Freddy C – the man behind the music

Some of you know him as a member of the CSC track team, some of you know him as a DJ, some of you know him as a friend, but all of you know him as a voice, “The Voice” to be exact.

The man we know as “Freddy C” won the CSC “The Voice” Competition on Friday earning a “Front of the Line Pass” to The Voice auditions to be held in Nashville on Feb. 1 as well as round-trip airfare and lodging provided by the Campus Activities Board. But who is the man behind the music?

Fredrick Culp Jr., 22, of Miliani, Hawaii is a much different person off stage. Trying out for CSC’s The Voice competition took much prompting from his friends and was, “out of character” for Freddy.

Freddy grew up singing around the house but it wasn’t until after high school that he started singing for an audience.

“I was looking for something to do. I was in a phase where sports were over,” Freddy said in an interview on Tuesday.

Singing runs full strength through the family. Freddy’s younger sister, Charity, 20, won high school competitions and also won an American Idol audition for Hawaii. Freddy said there’s no sibling rivalry as the two of them rarely sing together other than in the church choir.

“She has a completely different style,” Freddy said.

However, publicly showcasing his talent didn’t come easy for Freddy. With insecurities overtaking confidence in his own voice, Freddy took singing as a joke. That came to an end when his biggest supporter, his father Freddy Senior, said, “If you’re going to sing, you better sing.” Since then, Freddy has done just that.

Freddy was never interested in using his voice to stand out.

“I don’t believe in one singer being number one. Each singer has their own style.”

Freddy continued saying, “I sing because I believe that’s a talent that God has given to me. I sing to give out a message to uplift people. I want people to be able to relate.”

As for The Voice auditions in Nashville, Freddy is confident yet apprehensive.Freddy has many different scenarios running through his head and described his feelings as, “I really don’t know what to expect.”

Freddy is confident in the song he has chosen for his first individual audition, “Superman” by Tarrus Riley. Freddy describes the song as something that reflects who he is as a singer and truly showcases his original style.

Freddy is nervous for the randomly chosen songs he may have to perform.

“I hope they don’t give me Miley Cyrus,” Freddy joked.

If Freddy makes the Blind auditions, he said he would choose Usher for his coach.

“I like Blake (Shelton) because of his lyrics, but I love singing Usher’s songs and I like the rhythms.”

Freddy does not currently watch The Voice and has never voted for a competitor. He watches an episode here and there and says he, “kinda has the gist of how it goes.”

As Freddy prepares to head to Nashville, Freddy would like to express his gratitude.

“Thanks to Chadron for all the support from when I first got here to now and when I used to sing at open mics.”

Good luck to Freddy on his journey.