Montgomery native JB Somers had a 'huge, beautiful moment' on 'The Voice'

People who know and love Montgomery native JB Somers were probably the least surprised by his blind audition song choice for NBC’s “The Voice.”

The writing on Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You” floored Somers the first time he heard it.

“I’ve been playing it since I was 19,” said Somers, 31, a pop vocalist who previously told the Advertiser that Mitchell’s works are what put him on track as a songwriter with substance. “It was an awesome opportunity to play it on such a large stage, and I pray I did Joni Mitchell proud.”

He did something right. The Nashville resident’s rendition of “A Case of You” moved both celebrity coaches Kelly Clarkson and Chance the Rapper to turn their chairs. That didn’t distract Somers, though. For him, the blind auditions were blind as well.

“Honestly, I had my eyes closed for most of it, so I wouldn’t get nervous,” Somers said. “But when I did open my eyes and saw that Kelly Clarkson had turned around, I felt immense relief come over me, and excitement as well. And then when Chance the Rapper turned, I was even more excited. It was a huge, beautiful moment that I’ll always remember.”

Beautiful, yes, but it wasn’t a calm performance at all.

“Emotions were racing. I was nervous as heck. Excited,” Somers said. “It was a lot of adrenaline.”

Somers, who went to Montgomery Academy with his brother and sister, has very personal motivation to do well. His sister’s death in 2016 is what made him choose a career in music.

“I just wanted to honor my sister, and I wanted to do a good job to represent my family and my hometown,” Somers said.

He offered his thanks to everyone back in Montgomery who have been supportive and have given him opportunities since he was a child.

Why Somers went with Team Kelly

While Team Kelly was Somers’ first choice before the audition, he said Chance the Rapper made a really good offer that he almost accepted.

“Chance gave (Clarkson) a run for her money with his pitch to me,” Somers said. “The fact that he was focusing more on my artistry, and it was close. It was a close call.”

In the end, Somers picked Clarkson because of her singing competition history.  “She’d have a lot of tips and wisdom for me,” he said.

What Somers said he hopes people take away from his appearances on “The Voice” is that he’s not just a singer. He’s an artist.

“I’m a songwriter, and I try to live that throughout my life,” he said. “Also, the way that I sing on stage, even though I’m singing covers, I just want people to know that my music and my songwriting is what really drives my decisions and how I perform.”

That will continue to be with a pop sound, he said.

“I am pursuing more of a dance pop kind of vibe moving forward,” said Somers, who has been in Nashville for about three years.  Over the past couple of months, he said he’s performed a ton of live shows there, including writers rounds.

“This feels more and more like home every day,” Somers said of Music City.

Somers said his 2022 debut single “There For Me” has been doing really well.

“I’ve been writing a bunch of songs,” he said. “I’m really excited for after the show, when I can release some music. We’ll see what happens. I’ve been working the past couple of months with some of my closest friends. I’m hoping to release a couple of singles and an EP in the summertime.”

“The Voice” airs Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.

“I want to make a career out of this,” Somers said. “I know that the show will catapult me forward.”

A whole lot of Montgomery on ‘The Voice’

Something really unique about season 23 of “The Voice” is how much Montgomery is represented — four contestants are linked to the “Capital of Dreams."

Somers and Ryley Tate Wilson, 15, are both Montgomery natives. D.Smooth, 25, lives in Montgomery, and is a native of Mulga, a town just north of Birmingham. Jerome Godwin III, 20, is a native of Ashford, who lives in Montgomery and is a pre-dentistry student at Auburn University Montgomery.

“It was wild meeting Ryley Tate for the first time,” Somers said. “His mother was with him when we were out there for the audition process. We got to speaking about Montgomery, and it was cool to reminisce on similarities. And then we found out that they actually live off the same street, in the same neighborhood that my parents live in as well. That was wild to see how small the world is.”

The four are divided evenly between Team Kelly (Somers and D.Smooth), and Niall Horan’s team (Wilson and Godwin).

Somers said this season of “The Voice” is a testament to the dormant musical talent in Montgomery.

“It’s a beautiful thing to be on and share that with these guys,” Somers said.

Montgomery Advertiser reporter Shannon Heupel covers things to do in the River Region. Contact him at sheupel@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery native JB Somers had huge, beautiful moment on 'The Voice'