnegan.

Jamison said he has learned a lot from the Maroon 5 frontman.

"He taught me to pay tribute to the original but at the same time, you want to incorporate your own twist. Also, never strive for perfection. Go on stage, relax and try to connect with the crowd," Jamison said.

Following Jamison's WPXI-TV visit, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald presented Jamison with the keys to Pittsburgh and declared Dec. 3 Chris Jamison Day. Jamison was touched.

Jamison's Pittsburgh visit wrapped up with a performance at Stage AE. Fans, wearing Jamison and North Hills shirts (Jamison graduated from North Hills High School), packed the venue.

Prior to Jamison's homecoming and the top five reveal, the singer performed "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye Dec. 1.

"Marvin Gaye is not something you play around with, and you did it with so much love and respect. You just crushed it," said Levine.

Three weeks ago, Jamison closed out "The Voice" with “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars. America's votes sent him into the top eight.

“It’s not something we’ve ever seen on this show, and that is awesome,” said Levine.

Four weeks ago, America's votes sent Jamison into the top 10. His performance of Nick Jonas' "Jealous" had the girls in the audience screaming.

"The screaming in here was so loud I think I have permanent damage," Gwen Stefani joked.

"You're cute, but you're a talented, talented singer," said Levine.

Jamison took on the Ed Sheeran song “Don’t” in the live playoffs, and Levine "saved" the singer, keeping him alive in the competition.

“You were excited up there. You contained your energy so well. When you did those big notes, it was so controlled and balanced. You have that intangible quality. You know someone either has it or they don’t, and you have it,” said Levine.

“I saw something that was different.  You are really amazing on stage,” said Stefani.

“Man, you took it to the next octave up and floored everyone,” said Williams.

In the knockout round, Jamison performed “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding.

“Being a 20-year-old, singing ‘Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,’ that’s courageous,” said Levine, who declared Jamison the winner over Blessing Offor.

In the battle round, Jamison competed against his roommate Jonathan Wyndham, performing “Young Girls” by Bruno Mars.

Levine called Jamison the winner, saying, “I’m going to go with the guy that I think there’s a superstar in there. There’s something about this dude, and I have to go with my gut.”

“He’s the real thing,” said Williams.

Jamison watched the battle round show with family and friends at his North Hills home, as that round was previously recorded. Dozens of people packed into a family room cheered loudly after watching Jamison win the battle round.

“Getting to share this with everyone, it means a lot,” said Jamison.

His parents couldn’t be more proud, and they thank everyone in the Pittsburgh area for their support on social media.

“It’s still hard for me to believe they’re talking about him. We’re just bursting with pride,” said Jamison’s mom, Michelle.

“His biggest, most impressive quality is how hard he works,” said Jamison’s dad, Bryan.

Born and raised in the North Hills, Jamison is one of five children. He’s also a triplet. His two sisters were in Los Angeles when he auditioned for the show.

Four chairs turned for Jamison after he performed “Gravity” during the blind auditions.

“When the chairs turned, I said, ‘This isn’t real. This is something you see on TV,’” said Jamison.

Jamison chose Levine, who has ties to the Pittsburgh area, over the other coaches: Williams, Stefani and Shelton.

Levine’s best friend, Gene Hong, went to North Allegheny High School.

“It was really emotional,” Levine said about Jamison’s audition.

“You got lost in the moment. I think that’s awesome,” said Williams, whom Jamison initially thought he would choose if given the choice.

Jamison is a student at Capital University in Ohio, where he is the mailman on campus. He is also a member of a rock ensemble.

Before Capital University, Jamison was in his high school musical, “Beauty and the Beast.” He said his role as a pepper shaker was humbling.

“You think you’re not good enough to get that lead role, but it gave me time to focus on the music I want to create as a solo artist,” said Jamison.

Related:

WPXI

Most Read