Finding His Voice

This year, musician Jehlad Hickson ’17 went from being booed off the stage at a music club talent night to performing three times on America’s Got Talent (AGT) before 10 million viewers on each occasion.

A member of San Diego’s Voices of Our City community choir, Hickson, who studied criminology and psychology, made it to the semifinals of the hit television show. Although the group did not win the $1 million final prize, their performances proved inspiring and popular.

The choir is comprised of singers who have been or are homeless—something Hickson experienced in his childhood and early teens. Each of the choir’s AGT performances highlighted homelessness and the abilities of those who have been unsheltered.

For AGT’s golden buzzer round, they performed one of their own compositions, “Listen to the Sounds of the Sidewalk,” which moved the audience in the Pasadena auditorium to tears. For the quarter and semifinals, they sang Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me” and David Bowie’s “Heroes,” highlighting togetherness and solidarity.

“In the choir, we found our own voices and on a national stage showed our humanity, what we could achieve and how we could stand out,” recalls Hickson, who says the performances were not just about them.

“We chose our songs carefully. When we sang ‘Heroes,’ we were also thinking of others, the firefighters battling the wildfires and the healthcare workers trying to contain COVID-19. In a group, we are often a lot better,” he adds.

Hickson plays numerous instruments, writes songs and dreams of opening a recording studio. Committed to Voices of Our City, he is also pursuing a solo career and wants to be on stage again with his Moonshine Soul Band, post pandemic.

“Music is what I want to do,” says Hickson. “Fortunately, I have the same work ethic as Prince.”