3 Quick Facts About ‘The Voice’ Finalist Lucas West: The College Kid Who Even Impressed His Icon, Billy Joel

As we get ready for the Season 29 finale of The Voice tonight, we’re getting to know our Top 4 finalists. Meet Lucas West, a 20-year-old talent from New York. He’s got incredible tone, he’s multitalented, and he’s on Team Legend. Here are three facts about Lucas West.

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He’s A Singer And A Musician

Even during his first audition for The Voice, West found a way to truly set himself apart: by accompanying himself on piano.

Ahead of his performance, he shared: “As a pianist myself, my biggest musical influences got to be Billy Joel, Elton John, Stevie Wonder. What they all have in common is the ability to truly captivate people.” He continued, “It reminds me of what I want to do with my career. They’re not just singers. They’re entertainers.”

West also revealed that, in addition to singing and being a great pianist, he also plays trombone. “It’s kind of my third instrument”, he told judge Kelly Clarkson.

He Got a Shout Out From Billy Joel

As we touched on before, West is obviously a big Billy Joel fan. Following his knockout round performance of Joel “New York State of Mind”, he got the kind of recognition that every artist dreams of. He got a shoutout on Facebook from Joel, one of his biggest musical inspirations.

On the social media outlet, Joel shared, “From the big city to the Voice stage, Lucas West brings us that New York State of Mind! -Team Joel.” In response, West said on Instagram: “@billyjoel. My hero of heroes. Just reposted my performance. To his feed.”

When you get a positive shoutout from your idol after singing his song, you know you’re doing something right.

He’s a Senior at the State University of New York at Fredonia

In addition to pursuing his dreams as a singer, West is also pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music with a track in Jazz Studies at the State University of Fredonia in New York City. There, according to the school’s website, West has studied classical piano, sang in multiple ensembles, and played in the school’s jazz orchestra and flextet. He’s also studied jazz vocally and on piano.

If you want to see more of Lucas West, be sure to tune into The Voice finale tonight on NBC at 8 pm CT.

Photo by: Griffin Nagel/NBC