PITTSBURGH — All four chairs turned for North Hills native Chris Jamison during his blind audition.
“When the chairs turned, I said, ‘This isn’t real. This is something you see on TV,’” said Jamison.
Jamison performed “Gravity” by John Mayer.
The 20-year-old, who said he has been influenced by the music of Mayer and Jason Mraz, initially thought he would choose new coach Pharrell Williams if the megastar’s chair turned.
Jamison went with Adam Levine who has ties to Pittsburgh. Levine’s best friend, Gene Hong, is from Wexford.
“It was really emotional,” Levine said about Jamison’s performance.
“You got lost in the moment. I think that’s awesome,” said Williams.
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.
Jamison is a triplet. His sisters were at the Blind Auditions to support him.
Pittsburgh has been represented well on "The Voice" before. Last year, Shadyside Apple employee and former CMU student James Wolpert was a semifinalist on "The Voice." More about Wolpert.
“The Voice” season 7 premieredwith new coaches Williams and Gwen Stefani. Levine and Blake Shelton returned for another season.
During the Blind Auditions, the decisions from the musician coaches are based solely on voice and not on looks. The coaches hear the artists perform, but they don’t get to see them -- thanks to rotating chairs. If a coach is impressed by the artist’s voice, he/she pushes a button to select the artist for his/her team. At this point, the coach’s chair will swivel so that he/she can face the artist he/she has selected. If more than one coach pushes his/her button, the power then shifts to the artists to choose which coach they want to work with. If no coach pushes his/her button, the artist is eliminated from the competition.
Once the teams are set, the battle is on. Coaches will dedicate themselves to developing their team of artists, giving them advice, and sharing the secrets of their success, along with help from their celebrity advisers. During the Battle Rounds, the coaches will pit two of their own team members against each other to sing the same song together in front of a studio audience. After the vocal battle, the coach must choose which of his/her singers will advance to the next round of competition, while the losing artist is available to be stolen by another coach. Each coach has two steals available during the Battle Rounds.
At the end of the battles, only the strongest members of each coach’s roster remain and proceed to the Knockout Rounds. The artists will be paired again with a member of their own teams, but this time they find out only minutes before performing with whom they are competing. The artists each select their own songs to perform individually, while their direct competitor watches and waits. They are vying for their coach’s confidence and decision to take them to the Live Shows. Their coach will choose the winner and the artist not selected will available to be stolen by another coach. Each coach has one steal available during the Knockout Rounds.
In the Live Playoff Rounds, the top 20 artists will compete to secure a spot in the Live Shows. Artists will perform live, and Americans will vote to save their two favorite artists from each team. The coaches will then save one remaining artist to complete their roster. The remaining contestants will move on to the final phase of the competition, the Live Shows.
In the final live performance phase of the competition, the top 12 artists will compete each week against each other during a live broadcast. The television audience will vote to save their favorite artists. Three artists with the lowest number of votes will be eligible for the “Instant Save.” These artists will each perform a new song that represents why they should earn the save. Then, America will have the opportunity to save their favorite performer by tweeting out #VoiceSave along with the artist’s name. The two singers with the lowest number of votes will be sent home each week. In the end, one will be named “The Voice” and will receive the grand prize of a recording contract.