![\"Elyjuh\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/Elyjuh.jpg\")
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Photo courtesy of Elyjuh Rene.<\/em><\/p>\n When Long Beach native Elyjuh Rene hit the stage of NBC\u2019s The Voice<\/em>, the 18-year-old singer took on a song that most songstresses would avoid<\/a>, let alone a male singer: Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s \u201cXO.\u201d With a beautiful range and a deep register that brings about jealousy even within the most machismo of singers, his risky song choice earned him\u2014singing behind the four backs of musician gods who could not see him no less\u2014the adoration of Pharrell, who has guided and coached the young singer through the first part of the series before it goes live next week.<\/p>\n That\u2019s right: this impressive vocalist, whose stylings pull the strings of androgyny in way that might even make Sam Smith take notice, blasted through the blind auditions, the battle round (where he ousted Maiya Sykes through his particularly unique vocal tailoring<\/a> and earned the trust of, yet again, Pharrell) and the knockout rounds (where he sang a “technically perfect” version of Chris Brown\u2019s \u201cWith You\u201d<\/a> which, once again, got Pharrell to hold onto him).<\/p>\n Unlike most reality show contestants, particularly the singing competitions, Rene exudes a Long Beach sense of humility\u2014after all, this isn\u2019t his first attempt at getting recognized.<\/p>\n \u201cI started doing local competitions a long time ago,\u201d Rene said. \u201cI figured I should do these smaller shows and then go national. So first I went to [Fox’s] American Idol<\/em>\u2014that was a no. Then I went to [Fox’s] The X Factor<\/em>\u2014and got another no. When you get denied over and over, you can\u2019t help but worry or second-guess yourself. You can\u2019t help but wonder, \u2018Am I really meant for this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Rene\u2019s love for music has been a lifelong one, where he has fond memories of learning and memorizing songs\u2014as a three-year-old, mind you\u2014prancing around the house to perform at any chance possible. Though his home might have been his first stage, it was Long Beach’s Bibleway Baptist Church that became his musical homestead.<\/p>\n \u201cGospel and church have been the biggest influences in my life\u2014outside my Mom, of course,\u201d Rene said. \u201cGoing to church with my family just\u2026 It gave me a home. And a stage. I didn\u2019t feel like I ever had to be someone I wasn\u2019t and it allowed me to escape judging eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n The relationship Rene has with his mother and her support have been key in developing his success. They won over audiences when they appeared in matching white-and-black leopard print shirts for the blind auditions and have since shown that they work together: whenever Elyjuh is overwhelmed by the chance to continue in competition, his tears of shock are always accompanied by encouraging words from his mother.<\/p>\n \u201cMy Mom is an influence in and of herself,\u201d Rene said. \u201cShe\u2019s a singer herself so she has just been this rock of sorts, a force for me since day one. And every time I step onto a stage, there she is. I\u2019m not just doing this for me\u2026 We\u2019re gonna kill it together. Every time.\u201d<\/p>\n Rene\u2019s influences also seep into the secular, with soul classics like Luther Vandross and Marvin Gaye sitting right next Elyjuh\u2019s copies of Alicia Keys and Maxwell records. However, Rene remains adamant that R&B, though single-handedly what he naturally leans toward, will not be the only genre in his repertoire. From pop to jazz, rock to \u201cwhatever,\u201d Rene insists that there\u2019s nothing more boring than normal and the confines a box are precisely what artists need to escape.<\/p>\n \u201cI am a R&B\/Soul singer at heart; I grew up on it,\u201d Rene said. \u201cThere\u2019s this passion within R&B that just can\u2019t be found elsewhere\u2026 When you sing it, it\u2019s in your heart, it\u2019s this thing within your soul. But I am not going to limit myself. If Pharrell comes up and says, \u2018Hey I have a pop song,\u2019 I\u2019m gonna do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Whether Pharrell\u2019s interest in Rene is his talent, his quirky personality, his strangely captivating stage presence (or hell, all of the above), it could very well come down to how humble the artist is.<\/p>\n