By Laura Araujo B
rian Nhira was a shy 4-year-old when he first took the stage. The son of an evangelist, Nhira
traveled to different churches each Sunday with his parents and three siblings. “We were at a little church in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, one week and they put me on stage and told me to sing ‘Jesus Love Me,’” he says. Young Nhira had no idea he would one day perform the same song on a national stage, before an audience of millions.
A Firm Foundation Nhira grew up in Tulsa,
Oklahoma. He enjoyed traveling with his family, and they would often sing together as they drove to different churches across the state. Though Nhira had always had a beautiful voice, it wasn’t until high school that he started to get serious about singing. Nhira’s father, Edwell Nhira, recalls that Nhira gave up his starting cornerback position on the Jenks High School football team in order to focus on music. While in high school, he participated in show choir and musical theater.
Nhira credits his vocal teachers, Larry Downey and Julie Hester, for helping to cultivate his gift. After graduation, Nhira attended Oral Roberts University (ORU) in
Tulsa. He used his musical talents to lead worship services at the ORU chapel. “When I saw him on that stage, I knew that God had called him,” Edwell Nhira says. During college, Nhira performed frequently in the Tulsa area and began to record music. By the time he graduated in the spring of 2014, he knew he wanted to pursue a career as a solo artist. He immediately hit the road, traveling and singing wherever he could. That fall he recorded his first al- bum, which released in 2015. During the recording process, Nhira hired his older brother Jasper Nhira, who has a master’s degree in business management, as his business director.
“In order to make this my career, I knew I had to have good business practices,” Nhira says. “Business is 90 percent of the process. It has been an integral part of my growth.”
It was shortly after the release of his album that NBC’s primetime singing
competition, The Voice, approached him. They had seen videos of Nhira singing on YouTube and invited him to attend an audition in Oklahoma
Nhira aspires to tour and to continue to challenge people through his music.
City, Oklahoma.
“I had auditioned once before while I was in college, but when they contact- ed me this time, I approached it light- heartedly and with excitement. I thought I would go and see what would happen. It couldn’t hurt,” he says. Nhira’s Oklahoma City audition was a success. He then flew to Los Angeles, California, to meet with Voice execu- tives who would make the final casting decisions. Soon, he received news that he would have the opportunity to sing on national television for The Voice’s Season 10 superstar coaches—Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Pharrell Williams and Adam Levine.
The Voice
Nhira decided to perform Williams’ song, “Happy,” for his audition piece. On March 6, 2016, with his entire fam- ily on set, Nhira took the stage. “I was very nervous. It was a big risk,
choosing to do Pharrell’s song, but I wanted to pick a song I liked that meant something,” Nhira says. As he sang, he remembers seeing the coaches’ huge red chairs, facing the
back wall of the auditorium, and wondering if they were really sitting there. The competition’s “blind auditions” give the coaches a chance to select members for their teams based solely on the quality of their voices. It’s only after a coach pushes their button to select a contestant for their team that their backward-facing chair spins toward the stage. The song went on, and none of the coaches pressed their buttons. He shifted his focus to entertaining the crowd and having fun. In the last seconds of the performance, two of the coaches, Shelton and
Williams, pushed their buttons to select Nhira for their teams. Nhira was relieved. With two potential coaches, Nhira was able to choose his team. This led to some conversation between Nhira and the coaches. Williams asked Nhira about his background, and Nhira recounted his first experience singing in church at age 4. Williams invited him to sing, “Jesus Loves Me.” His a cappella rendition of the familiar song brought Williams and the audience to their feet—and captured the hearts of millions more watching at home. Nhira picked Williams—one of his greatest inspirations—as his coach. “Pharrell is the producer of today. He’s so multi-faceted. I wanted to be exposed to that wide range of talent,” Nhira says. “I’m inspired by his hu- mility and longevity. His ability to stay grateful and not limit himself is what has carried him throughout his career.”
Continued on page 30 “I’ve always been in this long haul and I
never bank on one experience.” - BRIAN NHIRA
APRIL 2017 29
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