Cd'A singer wows 'The Voice'

Jacob Maxwell is finding his voice, in more ways than one.

On Monday night’s episode of “The Voice,” a singing competition show that airs on NBC, the 20-year-old musician from Coeur d’Alene earned a spot on John Legend’s team during a blind audition.

“The process of the show is just so exhilarating,” Maxwell said. “There’s so much pressure that you can almost make up that your life depends on this, but in all reality, it was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had in my life.”

Maxwell once wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather and go into law enforcement. But when he picked up a guitar at age 12 and joined a worship team at his church a year later, he said he felt called to focus on music.

To that end, he decided to put off college and instead waited tables while performing at venues around Coeur d’Alene. Auditioning for “The Voice” is a dream come true, he said.

For the blind audition, Maxwell performed Taylor Swift’s “Delicate.” He said he chose the song in part because he liked the idea of covering a song originally by a female musician.

“I wanted to branch out and do something more interesting that people would notice more,” he said. “I wanted to do something memorable.”

Just seconds into his performance, both John Legend and Kelly Clarkson turned their chairs to face Maxwell, indicating their interest in mentoring him. Clarkson said his performance moved her, while Legend described Maxwell’s voice as “heavenly.”

“I felt like I could conquer the world,” Maxwell said, recalling the moment when the two Grammy-winning artists turned to face him. “The rest of the song, I was having a blast.”

With two celebrity judges in front of him, Maxwell said he knew he wanted to go for a big note at the end of his performance.

“It was uplifting,” he said. “It felt like my career began.”

Ultimately, Maxwell chose Legend to be his coach on “The Voice.”

“John is an amazing coach,” he said. “He has this way to be really calm and really blunt, so he can tell you exactly what you need to hear, but it doesn’t come across in a domineering way … He’s going to take good care of Team Legend.”

Now that he’s made it through the blind auditions, Maxwell will face the “Battle Rounds,” in which each coach chooses two team members to perform together, then chooses one to advance in the competition.

Maxwell said he hopes to show his range and adaptability to audiences across America and at home in Coeur d’Alene.

“I’m hoping the battle rounds will be a continuous upward growth of me improving and showing my ability,” he said.

Support from the community has been tremendous, Maxwell said. The greatest support has come from his close-knit family, with whom he used to watch singing competitions like “The Voice” on a weekly basis.

“We’ve dreamed of this for me together,” Maxwell said. “They’re so proud of me and they’re unbelievably supportive. I feel a lot of backup to fall on, should I fail or should I win.”

“The Voice” airs at 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC.