EVER since Guyana’s Lisa Punch was on ABC’s Rising Stars Reality Show in 2014, Guyanese have been starved to see another of their own on the big stage.

Not any more! As they will finally have their chance to root for 26-year-old Stephan Marcellus, who landed a spot on the NBC hit show, “The Voice”, on Jennifer Hudson’s team.
Marcellus’ selection was described by some outlets as the most memorable part of last Tuesday night’s episode of the show.
Despite stumbling and even forgetting some of the lyrics in the opening of his rendition of Hozier’s “Take Me To Church” during his blind audition, which aired last Tuesday night, Marcellus was still able to impress Hudson within the first 20 seconds of his performance, just as he began hitting those high notes.
What may have gotten him over the hump was his family nervously standing on the sideline the entire time, whispering words of encouragement.
Both of Marcellus’ parents are from Guyana. According to his NBC ‘bio’: “Because his parents started with nothing, they stressed the importance of a college education. Stephan went to Bowie State University in Maryland to study child and adolescent studies.
“After college, he ended up working in retail, which took time away from music. He ended up quitting and moving back in with his parents, where he is still living, so that he can pursue his music dream.”
Though he may have had a bad start, Marcellus’ confidence grew with Hudson’s pick, and proved that he has great stage presence.
By the end of his performance, Marcellus had fellow judge Miley Cyrus bobbing along and enjoying his performance, while he also had the support of the audience.
“I don’t think I heard the right notes and I messed up,” Marcellus said at the end of his performance, when Judge Adam Levine asked him what happened.
In another interview, Marcellus said that he almost had an anxiety attack while waiting to perform.
Hudson explained that she chose Marcellus in spite of his blunder because she has been there before.
“It was because I was in the same position before,” the American Idol alum told Levine. “I completely forgot all the words to the song, but that don’t mean you can’t sing. And so I could instantly relate.”
Turning to Marcellus, Hudson said:
“But you didn’t stop. You stumbled a bit, you went away, but that voice was still there, and I could hear that.
“With the right direction and the right coaching, you could get there, because you do have a great voice.”
Blake Shelton welcomed Marcellus to ‘The Voice’ family, saying: “Jennifer is your hero! She swooped down and she saved the day!”
Marcellus joins eight other contestants on Jennifer Hudson’s team, with another three on the team still to be announced.