NEW HARTFORD, NY - A New York State Trooper showed off his signing talent on NBC's The Voice and, thanks to a last-minute chair turn, has made it to the second round.
Tom Nitti, 31, reportedly performed Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)," a Motown classic and added his own country twang to it, complete with a cowboy hat and boots.
During the first found of the Blind Auditions, all four judges, John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan and Reba McEntire can all be seen bopping their heads, looking impressed by the Mohawk Valley State Trooper.
As Nitti continued to belt out the notes, all four of the judges still hadn't turned their chairs until the very last second when BAM! Reba McEntire hit her red button. Nitti can be seen jumping up and down in excitement.
His country style threw McEntire as she was visibly shocked when learning that Nitti was from Upstate New York and not from the south. Even though none of the other three judges turned their chairs, in their comments to Nitti, they all agreed that he deserved to go on to the second round.
John Legend said, "It was very soulful, but it had like a twang to it. I was like, 'Is he a country singer?' So, I'm very excited for you to be on Team Reba." Stefani said, "I am so happy for you because it is very weird what you're doing and different and cool."
Horn, orginally of One Direction, openely admitted that he "can't sing anything the way" Nitti did, and Stefani and Legend both agreed that they couldn't either.
McEntire then spoke and said that "something in her gut" told her that she should turn her chair, adding that she is glad Nitti is on her team. As Nitti walked off stage, McEntire got up to give him a hug.
According to reports, following his high school graduation, Nitti joined the military and was deployed to Afghanistan as an Airborne Cavalry Scout.
During combat, he suffered a severe brain injury and was awarded the Purple Heart medal for his honorable service. Once home, he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the New York State Police to become a trooper.
Nitti said, "Being able to sing in front of thousands of people has always been my dream. Once I had kids that changed to wanting to be known locally and serving my community."
At 18-years-old, Nitti taught himself to play guitar, having only YouTube to help him learn. He said that, "Music is a place for me to take my mind off my life, my problems. I can step away from life for a second."
Nitti has been a state trooper for the last eight years and now trains new troopers at the New York State Police Academy. He performs weekly, including the "National Anthem" at official events.
Nitti's grandfather, Dominick Nitti, told WKTV that his grandson performed on The Voice exactly eight years ago and had a chair turned back then. But, he had to decline going on to future rounds because he was accepted into the State Trooper academy at the same time.
The grandfather said, "We are just so proud of him. We are proud of anything he's done. He served his country. He servces his community each day."
Nitti is set to perform locally on Thursday, October 12th at Laufer's Pub in Yorkville; Saturday, October 14th at The Bunker in New Hartford; and, Saturday, October 28th at Tin Rooster in Verona.
As more places look to book Nitti, he said that "people are crawling out of the woodworks but this attention won't impact my demeanor or how I carry myself." He said, "The people of Mohawk region genuinely know me. They supported me even before this show, they are such a tight-knit community."
Tom Nitti, 31, reportedly performed Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)," a Motown classic and added his own country twang to it, complete with a cowboy hat and boots.
During the first found of the Blind Auditions, all four judges, John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan and Reba McEntire can all be seen bopping their heads, looking impressed by the Mohawk Valley State Trooper.
As Nitti continued to belt out the notes, all four of the judges still hadn't turned their chairs until the very last second when BAM! Reba McEntire hit her red button. Nitti can be seen jumping up and down in excitement.
His country style threw McEntire as she was visibly shocked when learning that Nitti was from Upstate New York and not from the south. Even though none of the other three judges turned their chairs, in their comments to Nitti, they all agreed that he deserved to go on to the second round.
John Legend said, "It was very soulful, but it had like a twang to it. I was like, 'Is he a country singer?' So, I'm very excited for you to be on Team Reba." Stefani said, "I am so happy for you because it is very weird what you're doing and different and cool."
Horn, orginally of One Direction, openely admitted that he "can't sing anything the way" Nitti did, and Stefani and Legend both agreed that they couldn't either.
McEntire then spoke and said that "something in her gut" told her that she should turn her chair, adding that she is glad Nitti is on her team. As Nitti walked off stage, McEntire got up to give him a hug.
According to reports, following his high school graduation, Nitti joined the military and was deployed to Afghanistan as an Airborne Cavalry Scout.
During combat, he suffered a severe brain injury and was awarded the Purple Heart medal for his honorable service. Once home, he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the New York State Police to become a trooper.
Nitti said, "Being able to sing in front of thousands of people has always been my dream. Once I had kids that changed to wanting to be known locally and serving my community."
At 18-years-old, Nitti taught himself to play guitar, having only YouTube to help him learn. He said that, "Music is a place for me to take my mind off my life, my problems. I can step away from life for a second."
Nitti has been a state trooper for the last eight years and now trains new troopers at the New York State Police Academy. He performs weekly, including the "National Anthem" at official events.
Nitti's grandfather, Dominick Nitti, told WKTV that his grandson performed on The Voice exactly eight years ago and had a chair turned back then. But, he had to decline going on to future rounds because he was accepted into the State Trooper academy at the same time.
The grandfather said, "We are just so proud of him. We are proud of anything he's done. He served his country. He servces his community each day."
Nitti is set to perform locally on Thursday, October 12th at Laufer's Pub in Yorkville; Saturday, October 14th at The Bunker in New Hartford; and, Saturday, October 28th at Tin Rooster in Verona.
As more places look to book Nitti, he said that "people are crawling out of the woodworks but this attention won't impact my demeanor or how I carry myself." He said, "The people of Mohawk region genuinely know me. They supported me even before this show, they are such a tight-knit community."
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Comments
2023-10-11T20:38-0700 | Comment by: Greystoke
Not a TV watcher, but I'm glad to see he made it.