Tate Brusa first made us swoon during the blind auditions with his incredible rendition of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect.” Even though he’s just 16 years old, Tate definitely held his own performing the song. Both Nick Jonas and Blake Shelton recognized Tate’s talents and wanted him on their team. In the end, Tate went with Team Nick. So, who is Tate Brusa? Here’s what you need to know before he performs during The Voice battle rounds.
1. Nick Jonas actually performed with Tate Brusa after his blind audition. Nick got up and went to the stage to give Tate some advice about his voice and how to open it up more. Tate sang briefly while Nick played the guitar. After that, Blake didn’t have a chance! Tate was totally Team Nick at that point.
2. He’s performed at the Sundance Film Festival. Tate, who hails from Salt Lake City, had a 6-day set at the prestigious film festival last year, according to his NBC bio.
3. He’s already become friends with some of his fellow contestants! Tate is friends with Michael Williams and Levi Watkins, who are also competing on The Voice. Michael posted some Instagram photos with Tate and Levi. “Love hanging with these super talented and goofy guys,” Michael wrote. Even though they’re competitors, they’re also going to walk away with lifelong friends!
4. He damaged his vocal cords when he was a kid. Tate’s voice definitely has a raspy tone to it. He told Deseret News that the raspy quality “comes from his early childhood days of constantly screaming and annoying his two older sisters.”
5. Other than his family, only one other person knew where he was when he went to audition. Tate was gone for a period of time so he could compete on the show, which meant that he had to miss school. Only his high school principal knew where Tate really was — not even his teachers knew! However, he still had to do his homework!