Sandy native earns spot on The Voice

SALT LAKE CITY — EJ Michels, a Sandy native, has earned a spot as a contestant on The Voice.

KSL’s Tamara Vaifanua sat down with the singer- songwriter where he shared more about his journey to the national stage.

The 31-year-old is relieved to finally tell family and friends about his experience.

“I no longer have to keep the secret. I can tell everyone!”

For his blind audition, Michels performed “Easy on me” by singer Adele.

Two judges turned their chairs around, first, Chance the Rapper and then country singer, Blake Shelton.

In the end, he chose Team Blake.

“I think everyone was shocked and like what? You’re not even a country singer,” Michels said. I loved how he pretty much came on to my authenticity.”

Michels is no stranger to performing in front of big audiences. For the past eight years, he’s toured with his band, Foreign Figures.

“We played love loud in their third year, and at the Usana Amphitheatre where Kesha headlined. There were 20,00 people there,” he said.

With that experience and training as a vocal coach, Michels first auditioned for the voice back in 2014.

“I had sung two songs, and they were immediately like no.”

It would take two more tries, before finally getting a yes. He channeled his “inner Adele” and it paid off.

“If you would have told me I’d be singing her hit lead single of her album 30 on the voice stage a year after it came out, I wouldn’t believe you,” he said.

The platform allows him to share his story and inspire others.

“I came out in 2018 and coming from the state of Utah, that was really hard for me growing up. Inclusivity is really big for me. I really want people to feel with my music a sense of acceptance.”

You can watch the voice tonight on KSL-TV at 7 p.m.