Host Carson Daly called it a “finale performance,” while Blake Shelton said, “Dude, the stage levitated. What else do I have to say?” Gwen Stefani was so overwhelmed by the performance she was laughing, and she explained, joking, “I’m pretty sure he was lip syncing on that one. There was no way that that was real. We were moved to laughter. We can’t take it seriously that you can sing that good. That was unbelievable.” And Omar’s coach, John Legend, bragged, “Omar can do it! I just feel like as a coach I sit and try to dream up what new challenge I can issue to Omar because Omar can do it. Whatever note you need him to hit, whatever note you need him to hold at the end of the song, Omar can do it!” When Omar first suggested to John that he wanted to sing “My Heart Will Go On,” John was surprised. He said, “I was not expecting Omar to suggest this song, but he showed me a few different versions he liked online and I was OK, ‘I see the vision.’” The overwhelmingly positive response to his performance was proof that Omar’s vision definitely worked, as he explained, “It is really difficult to turn a female song into a male song because of the tonal flavor that the female voice adds but I’m up for the challenge.” Later on a Zoom chat after the show, Omar explained to Parade, “There’s something that a female voice offers that a male voice can’t and a lot of times that is sincerity, being sincere and being soft spoken. I am a true belter. It was really difficult finding a place where I could start soft and sincere, delicate, and then reach a place where I can be myself as a belter. It’s a tall order.” It took a lot of arranging, so Omar spent most of his rehearsal time with John talking about arrangements, key changes, and the tonal center of the song. “We spent a lot of time tweaking and tweaking and not as much time singing,” he said. “But it was really helpful. John and Paul Mirkovich, our musical director, got the song to a really good place where I felt confident. They understood where I was trying to go with the song so they got it there.” Omar and his girlfriend FaceTimed immediately after his performance and Omar said, “She’s over the moon.” Which made it all worth it. Omar definitely met the challenge of singing “My Heart Will Go On,” and now he just has to wait to see if America votes him into The Voice finale. As for a possible album in his future, he’s still figuring that out. “I haven’t really honed in on a genre yet but as long as it’s music that uplifts people and talks about love and bringing people together, that sort of message, I am down with that,” he said. Working with Legend has been a blessing for Omar, because he feels, “John hears where my heart is and where my passion is and he understands it very well, so he has definitely brought out a side of me that I forgot.” The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Next, Make Your Voice Heard! How To Vote on The Voice Season 22
