WATCH ‘The Voice UK’ Contestant Perform Emotional Song After His Father Passes Away

Jimmy Balito first auditioned for the seventh season of The Voice UK and failed to make it onto a team. He auditioned again the following year with “Higher Love.” His journey on the show was full of emotional moments after his father passed away before The Knockouts.

Jimmy Balito Performed On ‘The Voice UK’ After His Fathers Death

Jimmy felt that it was necessary to come back to The Voice UK in the eighth season because he simply cannot live without music. The second time around both Jennifer Hudson and Tom Jones turned their chairs at the last moment, securing Jimmy a spot on the show. He was ecstatic and chose to be on Team Tom. In The Battle Rounds, he faced off against Roger Samuels singing “Let It Be.”

Roger was declared the winner of The Battle but it was not the end of the road for Jimmy. Both will.i.am and Olly Murs hit their steals so Jimmy got to choose which team he wanted to join. This time he joined Team Olly. After The Battle Rounds, Jimmy’s father passed away from cancer. He continued on in the competition because he knew that’s what his father would want. In The Knockouts, Jimmy performed a heartbreaking rendition of “High and Dry.”

SEE ALSO: ‘THE VOICE’ CONTESTANT PERFORMS SONG THAT HELPED HIM THROUGH CANCER BATTLE [VIDEO]

Immediately after the performance, he ran through the audience to hug his family who were all in tears. “[It was] important just to go out there and smash that and just finish all that chapter for the family and just really start anew and move on from it really,” he said in an interview after the performance.

Olly chose Jimmy to advance to the Live Shows where he sang “Fix You.” It was enough to send him to The Final where he finished the competition in third place. It was Molly Hocking from Team Olly who was declared the winner of The Voice UK.

Where Is Jimmy Now?

After appearing on The Voice UK, Jimmy began releasing original music on Spotify. He also announced that because live shows have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, he will perform songs on Instagram Live for his fans.

In May, Jimmy released the music video for a song called “This Time.” It was filmed while in lockdown amid the pandemic and he asked his friends, family and fans to be in it. Joining him as a special feature on the song is his ‘Voice’ coach Olly.

After many fans made the same request, Jimmy finally posted an updated cover of “High and Dry” which he had performed on The Voice after his dad passed away.

SEE ALSO: WATCH ‘THE VOICE’ SINGER POUR RAW EMOTIONS INTO SAM SMITH SONG DURING BLIND AUDITION

“Songs stick to memories, my dad’s passing was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to overcome in my life, tbh I’m still working on it” he wrote on Youtube. “Music has that power, even in our toughest moments. I owe so much to this song. We need music now more than ever”