WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Derby native Jaelen Johnston shared his excitement just hours before his live performance on NBC’s “The Voice.”
“I feel great. I’m kind of nervous, a little bit, but I’m super excited to be here,” he said in an interview. “It’s a blessing and a huge opportunity, so I’m hoping to make the most out of it.”
Johnston will compete alongside four other artists for the title of this season’s “The Voice.” Each artist will sing twice on Monday.
Win or lose, Johnston will also perform a duet with his coach, Kelsea Ballerini.
“Oh, it’s going to be amazing,” he said. “She’s been awesome. She pays a lot of attention. She’s definitely a very go-getter type of person, which is something you want to look for in a coach anyway. So I think her and I just kind of clicked and connected on that level. She’s super supportive. She’s kind of right there in your corner, and I respect that a lot.”
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When asked how he’s prepared over the past week, Johnston gave an energetic reply.
“A lot of Red Bull,” he laughed. “To prepare, I lost a little bit of sleep and drank a lot of caffeine. Red Bull’s been my best friend.”
As for his performance, Johnston teased his song choices.
“I think for the songs tonight, I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ve got a pretty fast-paced honky-tonk type song first, and then I’m closing the night out with Stapleton. So I’m excited for that,” he said.
Johnston’s family will be in the audience for the live show.
“My mom — I was blessed enough to have her and the rest of my family come out to this, so I’m looking forward to seeing them in the audience tonight,” he said.
Johnston also expressed deep gratitude for the support from his hometown.
“A huge shoutout to Derby, man. I mean, the whole Kansas area, but most specifically Derby. They’ve been awesome. I’ve been getting messages and texts and pictures and videos, and all that kind of good stuff, so it’s awesome,” he said. “I definitely wouldn’t be here without you guys, in this stage, and I’m looking forward to going out tonight and giving a performance for you guys, and hopefully you guys love it.”
Johnston said that he can’t wait to see everybody back home:
The performances
Johnston sang “What Was I Thinkin’” by Dierks Bentley during his first performance.
Early on in the performance, Johnston stumbled over some of the lyrics, but he got his rhythm back and finished strong.
“I’m so proud of you! I know you had a moment early on where you got nervous. The thing is, this is the most nerve-racking thing you could do, and the way you recover is the only thing that matters. You locked back in, and you got back in your body, you got back in your voice, and you delivered and moved, and everyone loved you! That was the most impressive part. You really showed up. I’m so proud of you.”
During his second performance, Johnston sang “Cold” by Chris Stapleton.
From beginning to end, the performance was powerful.
“I want everyone to know that Jaelen picked this song, and when he did, I was a little bit nervous because it’s such a big song. It’s a big song to take on, and we got to rehearsal, and you sang it, and I said, ‘I simply digress.’ I didn’t know how good you were until you did that song,” Ballerini told Johnston. “Congratulations! You have continued to show up and grow every single time you get on this stage. You’ve always done it with kindness, with grace, with intention, and with the heart to tell the story of country music. I’m so proud to be your coach. Vote for Jaelen, y’all!”
Voting
During the Lives Round of the competition, the remaining contestants compete against each other during live broadcasts. Instead of the coaches choosing a winner, America will vote to save their favorite artists until one is named the winner. Last week, America voted down the top 12 finalists to the top five finalists.
Voting is open from the beginning of the show at 7 p.m. and lasts until 6 a.m. on Tuesday. The results will be announced live on Tuesday evening.
America can vote for their favorite contestant online or through the app.
At the end of the competition, one artist will be named “The Voice” and receive the grand prize of a recording contract.
You can watch all of Johnston’s previous performances on YouTube:
Johnston has dedicated several years to growing his musical career. You can listen to his music and explore more on his website by clicking here.
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