Fans of both “The Voice” and “American Idol” likely thought singer Dimitrius Graham looked familiar when he took “The Voice” stage to audition in front of coaches Michael Bublé, John Legend, Kelsea Ballerini and Adam Levine earlier this season.
If the 33-year-old “Voice” contestant from Baltimore seemed familiar to some viewers, it’s probably because of his impressive run on “American Idol” six years ago, when judge Katy Perry described him as “a male Beyonce” and he made it to the show’s top 10.
But Graham didn’t end up having as long of a stay on “The Voice.” The singer’s time on the show came to an end Monday night.
Here’s a look at Graham’s brief run on “The Voice,” and highlights from his time on “Idol.”
Who is Dimitrius Graham?
Ahead of his “Voice” audition, Graham opened up about his upbringing in Baltimore, and shared that music served as a sort of refuge.
“I come from nothing. It was tough, man. When there’s so much bad going on, you kind of just fall into it. I saw gang violence, I saw the wrong things. ... Thank God for my teacher, he saved my life,” he told “Voice” producers, sharing how his teacher introduced him to choir when he was in high school.
“That’s when my life changed,” Graham continued. “He really nurtured my musicianship and just showed me the right way.”
The singer went on to attend Morgan State University in Baltimore, where he studied classical music and opera. He shared how people are often surprised he has an interest in opera — Pavarotti is a particular favorite — due to his background and appearance.
“People see me, and they always think, ‘He’s up to no good,‘” Graham told “Voice” producers. “But really I’m not. All of my face tats are musical influence. It’s just my style. ... Without music I don’t know who I would be.”
Graham, who now lives in the Los Angeles area pursuing music, said making it on “The Voice” marks a significant milestone in his career.
“This is a dream come true,” he said shortly before his audition. “This is what I need.”
Dimitrius Graham makes it on ‘The Voice’
For his “Voice” debut, Graham performed “Get You” by Daniel Caesar (ft. Kali Uchis) and won over both Bublé and Ballerini — two coaches who have repeatedly expressed interest in the same contestants and have gone head to head a lot this season.
Legend, one of the more selective coaches on the show, didn’t turn around for Graham but did praise the singer’s “creative risks” and said that he did a lot of “daring” techniques with his voice.
Ballerini, meanwhile, said she found Graham’s performance inspiring and believed he could do well in the competition.
“I’m really inspired by you — really, really inspired by your voice — and I think that is a blessing," the country star said, adding that she wants to continue discovering and bringing out the best in Graham’s voice.
But Graham, whose styles range from classical opera to gospel to soul/R&B, ultimately chose to join forces with Bublé, believing the singer could take his artistry to the next level.
A couple of weeks after his “Voice” audition, Graham released his single, “Always,” according to his Instagram.
His next appearance on the show aired Monday night — and despite an impressive performance, it ended up marking his last one in the competition.
Dimitrius Graham gets eliminated on ‘The Voice’
Buble had a tough decision after two of his singers, Graham and Divighn, performed a duet of Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open” for the Battle round.
The performance was so impressive that Levine and Ballerini couldn’t even weigh in and declare a winner.
“You both have the kind of voices that can do everything,” Ballerini said, though she did note that there were times when the performance felt “muddy” because the singers were both trying to do too much. “When you have that, you have to kind of implement restraint.”
Ballerini called Graham and Divighn “two incredible, full-package artists.” Legend, who is a baritone, praised the vocalists for their wide tenor range and went so far as to say that the performance made him jealous.
But ultimately, the decision was Buble’s to make. After praising both of the artists for putting in the work to pull off the performance, he decided to send Divighn through to the next round.
The decision led to Graham’s elimination, but the singer returns home with high praise from his coach.
“I thought it was honestly the slickest thing I’ve seen so far in the season,” Buble told the two singers. “I feel like if I paid good money to see a concert and you came out and did that, I would feel like it was money well spent. I enjoyed every second.”
Dimitrius Graham’s run on ‘American Idol’
Six years before appearing on “The Voice,” Graham was singing his heart out for judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan on “American Idol.” The singer actually initially auditioned for “Idol” when he was 18, per Baltimore Magazine, but this marked his first time making it in front of the show’s celebrity judges.
His audition wasn’t televised, but he was a standout contestant on the show’s 17th season. All three judges had high praise following his performance of Adele’s “Hello” for the top 20 round — where he showed off some of his operatic skills.
“Every time you open your mouth, we find somebody else inside,” Richie said. “I heard some notes tonight I have never heard come out of your mouth. That is the way you’re supposed to do this show.”
Perry, meanwhile, said she was “in awe” when he channeled his inner Pavarotti for the performance — “You’ve got it all, you’ve got everything,” she said.
During that same round, Graham performed a duet of “Love Someone” with singer Lukas Graham — a rendition that led Perry to describe him as “a male Beyonce” and Bryan to say that he was “one of the best singers that I’ve ever heard.”
Graham ultimately ended up making it to the show’s top 10 before being eliminated, though he did return for the show’s season finale to perform a duet of “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Adam Lambert.
The singer isn’t the only former “Idol” contestant on this season of “The Voice.” Renzo, a 33-year-old singer from Philadelphia whose blind audition was featured during the Season 27 premiere, made it to the top 10 of “Idol” in 2018, as the Deseret News previously reported.