Olivia P Tucker
Times Reporter
Austin native Jackson Snelling advanced past the blind auditions on NBC’s ‘The Voice’ that aired on last Monday, Sept. 25.
‘The Voice’ is a singing competition television show that is known for four musical celebrities who select contestants to be on their own without knowing what the individuals look like, they physically turn their chairs to choose a team to compete. These celebrities mentor their chosen teams throughout the competition until there is one winner.
The celebrities for this season include Reba McEntire, Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani and John Legend.
For his audition Snelling performed the country song “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away” by Justin Moore in honor of his late father, turning the chair of both McEntire and Stefani. Snelling eventually came to the hard decision of choosing McEntire as his mentor.
“It was actually kind of a really hard choice for me, you know as a country artist, I feel I would stand out on Miss Gwen’s team,” he said, “but you know when Reba turned her chair— growing up listening to her, my mom and my dad being huge fans, me being a huge fan. I mean was kind of like she turned (for me). I couldn’t not go with her.”
This is not the first time Snelling has appeared on a televised singing competition. He auditioned for ABC’s ‘American Idol’ in 2021.
“American Idol prepped me a little bit in terms of getting in front of celebrities and singing for your life,” said Snelling, “I mean I wasn’t so nervous about the performance, I was nervous about the outcome.”
Snelling said that he wanted to make the performance on ‘The Voice’ about him and his family, knowing that he had a chance to perform and felt that the performance he gave was a solid one.
Music has also been an impactful part of Snelling’s life since childhood, he said that he and his brother Dawson are both on the spectrum of autism. Their parents were told that Dawson would not be able to function in society by doctors. However, despite the odds, Snelling helped stimulate his brother’s brain to be able to speak by singing to him.
“I want people to know they can do anything that they put their mind to especially people out there who have autism like I do.” said Snelling, “ I want them to know that, yes, it is a disability but it shouldn’t disable you from going after your dreams. Because if I can do it, they can too.”
To follow along with Snelling’s journey, ‘The Voice’, airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC.