Singer, actor, and motivational speaker Rayshun Lamarr triumphed over an illness that almost cost him his hearing, sight, and voice to become one of the semi-finalists on the 14th season of The Voice USA in 2018. His soulful blind audition of Journey’s classic rock anthem ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ turned the chairs of soul queen Alicia Keys and multi-million-selling Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine. He joined the latter’s team and made it to within touching distance of the finale. Since then, he has performed at numerous NFL and NBA half-time shows and released plenty of music, including 2020’s BLM-inspired ‘Time 4 Change’, which became a top-ten World Music Chart hit. His debut album, Can’t Hold Back is out in 2021.
Lamarr was born in North Carolina. He discovered his natural affinity for singing as a child, performing at his local church. A deep love of music and God have driven everything he has done since. When his family relocated to Washington D.C., he attended the prestigious Duke Ellington School of the Arts, going on to major in Vocal Jazz at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. After graduating, he auditioned for a role in the Broadway production of The Lion King and got as far as the call-back stage, inspiring him to dedicate himself to musical theatre.
In 2012, however, he was diagnosed with Lymphoma. The illness took him three years to recover from, and it was his faith in God and the Journey song that would win him his place on The Voice that gave him the strength to battle through – even when the illness temporarily left him partially dead, blind, and unable to speak. He is long fully-recovered and enjoying life to the full.
