Will Champlin
William Christopher Champlin (born April 24, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his appearance on Season 5 of the NBC singing competition The Voice as part of Adam Levine's team. He finished in third place behind Jacquie Lee, the runner-up, and Tessanne Chin, the winner of the season.[1]
Will Champlin | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Christopher Champlin |
| Also known as | KillWill |
| Born | April 24, 1983 Reseda, California U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, pop rock, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, banjo, piano, acoustic guitar, drums |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Website | http://willchamplin.com/ |
Career
Before his participation on The Voice, Champlin reached some success as a songwriter. He collaborated with Michael Caruso and provided backing vocals for Ace Young's self-titled album, and also played piano on Michael Jackson's posthumous compilation album Michael, on the song "(I Like) The Way You Love Me". He was nominated in the Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album category, for co-writing "Ordinary Me", which appears on Heather Headley's album Audience of One. Audience of One was awarded the 2010 Grammy in its category.[2]
He is now the lead singer of the gritty rock band Valley of Wolves.[3] They made their debut in 2018 with the release of the Album 'Out for Blood'. In 2019 they released 'Take it All' and in 2021 'Outlaws' was released.[3]
The Voice
On the fourth episode of the Blind Auditions broadcast on October 1, 2013, he performed Gavin DeGraw's song "Not Over You". Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, and Blake Shelton turned their chairs but he opted to join Adam Levine.[4][5]
In the Battle Rounds, Wolpert won, and Champlin was stolen by Aguilera. In the Knockout Rounds, Schuler won, and Champlin was then stolen back from Aguilera by Levine.
- – Studio version of performance reached the top 10 on iTunes
| Stage | Song | Original Artist | Date | Order | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blind Audition | "Not Over You" | Gavin DeGraw | October 1, 2013 | 4.1 | Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, and Blake Shelton turned Joined Team Adam |
| Battle Rounds | "Radioactive" (vs. James Wolpert) | Imagine Dragons | October 21, 2013 | 9.6 | Defeated Stolen by Christina Aguilera |
| Knockout Rounds | "When I Was Your Man" (vs. Matthew Schuler) | Bruno Mars | October 29, 2013 | 12.8 | Defeated Stolen by Adam Levine |
| Live Playoffs | "Secrets" | OneRepublic | November 4, 2013 | 13.7 | Saved by Coach |
| Live Top 12 | "Demons" | Imagine Dragons | November 11, 2013 | 16.12 | Saved by Public Vote |
| Live Top 10 | "Love Me Again" | John Newman | November 18, 2013 | 18.3 | Saved by Public Vote |
| Live Top 8 | "At Last" | Glenn Miller and his orchestra, with vocals by Ray Eberle and Pat Friday | November 25, 2013 | 20.6 | Saved by Public Vote |
| Live Top 6 | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | Sam Cooke | December 2, 2013 | 22.4 | Saved by Public Vote |
| "Hey Brother" | Avicii | 22.10 | |||
| Live Top 5 (Semi-finals) | "Carry On" | Fun | December 9, 2013 | 24.2 | Saved by Public Vote |
| Live Finale | "Not Over You" | Gavin DeGraw | December 16, 2013 | 26.2 | Third place |
| "Tiny Dancer" (with Adam Levine) | Elton John | 26.6 | |||
| "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" | Bryan Adams | 26.8 | |||
Personal life
Champlin was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.[6] He is the youngest son of Bill Champlin, former member of Chicago, and Tamara Champlin. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.[7] He has one daughter, Harper.[8]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| US [9] | ||
| Will Champlin |
|
— |
| Borrowing Trouble |
|
— |
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | CAN | |||
| "Last Man Standing" | 2014 | — | — | Borrowing Trouble |
| "Eye of the Pyramid" | — | — | ||
| "Picasso in My Pocket" | 2018 | — | — | Picasso in My Pocket |
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Too Far Gone" | 2019 | Sound Breakers | — |
References
- Sophie Schillaci; Natasha Chandel (December 18, 2013). "'The Voice' Finalist Will Champlin Felt 'Vindicated' By Third-Place Finish". MTV. Viacom. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- Will Champlin: The Reader's Digest Version of My Life
- Leiber, Sarah Jae. "Valley of Wolves Release Their New Album 'Outlaws'". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- "Will Champlin: "Not Over You"". The Voice – Blind Auditions, Season 5. NBCUniversal. October 9, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- Arellano, Jennifer (October 2, 2013). "'The Voice' recap: Second Time's A Charm". Entertainment Weekly. CNN. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
WILL CHAMPLIN, 30, of California, is the son of Chicago member Bill Champlin.
- "Will Champlin | About W.C." Will Champlin.
- Kirschbaum, Megan (2006). "Nashville Notes". Alumni, Berklee Today. Berklee College of Music.
Among the fresh faces in our Nashville Alumni Chapter are Ashley Farrell '05, Will Champlin '05..
- Liberatore, Paul (November 21, 2013). "'Marin's love child' Will Champlin in top eight on 'The Voice'". Marin Independent Journal. Marin County, CA. Retrieved March 1, 2014.
- "Billboard Top 200 Albums for week ending May 26, 2012". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2012.