“It’s intimidating being on that set because it’s so quiet,” Cole recalled about being backstage before his “blind” audition in front of Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Alicia Keys, and Kelly Clarkson.
“You can hear a pin drop, and you have much more time to think than you would before a normal gig,” he added. “You’re just back there with your adrenaline going and then your nerves begin kicking in, and you just have to find a place of zen and conquer them — you can’t let them take over you.”
Cole’s “fight-or-flight” moment on stage didn’t last long.
After Cole sang the first line — “I smell sex and candy here,” Levine tapped his button and his chair swiveled around.
“All you need is one chair to turn around to be on the show, it could come at the last moment,” Cole said. “I think all I did was sing that first line and play three notes, and he was in."