Arroe Collins That Voice: A Decade With The Performers On NBC's The Voice

The youngest of eight siblings, Jamar grew up in a household where everybody sang. He and several of his siblings banded together to create a group called Addiction, but as he got older, he knew he wanted to go solo. With his family's support, he moved to Atlanta to pursue music full-time. To date, Jamar's biggest show was performing 10,000 people in Atlanta, opening for legendary R&B singers. Jamar is equally passionate about his role as a father and husband. Married to his wife just a year ago, the pair met six years ago at church. Jamar's stepson, Christian, played cupid, giving Jamar his mom's number before she could. He's incredibly grateful to have such a strong support system from his beautifully blended family that includes his daughter, son and stepson.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Before moving to Nashville, Walker was working as a CNC machinist. It didn't pay much, but he liked the job because it allowed him to gig in the evenings and on weekends. Walker decided to move to Nashville and pursue music in 2021 and now works as a bouncer at a downtown bar. After being hired, he quickly realized he could use this job to network with other musicians. The best part of the job has been getting to know the house band. They've asked Walker to sing with them a couple of times when he's not working, giving him a unique foot in the door in a city known for being tough to find a break.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Growing up in Canton, Mich., Grace would walk up and down the aisles at Toys "R" Us with a toy guitar, sing at church and every family holiday, and listen to Johnny Cash on fishing trips with her dad. Grace's grandfather shared his love of playing the guitar with her at a young age, leading her to write her own songs and play shows locally. Her performances caught the attention of Mucho Love publishing company in Nashville and signed Grace as a songwriter at 16 years old. After moving to Nashville with her family in 2021, Grace continues to write and perform. Grace keeps in touch with her friends, boyfriend and family in Michigan while continuing to chase her dreams in Music City.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

D.Smooth was about to take the stage at the Season 21 Blind Auditions when the teams filled up. Looking back, he's grateful he didn't get a chance to perform at a time when he wasn't giving 100% to music. D.Smooth grew up in the rural countryside of Birmingham, Alabama and his entire extended family all lived on the same street. He feels blessed that his family was close by to keep him grounded. In high school, D.Smooth was a singer in the jazz band, but even though he loved music, his main focus was sports. He played football, baseball, and basketball. He would often sing the national anthem and then run to the field to play a game. Now that he's back at The Voice, he's ready to give music his all.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

As a first-generation American, Kala wouldn't be where she is today without her Australian roots and Filipino culture. At big family gatherings, Kala's Lola would ask her to sing for everyone, rewarding her granddaughter with $5 following each performance. That upbringing eventually led Kala to pursue music wherever she could - singing in her high school jazz band, leading worship in church and joining a competitive collegiate a cappella group. Since graduating from university, Kala has been working as a public relations account executive and supports media relations for tech companies in the music industry. The busy nature of her career has put performing on the back burner, but now Kala is looking for the opportunity to break into the music industry.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Berritt spent his early childhood playing every sport, but sadly at eight years old he was diagnosed with a heart condition. It was discovered that Berritt had HCM, a disease in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick and has to beat harder to compensate for normal blood flow. Doctor's orders forced him to give up on sports, but luckily his parents enrolled him in guitar lessons and music quickly became his saving grace. Berritt started to blossom as an artist, but at 17 he had to undergo open-heart surgery to save his life. Make-A-Wish was going to allow Berritt to meet "The Voice" Coaches, but the COVID-19 pandemic sidelined that opportunity. Berritt decided to audition instead and made it to "The Voice" stage on talent alone.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Ryleigh’s childhood was filled with recitals, choir, and a lot of karaoke. She was raised by a single mom, who was very supportive of her music, and went on to compete in an a cappella group in high school. Although Ryleigh always felt at peace on stage, school was a different story. She was bullied and went through severe depression, but now has a new lease on life with the support of her loved ones. Outside of her main focus on music, she enjoys dabbling in fashion and makeup and loves yoga and journaling. After high school Ryleigh shaved her head, fully embracing her edgy, artistic self, and is finally realizing her dream of being on “The Voice”.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Growing up in Bothell (30 minutes from Seattle), Jaeden plays multiple gigs a week at one of the hundreds of wineries near his hometown. Playing guitar and writing songs at just 9, Jaeden wrote a song for a man that went to his family’s church who was dying of cancer. Jaeden sang the song at his funeral and knew he wanted to stay on a path that allowed him to help others with his gift. Several years ago, he wrote a song called “Beautiful.” The song was later recognized by the National Eating Disorder Association in its official outreach series. Jaeden loves that he can use music to bring good to the world, and he hopes he can achieve more of that on “The Voice” stage.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Thank you for being part of the conversation. This is Play It Forward. Real people. Real stories. The struggle to Play It Forward Episode 554 With Andrew Igbokidi From NBC’s The Voice Andrew comes from a musical family. Andrew's parents moved here from Nigeria when his mom took a physician's residency in Chicago. Andrew is a first-generation American, but fully embraces the Nigerian culture by making their delicious food, having strong family ties, and by wearing Dashikis to special occasions. His great grandfather was the village chief in their home in Nigeria. Andrew is now following in his mother's footsteps by studying to become a doctor. He just completed his pre-med biology degree and got accepted into four medical schools, three of which offered him full scholarships. He doesn't think it will be an issue working 9-to-5 as a doctor and then hitting the stage right after to sing.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?

Gymani grew up in the church where both of her parents were ministers. Her entire family is musical so singing came to her naturally and she participated in chorus and band throughout school. She decided to pursue music in college and got accepted into Berklee College of Music, but sadly, wasn’t able to attend after falling on hard times financially. Last year, Gymani welcomed her second daughter and has been working two jobs to make ends meet as a single mom. Through it all, she never gave up on her music and has been gigging in the Atlanta area at various events. Gymani is ready to do music on a larger scale and hopes her time on “The Voice” will inspire her daughters to always follow their dreams.

If you could share a conversation with a seed before it becomes a tree would you speak of its future fruit or would it be all things right now?