By Zach Collier
If you tuned in to NBC’s The Voice this week, you experienced a cover of Adele’s “Easy On Me” brought to you by a prominent Provo musician. EJ Michels, known locally as the passionate frontman of Foreign Figures, shared his powerful voice with the world while accompanying himself on keys.
All four of the judges were visibly moved by his performance, sharing stank faces and comments with each other as he sang. He elicited a notable “Oh my gosh” from a stunned Kelly Clarkson and ultimately turned the chairs of Chance the Rapper and Blake Shelton. When introducing himself to the judges, Michels repped Utah with pride, and Chance encouraged America to visit Utah.
“I got a great ear for music, and I could tell you were an instrumentalist before I saw that you were on piano,” Chance said later, complimenting Michels on his distinct runs and beautiful upper-register.
Blake Shelton called his voice raw and honest. “There were times your voice was starting to break up a bit, and all that did was create an angst in the performance and emotionally had me on edge,” he said.
Kelly Clarkson called him incredible, and Niall Horan said he regretted not turning his chair. Ultimately, EJ Michels chose Blake Shelton as his coach for season 23 of The Voice. He joins past contestants like Ryan Innes, Amy Whitcomb, and Belle Jewel who also have Provo roots.
Make sure to follow EJ Michels and Foreign Figures on Instagram. You can catch The Voice on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 or online the next day on Peacock. You can watch his performance below.
Provo Music Magazine 