Dupre wins battle round on ‘The Voice’ despite being forced out of comfort zone

Bayou Chicot native James Dupre continued strong by hitting the high notes this past week on NBC’s hit show The Voice.
After a three week wait, friends and family members of Dupre were once again gathering around the television set awaiting Dupre’s battle against fellow contestant Dustin Monk.
During Dupre and Monk’s practice session with their team coach Adam Levine, the two contestants learned that they would be battling to the tune of Fortunate Son, by Creedence Clearwater Revival. To prepare for their moment on stage, Levine brought in former CCR front man John Fogerty to give the singers guidance on performing the 1969 hit.
“When I walked in and saw John Fogerty I was really surprised,” Dupre said. “He is someone that I grew up admiring so it was really cool to get to work with a rock and roll legend and hall of fame member.”
As if it was not intimidating enough to sing in front of a musical legend, Dupre was having to perform a song that Fogerty has been performing for the last 40 years. “Performing the song for John Fogerty was intimidating to say the least, but he was really motivating,” Dupre said. “He even pulled out his guitar to play along as we were singing.”
While Dupre was awe struck in the midst of a great musician, Dupre’s fans back home felt that same way when it came to his performance during the battle rounds. Dupre, who possesses a deep singing voice, was challenged with the task of showing if he has the range to reach much higher notes than he normally sings. However, the country singer continued to show his versatility and left no one disappointed.
Dupre hitting the necessary high notes during his performance did not go unnoticed by his many fans back home, who Dupre said he is “so grateful to for all of their support.”
Logan Swift, who is a friend of Dupre, said, “My favorite part about the battle round was watching James find those difficult notes and expand his comfort zone.” Swift then continued, “I didn’t know James could hit high notes like that.”
The tempo of the song was also different than the songs Dupre more regularly performs. Callie Carruth, who is the girlfriend of Dupre’s younger brother Ashton, said, “I wasn’t expecting to see James sing an up tempo song like Fortunate Son.” Carruth continued, “It was an awesome surprise.”
At the end of the battle round, Levine was forced to choose one contestant to keep on his team between Dupre and Monk. After stating that Dupre’s “voice fills the room effortlessly,” Levine chose to keep Dupre on his team.
With Dupre still in the game, family and friends continue to look forward to the next stage of the competition. Family friend Scott Dupre said, “After seeing James work with a music legend and then go on stage and rock it during the battle rounds, I am so excited for the next rounds.”