Region sees recent success on 'The Voice': Yuba City's own Talakai joins John Legend's team for season 24

Oct. 24—An American reality TV series known as "The Voice" has brought a whirlwind of attention to the greater Sacramento region this past year.

It started in May when Gina Miles of Sacramento was declared the winner of season 23 after showcasing her vocal abilities in a series of competitive rounds and battling duets. Miles, now 19, is originally from Paxton, Illinois, but moved to pursue music and live with her aunt in Sacramento during her junior year of high school.

"It's something that has always called me. I never really wanted to do anything else," said Miles.

Miles gained some relatively modest exposure while singing at various small gigs and shops with her father who works as a DJ, but her first major onstage performance took place at the Hard Rock Cafe inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain in Wheatland.

"It was so fun. I feel like I really found my love for entertaining when I did those shows," said Miles. "When you do it for bars and hotels and stuff like that people aren't really there to see you or see live music, you're kind of just in the background, and so that was the first experience I had where I really got to entertain, so it felt transformative. Hard Rock is really good with artists and wanting to promote local talent, so I feel like that's pretty special."

These inaugural performances took place in January 2022 and just last weekend Miles returned to sing at the Hard Rock's annual Pinktober gala to benefit the Sutter Health Cancer Center.

"My grandma had breast cancer, so it's something that's very close to me and I also think it's an important cause to draw people's awareness too," added Miles.

Miles believes her time at Hard Rock helped prepare her for "The Voice," a gig she miraculously landed with just one audition attempt. She said the coaching she received from Niall Horan has worked to boost her confidence and calm her nerves.

"I think the biggest piece of advice that he ever gave me that I talk about constantly is that being prepared is the best way to combat your nerves," explained Miles. "This can mean going over things over and over and over again until it's muscle memory so even if you are nervous, your body will just remember because you've done it so many times. It's easier to put yourself at peace when you know that you've put in all the work."

Last year, Hard Rock hosted another prominent Sacramento native, Shane Quidachay, better known as Shane Q, a top-10 finalist from The Voice season 17.

Quidachay went to Rio Linda High School with one of the latest local singers to break headlines on "The Voice," DeAngelo Watson, known onstage as Talakai.

"I would see him all the time just jamming in the hallways. He always had a guitar," laughed Watson. "He's always had the drive and then the courage to actually be vocal and

I always admired him for chasing his dreams."

Watson's voice and face broke out across the airwaves on Oct. 2 after his blind audition premiered on NBC. His looks have frequently been compared to John Legend, a Grammy award winning R&B artist who joined "The Voice" as one of its four celebrity coaches during season 16. He was still taken aback, however, when Legend was the first to turn his chair around during Watson's rendition of "Stay with Me" by Sam Smith.

"I was shocked, looking across at him, it was like we could be brothers," said Watson.

Accompanying him to the audition was Watson's mother Lisa, from Plumas Lake, and his husband of six years, Alejandro. The name Talakai is a tribute to Watson's Polynesian ancestry, a part which was nearly lost during his tumultuous youth.

"When I went into foster care, I had got my name changed and a way for me to get back to my roots, and kind of keep that part of me was by making it my stage name," explained Watson. "To me, it means resilience."

Watson lived with his mother in Plumas Lake during his senior year in high school and last year he purchased a home in Yuba City. His first job was at the old KFC and A&W in Linda followed by a brief stint at the Yuba Sutter Marketplace. One of his most memorable connections to the community may have been his time working at Rhythm 105.9 KRYC radio.

"I had got the opportunity to work directly with the owner of the radio station and we had a little segment on Tuesdays and Mondays where we'd create little content pieces before content was really a thing," said Watson. "During that time, I got to put my own song in rotation called 'Beautiful Creation.'"

Now, Watson works as a server at the Tower Cafe in Sacramento and has been enjoying his new found fame among the customers. He gets to keep his day job here in between flying out for various coaching sessions and filmings of "The Voice."

It took Watson three separate auditions to land this coveted spot, his first being in 2015, then again in San Francisco in 2019, and finally a virtual audition in 2021. His dream is to become a full-fledged musician/entertainer and he encourages others to pursue their goals as well.

"If you have passion and a dream, then you should by all means chase it and no matter what anybody says or if anybody doubts you, just continue to believe in yourself and push it," said Watson.

To learn more about Watson or to hear some of his original music, search "talakaiofficial" on social media and other popular music streaming platforms. In the meantime, locals can keep an eye on his progression through "The Voice" during regular episodes airing on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC and Peacock.