Domenic Haynes is the 18 year old from Tampa that has taken this season of the Voice by storm. It took Adam Levine only four seconds to turn his chair around and he also pressed the Block button to stop any of the other judges stealing him for their team. Here are ten things you may not know about the man who is already tipped to be the winner of season sixteen.
1. He Compared The Feeling Of Going On Stage To Preparing For A Race
Domenic was a runner in high school and this experience helped him before the blind auditions. He said that he felt the same kind of adrenaline rush before going on stage that he used to get before he would race. This familiar feeling helped to settle his nerves.
2. He Only Graduated From High School Last Year
He is eighteen years old and only graduated from Alonso High School last summer. It is easy to forget how young he is when you listen to him sing. He was heavily involved with athletics until he picked up an injury that stopped him competing.
3. His Favorite Genre Is Jazz
He has a very eclectic taste in music but jazz has always been his favorite genre. He names Coltrane and Chet Baker as two of his favorite acts and he is inspired by jazz music as a whole. He is also a big fan of soul music which is why he choose to sing a Leon Bridges song for his audition.
4. His Parents Are Both Very Athletic
It always seemed that he would have a future in the sporting industry due to the influence of his parents. His mother was a track star at the University of Southern California and his father played professional football in Europe. They both now work as real estate agents.
5. He Was Working Towards An Athletic Scholarship
While he was still in high school he planned to attend USC Thornton School of Music through an athletic scholarship. This would have allowed him to combine his two passions but his injury put an end to this plan. He has not ruled out attending college at some point in the future if his music career does not work out.
6. He Has Experience Performing In Front Of Others
Even though his focus during high school was mainly in athletics, he did participate in some music events where he had to perform in front of a crowd. In 2016 he took part in the Grammy Museum’s Music Revolution Project at Ruth Eckerd Hall, which is not something that just anyone can take part in. He had also performed at a few open mic nights locally.
7. He Had Not Long Returned From Europe Before Auditioning
After he finished high school he went travelling in Europe for a short period. While he was overseas he did some singing work in bars to earn a bit of extra money. When he got back to the United States he decided to carry on travelling for a while and he actually auditioned for The Voice in the first instance in Atlanta.
8. He Was Compared To Ray LaMontagne By Kelly Clarkson
After his blind audition Kelly Clarkson told him that he was a natural-born storyteller. She also compared him to folk star Ray LaMontagne who is known for his distinctive voice.
9. He Was In Panama When The Audition Episode Aired
When the episode showing his audition aired he was with his brother in Panama, visiting his grandmother. He was not able to watch the show as it was live on US TV but he watched the footage later on YouTube. He also kept up with reaction to his performance on Twitter and Instagram.
10. He Did Not Expect To Progress Beyond The Auditions
When he was invited to attend the blind auditions he did feel nervous and wondered whether he should take part or not. However, he decided to go because regardless of how he got on, the experience would help him as he pursued his music career. He is genuinely surprised at the reaction he has been getting because he didn’t even think that he would get through.
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