'The Voice' Season 18: Soldier Samuel Wilco's 'Lately' steals hearts, picks Nick Jonas because his kids love him
After being in the army for two decades, Samuel Wilco has decided to continue serving his country with a career in music. And after hearing his voice, it seems like he was right to make that choice!
Samuel is currently stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky and has been deployed thrice - all to Kuwait. At 39, he is preparing to hang up his uniform next year and pursue his musical passion.
Samuel says his wife is his biggest supporter and is the one who encouraged him to audition. His kids also believe in him whole-heartedly - but they're in school and sadly couldn't be at the audition. He gives them a shout out and sends them his love.
What do his buddies at the army think of his new line of work? Well, it turns out, they predicted it. Samuel says they would often hear him sing at army shows and clubs, and he won 'best male vocalist' while at the army as well. Over time, he came to the realization that music was his calling. Even his drill sergeant would tell him he'd see him on TV some day - and the time has come!
Samuel says it would be his honor to make his country and army proud as he takes the stage. His song of choice is 'Lately', and Samuel's got a winning voice, right from the start. His vocals are clear, and not unlike something you'd find in a Broadway production. Bonus points for Samuel because Kelly loves this song. She later says it would be the song she'd pick if she ever had to audition on the show.
Samuel ended his song with the lyrics "Cause this time could mean goodbye" but it certainly isn't one for him! Right as Samuel hits a gorgeous big note he gets chair turns from Kelly and Nick. Kelly gets on her feet jamming along to this audition, and when the song finishes the crew once again tries to kill a coach by whipping the chairs back around too fast! "Y'all quit messin with me, I'm in heels!" yells out Kelly, evoking laughter all around.
"Congratulations, you're on the voice!" Blake Shelton calls out comically from behind his seat. When the chairs are finally fixed, the coaches learn a little more about Samuel, including his time in the army.
Speaking about where he's come from, Blake says to Samuel "You're more than ready for this..that's a heck of a journey." He doesn't try to sell Nick this time around though - that backfired the previous round!
Nick says Samuel has a lot of heart, adding that he curates playlists for his contestants and would love to work on song selection with Samuel.
So now it's time to choose. Samuel says he loves Kelly, but his kids love Nick - and so, he's Team Nick!
Nick is already crafting a playlist of classic R&B tunes specifically for Samuel, so this should be really interesting going forward.