NBC’s The Voice gains Liberty alumnus

Liberty alumnus Anthony Evans, of Dallas, has joined the ranks of singers on “Team Christina” for season two of “The Voice.” Evans is not only a contestant on this popular television show but is also a song writer and a worship leader.

Evans — Anthony Evans joined Christina Aguilera’s team. Photo provided

Evans is the son of evangelist Dr. Tony Evans who frequently speaks in convocation.

“The Voice” is one of the newest television shows which focuses on the vocal talents of individuals who are looking to break into the music industry.

“The Voice is a vocal competition series hosted by Carson Daly. The show features four coaches: Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera,” The Voice website said.

Although Evans’ blind audition for the four judges just took place, the audition process to be on “The Voice” began for him back in August 2011 in Houston.

The process involves open-call auditions, in which individuals are required to perform a cappella, according to “The Voice” website. Contestants who receive a callback go on to perform with some form of accompaniment. If a contestant successfully completes all of the steps required, they then move on to the blind auditions in front of the four celebrity judges.

“It was a pretty drawn out ordeal. It went from 100,000 people to 100,” Evans said.

The blind auditions are the first part of the process that is aired on television. The judges select vocalists that they wish to coach based solely on their voice. Their unbiased opinions are possible through the specially created chairs that allow judges to sit with their backs to the contestant. If a judge likes the contestant’s style and vocal talents, he or she can signal their interest in coaching that contestant by pushing a button that spins their chair around to face the contestant.

For his blind audition, Evans performed the song “What’s Going On,” originally by Marvin Gaye, adding his own style. Near the end of the song, Aguilera pushed the button on her chair in attempt to claim him for her team. Aguilera remained unopposed in her claim as Evans finished his audition.
“I told the producer right before ‘if I get picked by one of these coaches, it’s going to be in the last 10 seconds of the song,’” Evans said.

His relief at being chosen to move on in the competition was coupled with the realization of what was in his immediate future, the next stage of the competition, Evans said. The next stage is known simply as “Battles.”

“Which is where each coach has to cut the team in half,” Evans said. “So what’s next is singing a duet with one of my teammates and one of us going home.”

The contestants who make it through the various competitions geared toward narrowing down the teams move on to the final stage, “The Live Rounds.” This portion of the competition allows the viewers to vote on their favorite contestant to determine who will win the competition, according to the website.

Evans is enjoying his chance to get to know Aguilera, his coach for the competition.

“She’s bold about what she stands for and believes … I think that’s something that I can do, you know, tied to my faith,” Evans said.

“She also thinks outside the box. She tries to create things that are way outside the box. I want to start approaching my career that way, outside the traditional Christian box.”

The most exciting part of his experience on “The Voice” so far has been putting his faith into practice, specifically in the relationship that he has established with Aguilera, according to Evans.

Evans graduated from Liberty University in 2000 with a degree in youth ministries. During his time at Liberty, he traveled with the Sounds of Liberty ministry team. Later, Evans said he toured with gospel artist Kirk Franklin.

Assistant professor of voice Patricia Campbell, Evans’ vocal coach from his time at Liberty, is thrilled at his accomplishment on “The Voice.”

“It’s really great to turn on the TV and see him,” Campbell said.

“He was warming up back stage, and they did show him doing scales … It was fun, it showed him doing warm ups that we had done,” Campbell said.

Campbell coached Evans through private lessons while he toured with Sounds of Liberty.

“When he started with me, he had only sung mostly gospel contemporary music,” Campbell said.

She helped expand his horizons by adding pop and classical music to his list, though he stretched her abilities as well, according to Campbell.

These very fast runs that embellish the melody were something that Evans was very good at and he would occasionally attempt to get his coach to imitate him instead of vice versa, according to Campbell.

Campbell looks forward to watching Evans as he makes his way through the competition.

Along with focusing on his role in the competition, Evans is also releasing a new album he made prior to his appearance on “The Voice” on March 6. He had put the release of the album on hold due to his involvement with the show, according to Evans.

Regardless of the outcome of the competition, Evan’s life in the music industry will continue on the path he is traveling. His singing, song writing and leading worship will continue.

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