Matthew Schuler, who finished 6th in NBC’s “The Voice,” came to Emporia State to perform covers and original music on Feb. 11. Shuler performed a number of songs, including Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” and Fall Out Boy’s “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark,” as well as his own original music. This event was hosted by the Union Activities Council.
“He was on ‘The Voice,’ so we knew of him,” said Kathryn Martin, UAC president junior elementary education major. “We saw that he was doing the college circuit and thought that it would be cool to get him to perform here.”
Shuler, 23, released his first single, “Invincible,” on July 11. It is available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and Google Play.
Shuler’s rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” reached #40 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 2013.
Before the show, many students who knew Shuler from “The Voice” were excited to see the singer perform.
“I didn’t know about the event until I was invited to it by a friend,” said Kristen Smith, freshman elementary education major. “I used to watch ‘The Voice’ so it will be cool to see him perform.”
Throughout the show, Shuler connected with the crowd by getting them to stand up, dance, clap and sing along. Shuler also told stories and talked about his life before and after his appearance on “The Voice.”
“I was so blessed,” Shuler said. “Being on ‘The Voice’ was an amazing experience. Going from being a regular college student to being on a show watched by millions… I feel really blessed.”
After the show, students had the opportunity to get in line and say a few words to Shular. Some students took a picture with the singer, while others sang his songs to each other.
“It was amazing,” said Royell Bowleg, junior biology major. “I was blown to pieces. I’m really glad we came out tonight.”
Bowleg’s friend, Elizabeth Eney, senior biology major said she too enjoyed the show and was mesmerized by Shuler.
This was the third UAC event this semester.