Chris is the guy who seemed to have stumbled onto the wrong show when he started singing “Because We Believe” in Italian.
But regardless of the language, his vocals were impressive enough to prompt Cee Lo and Christina to turn their chairs around.
Chris normally sings in English, of course. He has two EPs on iTunes, one from 2009 and one from October. The former includes a pop/classical take on “Heartless.”
A 29-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, Chris get a degree in opera from Vanderbilt, then left for Europe when he landed a role in an Italian opera.
His website bio tells us he started playing piano and singing at a young age and realized music was in his blood when he found some old recording he thought were Sinatra, only to discover they’d been recorded by his grandfather.
And while his friends were listening to rock and country, Chris writes that he immersed himself in Pavarotti, Robbie Williams and vintage Sinatra. On Facebook, he refers to himself as a pop/classical artist — “Josh Groban meets Robbie Williams.”
If “Because We Believe” seemed like a strange song to audition with on The Voice, there’s a reason for that, Chris explained.
“This is my voice and it’s been hard for me,” he told the judges. “I’ve been at it for a while, and I’ve tried to shrink my voice down to fit. But I decided for this show, I was going to just sing like myself.”
You can hear more of Chris singing like himself on his YouTube channel. And here are two songs from that 2011 EP.
On Twitter, he is IamChrisMann.
“In Testa Solo Te”
“Falling”
The Voice audition — “Because We Believe”
[...] week, Tony Lucca, Rae Lynn, Chris Mann, Cheesa, Jordis Unga and Jesse Campbell earned spots in the live [...]
[...] The four singers from Team Christina — Lindsey Pavao, Chris Mann, Jesse Campbell and Ashley De La Rosa — will each perform a solo [...]
[...] 4. Chris Mann: The guy has a brilliant voice, but he also has an operatic approach and the misfortune of being on the competition’s most talented team. Put him on Team Blake and he should, without doubt, advance. His “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was a highlight in the live opener. He displayed his vocal power on “Power of Love” in the battle round, defeating Monique Benabou. [...]
[...] Team Christina, we’ll hear from Lindsey Pavao, Chris Mann, Jesse Campbell and Ashley De La [...]
[...] Chris Mann (public’s pick) Lindsey Pavao (mentor’s save) [...]
OMG! All I can say is WOW,WOW,WOW !!!
I googled Chris’s ep’s to see what he had previously done and I could’nt tear myself away as with all of his songs. I followed him on The Voice and fell in love with him. I’ve kept all the episodes and watch them over and over. Can’t wait till Oct. when his albums come out. Please tour to Australia !!!
LUV U CHRIS