Advertisement
Being surrounded by talented singers could have made Johnnie Kapua, who’s a member of Team Kelly, question what he had to offer. Instead, his experience on The Voice helped him recognize his strengths and consider a future in music more seriously.
Read more: Johnnie Kapua Was “Terrified”—Then Came His ‘The Voice’ Breakthrough With Kelly ClarksonJohnnie Kapua performed a memorable rendition of Bruno Mars’ “Die with a Smile” for his Blind Audition. Although he appeared confident during the Blinds, he had his share of nerves. “I was terrified actually,” said Kapua, a New Zealand native who resides with his family in Utah. “But I started realizing like, ‘Hey man, all I can do at this point before I gon on stage is just do my best (and) make myself proud.”
Both Kelly Clarkson and Queen Latifah turned their chairs within seconds, but even with that immediate praise, Kapua surprisingly didn’t see himself as a top flight singer.
“I think I have a lot of insecurities when It comes to singing,” said Kapua, whose wife entered him on the competition. “I never really thought of myself as like, ‘Oh, I’m a singer.’ So to be able to have someone like Kelly and Queen Latifah turn their chairs, but also get a first in was . . . they didn’t show this on the actual episode, but I was so awkward because I was like, ‘Oh, what just happened?’ It was very surreal. But they did a good job in cutting it so I didn’tlook so awkwared on TV.”
Meeting artists with different styles gave the Team Kelly contestant a new perspective on his own voice. There were country singers, rock performers, and soulful vocalists, and Kapua understood how that environment could feel intimidating.
“What I started realizing … I can see how people can get maybe timid because everybody’s just so good,” he said. “But what I learned for me personally is, like, ‘Okay, I can lean into things that I’m good at.’ Everybody has their own mixture of how they sing.”
The experience also prompted Kapua to think beyond the competition. Hearing what other artists had sacrificed to pursue music made an impression. That commitment encouraged Kapua to reconsider his own possibilities.
“I think that made me think more about, ‘Okay, like I need to take myself seriously,’” he said. “Maybe I can make something out of this.”
Since returning home, his wife has continued encouraging him to move forward. Kapua said he has been making connections while preparing for opportunities to sing in front of an audience.
“For me, I’m just gonna take it one step at a time,” he explained. “Making these connections with people that have influence and then, obviously, physically going out and singing in front of people … it’s a good start for me.”
Those connections are also part of what surprised him most about The Voice. Despite being in a competition, Kapua found friendships with artists who wanted to support one another.
“It’s not just like, ‘Oh, we’re competing against one another,’” he said. “It’s like, ‘Man, we experienced this together, and we’re wishing each other the best.’”
