During the 2014 fall semester, students held parties each and every week to cheer on their fellow student and friend, Chris Jamison, on season seven of The Voice.
One semester later, life for Jamison has drastically changed.
Since his time on The Voice ended, Jamison has been performing shows and recording an album. He currently lives in his hometown of Pittsburgh. Although he is pursuing his music career, spending time at home with his family is still important to him.
“My goal is to always have Pittsburgh as my ‘home’ and then just travel back and forth to LA,” Jamison said.
When he is spending time in Los Angeles, Jamison is writing and recording an album with Republic Records. He has spent the last two months working on new music.
“Leaving school was probably one of the hardest things I have ever done,” Jamison said.
The plan that Jamison had for his future was originally to go to school for four years, get a degree, find a job, and start a family. However, his current path proves that things do not always go as planned.
“When everything started happening with The Voice, that plan went out the window, which was scary,” said Jamison.
Jamison admitted that it was hard to adjust to the changes. However, he quickly realized that his dream had always been to pursue music. When the opportunity to be a part of The Voice came about, he said he knew he had to take it.
“I am now OK with not being able to plan out my life,” he said. “It makes every day more exciting, and I am ready for this crazy journey to continue!”
Spencer Saylor, a senior music industry major and fellow musician, was roommates with Jamison during his time at Capital. The two men remain good friends. Saylor explained that when Jamison was on the show, his absence at school was not that strange. Saylor said, at that time, he was too preoccupied with the excitement and “immense amount of pride” he felt for Jamison’s chance at fame.
However, once Jamison left Capital for good, some things just felt off.
“Capital was definitely different without him,” Saylor said. “Losing that time with him was tough, but it allowed me to focus more on my own music, become closer to my fraternity, and find new things to do on campus.”
While music is now Jamison’s main focus, he recently applied for online schooling so he can complete the second half of his degree.
“A college degree is a wonderful thing to have, regardless of the major,” Kristin Lawler, senior vocal performance major, said. “But if I was in Chris’s position I would have done the same thing.”
Lawler said that people, and especially those in the music industry, must take advantage of any doors that are opened.
“Ultimately [Chris] can always go back to college and pursue that career,” she said. “But now he has a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of both his youth and talent.”
Since leaving Capital, Jamison has proved he is willing to juggle his music career and the people he cares most about. Saylor has been able to still see his best friend several times throughout this journey. He visited Jamison while he was in Los Angeles and has since been able to spend time him in both Columbus and Los Angeles.
“Although he is busy and traveling all over the country, it is great that he still makes time to continue the friendship that we have always had,” said Saylor.
With Jamison’s deal with Republic Records, friends and fans of the singer can expect plenty of new music to be released in the near future. His first single will come out during the third week of November.
