Richland County man ‘Earned It’ to make the cut on ‘The Voice’
A Midlands man is one of the competitors on this season of “The Voice,” and he “Earned It” to make it on the hit NBC TV show.
Camm Wess wowed the celebrity coaches with his rendition of the hit song “Earned It,” by The Weekend.
The Dreher High alum, and Winthrop University student, performed the song featured in the movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” during the blind auditions portion of the show, now in its 18th season.
The Hopkins native was so impressive both John Legend and Blake Shelton turned around in their chairs to offer him a spot on their teams, video shows.
“Cam, you came in with your own style. It just felt like you were an artist, and a force to be reckoned with on this show,” Legend said.
Ultimately the 22-year-old chose to go with Team Legend, saying he is so influenced by the singer.
In spite of his affinity for Legend, Shelton said “I would love to be your coach and get you to the finale of this show.”
The coaches, including Kelly Clarkson and Nick Jonas, were so impressed by Wess that they sang “Happy Birthday” to him when he said he was about to turn 22.
Like Legend, Wess plays the piano, and he got his start signing in the choir, according to NBC. He was a member of the choir at Winthrop.
He’s so dedicated to his music career that Wess has put college on hold while he chases that dream, NBC reported.
“HUGE thank you to everyone for all of your support and kind words!” Wess said on Facebook.
His parents, a registered nurse and an Army Ranger, were looking on during Wess’ performance.
As a child, they pushed him to play sports, and wrestled in addition to having aspirations of making it to the NBA, according to NBC. But an injury in high school changed his trajectory, and Wess put his focus on music, NBC said.
His choice might have been a good one, as TV Line said Wess “could be a contender.”
“I think you’re so talented, I can’t wait to see what you do,” said Clarkson.
