It was just another day last March on the campus of the State University of New York at Fredonia, until Lucas West’s phone rang while he was parking his car. The call changed everything.
“I was in my car in Lot 9D and I got a call asking me to be on (The Voice), and I flipped out,” said West. “It felt like an answer to a lot of prayers.”
West, a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a track in Jazz Studies, was one of the first contestants to audition for the new season of the hit NBC show Monday night, performing in a blind audition that secured his place on the national stage.
The journey began in a Mason Hall practice room, where West recorded and submitted a video performance of “New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel. “It’s really the hardest way you can get on the show,” he said. After multiple rounds and approval from executive producers, West received that fateful call confirming he would compete.
West credits his previous high-pressure performances, including singing the national anthem at Buffalo Bills games in 2023 and 2025, with preparing him for the moment.
“The Bills anthems definitely helped me deal with that kind of pressure and normalize those kinds of gigs,” he said. “Most importantly, [they helped me] operate under the pressure.”
During his blind audition, West relied on familiarity and focus. “I just went out there and didn’t overthink it,” he said. “It was a song I had played like a million times, except this time you’ve got to dial everything up to 100.”
The song Lucas was comfortable with was “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John. Early in the performance, coach Adam Levine turned his chair. A few seconds later, coach John Legend followed suit. When Lucas saw the chairs turn, the moment felt like validation. "It was like, you’re on the way. The trajectory is good," he said.
"You just came out here and gave such a beautiful performance, and you showed yourself to be quite a pianist as well," Legend told West. "Seeing how into it you were, how soulful you are, it made me want you on Team Legend even more, so I'd love to coach you." Lucas chose Legend to be his coach.
West’s coaches, in the form of supportive faculty, have put him on a great trajectory as a student at SUNY Fredonia. He has immersed himself in the College of Music, Theatre, and Dance. He plays trombone and piano in the Fredonia Jazz Orchestra and New Jazz Flextet, and sings in multiple ensembles in the vocal jazz program. Lucas studied classical piano during his first year at Fredonia with Fr. Sean Duggan, jazz piano his second year with Dr. Nick Weiser and now studies jazz voice with Professor James Harrington.
Their guidance, he said, helped shape both his technical skills and artistic identity. “I always say Fredonia is conservatory training for the price of a state school,” West said. “You just can’t find that anywhere else.”
For West, the experience has been as much about people as performance. “My favorite part about ‘The Voice’ was meeting like-minded people,” he said. “High-achieving, very kind, wonderful people. It has been incredible.”
As the new season begins, the Fredonia community will be watching; proud of a student who has taken his passion from Mason Hall practice rooms to a national audience.
