Jej Vinson on The Voice! Has South Dakota Ties!

Monday night I was watching The Voice. If you waited till the end of the show you saw a four-chair turn for 22-year-old Jej Vinson. The more I watched, the more I was impressed.

Then I took Molly the Black Lab out for a walk and checked my email before heading to bed. Among my messages was one from Abbey Freemire that caught my attention.

"Kicking off Season 16 of The Voice tonight, former South Dakota resident and singer Jej Vinson secured a spot on Team Kelly by singing 'Passionfruit.' After moving from the Philippines, South Dakota was Jej's first home in the U.S. so it holds a special meaning for him," Freemire wrote.

Now I'm intrigued. I kept reading her email.

"Jej was born and raised in the Philippines to a traditional Filipino family. He started singing karaoke after watching his parents sing in the choir. When he was 15, his parents moved the family to America for a better life and landed in South Dakota," Freemire continued. "At 18, Jej joined an a cappella camp in Los Angeles and knew music was his calling. The family packed up and followed Jej to California where he studies music at USC and was formerly the music director of the school’s a cappella group. Outside of school, Jej has a part-time job at a restaurant."

Underlined in the email was Jej's hometown was Davao, Philippines - then moved to Flandreau, South Dakota!

This season of The Voice just got a little more intriguing. Jej Vinson, the contestant many feel could win the whole competition has roots in South Dakota.

I can't want to talk to Abbey and find out more. Keep checking back for updates! And you can check out his blind audition video below...