By: Tiffany Chang

Now that the school year has officially started for students, a lot of us turn to music as a stress reliever. If you are looking for new music to listen to, take a break from your studies and check out a new, emerging artist named Mark Isaiah.

     The 20-year-old was formerly a contestant on season 12 of The Voice. He chose “Mercy” by Shawn Mendes to sing for his blind audition, impressing coaches Gwen Stefani and Adam Levine with his smooth vocals, and prompting them to turn their chairs. Alicia Keys also liked his performance, stating that his voice has “ a lot of emotion in it.” After much deliberation, he eventually chose Adam Levine to be his coach.

     During his time on the show, he expressed his previous struggles with being overweight. Losing 40 pounds gave him the confidence to pursue his passion for music. He covered songs including “Love Yourself,” “One Dance,” “How to Love,” and “Sign of the Times.” Isaiah was then eliminated the week after making it to the top 10. For the finale of Season 12, however, he was asked to come back to perform Justin Bieber’s part in the hit remix of the song “Despacito” alongside Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, which has since gone viral on YouTube.

     Following his departure from The Voice, he informed his fans via his social media that he was working on new music. The R&B and pop vocalist then released his very first single called “Wanna Go” on August 10, which is available on iTunes and Spotify. In the song, he sings in both English and Spanish, showing off his Latin roots. On November 11, he will be having his very first concert with fellow The Voice contestant JChosen at the Sherman theatre in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Mark Isaiah is surely a name we will be hearing more in the future.