Sheepshead Bay Native Bryan Bautista Among Finalists On ‘The Voice’
https://youtu.be/5MeEAI3uV9g
It looks like we have another hometown hero.
Sheepshead Bay native Bryan Bautista, who less than a year ago was working as an usher at the Barclays Center, is now among the finalists on this season of “The Voice.” The native son of our neighborhood became a viral sensation in 2014 when he sang the National Anthem at a Nets game while wearing his usher’s uniform. Now he’s edging out other competitors on the nationally televised singing show.
The New York Post recently profiled the 23-year-old singer about his success on the show and how he found his way into the limelight.
Bautista told the Post he dreamed of becoming a singer while growing up in Sheepshead Bay. He regularly signed up for talent shows while attending Brooklyn Technical High School. However, it wasn’t until he got to the Barclay’s Center, and got the courage to ask the entertainment department if he could sing the National Anthem, that he got his first break.
Here’s a video of Bautista performing at the Barclay’s Center, in front of 17,000 people.
“That’s when I realized that I was ready for the music industry,” he told the Post.
He performed a few more times at Nets Games before he was invited to try out for “The Voice.” He didn’t make it past blind audition for last year’s competition, according to the Post. However, after he spent another year honing his vocal skills, he returned for this season and was chosen to join Christina Aguilera’s team. His audition, in which he performed the Weeknd’s “The Hills,” has received more than 3 million views on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/t8BLe2n2sVA
Bautista is now among the 20 finalists and has become a fan favorite. It sure is heartening to see one of our own receive some applause from the public, considering the last time a Sheepshead Bay native was in the news, it was when despised “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli got indicted for securities fraud.
The show’s finals will take place in May. However, you can support Bautista through the hashtag #TeamBryanBautista on Twitter.