Elon's Lowell Oakley teams up with Pharrell Williams on premiere of NBC's "The Voice"

The Elon freshman moves on to the next round of competition on the hit prime time series that showcases outstanding vocalists. Season eight of "The Voice" began Feb. 23.

Elon student Lowell Oakley III of Durham, N.C., chose Team Pharrell in the first episode of “The Voice,” which aired on NBC. Oakley was the second contestant of the night and prompted celebrity coaches Pharrell Williams and Adam Levine to hit their buttons and turn their chairs.

The segment on Oakley began with Lowell paying tribute to his father, Lowell Oakley Jr. and his uncle Tony, who are both accomplished singers. Lowell described himself as a rhythm and blues and soul singer and said he aims to be a “jazz crooner.”

Levine gushed to Oakley, “You charmed this crowd,” and compared him to Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra, complimenting his voice and style.

Lowell Oakley III is greeted by Pharrell Williams after his performance on "The Voice.’[/caption]Williams said to Oakley, “You’re not regular. You’re not the same. You’re OTHER.”

Oakley told the stars that he respected both of them and then chose Pharrell as his coach. Pharrell tweeted: “I got my first one! Lowell is truly OTHER and belongs on my team #VoicePremiere.”

In an interview after his performance, Oakley said he hopes the show will allow him to pursue his dream of a career in music. He now moves on to the second round of the competition.

Oakley was among 45,000 people who began auditioning for the program last June. He spent several weeks during fall semester taking part in the competition and is currently on the program’s set in Los Angeles.

Lowell Oakley III performed "Don’t get around much anymore," on the Feb. 23 episode of "The Voice."[/caption]Season eight of the program begins with two nights of pre-taped competition. The show is headlined by celebrity musician coaches Blake Shelton, Pharrell Williams, Christina Aguilera and Adam Levine, while Carson Daly serves as the program host. Each coach chooses members of their team based solely on the contestant voices during the “blind audition” rounds. Once the coaches’ teams are set, the contestants compete in “battle rounds,” “knockouts,” the “live playoffs,” and the “live performance shows.”

Oakley is a business and music double major and a member of Elon’s all-male a cappella group, Rip Chord. He was a top-10 male finalist in the Triangle Rising Stars competition. During high school at Durham Academy, Oakley was lead male singer for “In the Pocket,” a jazz, rock, R&B and country band. He was also a member of the school’s a cappella group, “XIV Hours,” and performed in the school’s theatre productions. Outside of music, Oakley was co-captain of the varsity soccer team, active in his church and YMCA, and received a Durham Mayor’s Award for community service.

Here is Lowell Oakley’s appearance on the Feb. 23 episode of “The Voice.”