ABOVE: Jay Miah as Nevaeh King. Photo courtesy Miah.
Nearly 9 million Americans tuned into the 2019 premiere of “The Voice” on NBC, but to Tampa Bay vocalist and drag performer Jay Miah there was an audience of four. Industry icons Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani.
Then in its 17th season, the competition once again vowed to find the strongest singers from across the country and award them with a record deal and cash prize. It’s a process that began for Miah with an open audition and led him all the way to the show’s first televised step, the blind auditions.
Contestants perform to the back of four rotating chairs during the round. Each holds one of the show’s coaches, who based off of sound and not sight press a button to rotate toward performers they want to see advance in the competition.
The process plays out in various ways each audition. Miah was the third to perform that year and sang “Never Enough” from “The Greatest Showman,” popularized in the film in a traditionally female key.
“‘Nobody turned around for me,” he says. “I remember being on stage thinking, ‘they’re not going to do it.’”
After Miah finished, each chair rotated to reveal awestruck coaches who shared their praise and regret. Shelton, the show’s only remaining original coach, advised Miah that “if we could have seen you perform, we would have all hit our buttons. It would be a no-brainer.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKn9WJRjB98
“The Voice’ was amazing and such a cool experience,” Miah recalls. He opted to perform out of drag to showcase his full brand as a vocalist.
“America sees our blind audition, but before that there’s a system and a process with several rounds of interviews and evaluations,” he explains. “There are all these layers before you’re even considered. It’s a well-oiled machine.”
The entertainer chose to focus on the positive after his experience, reflecting on the coaches’ encouragement to return for another season and how he’d solidified Jay Miah as a stage name. Born Jeremiah, he’d performed under various monikers throughout Tampa Bay in recent years.
“I really feel like when I made it to ‘The Voice’ and got my no, it was my yes,” Miah explains. “I remember in my unpacking of the process and doing the work, I changed something in my consciousness. They didn’t turn, but I was able to come up with Jay Miah who was here the whole time. That was my yes. My yes to really keep going.”
A classically trained singer with a religious background, Miah moved to Tampa Bay from an Orlando suburb in 2009. The 32-year-old vocalist first performed in drag at 19 during a talent contest at Pulse.
“At the time, I felt like I wasn’t accepted because of my church,” Miah remembers. “I have a very interesting voice and they wanted me to sing as a tenor. I was a soprano, but they said they wanted me to do it because I’m male.
“I’ve never felt like I should be put in a box. Nobody should,” he continues. “So when my friend put me in drag and I won the show, it birthed a whole new form of expression in me. I’ve always been hyper feminine and I just ran with it.”
After years of entertaining, Miah decided to focus on his musical career when his best friend and fellow drag performer Beyja King died in 2019. The two competed at St. Petersburg’s now-defunct Flamingo Resort in 2017 for “Tampa Bay Drag Race,” another competition Miah won, and frequently worked together at venues like Quench Lounge.
“She was a queen in our community and she took her own life,” Miah says. “She struggled for many years with mental illness and I carry that with me. It keeps you responsible.”
Miah continued to work locally after “The Voice,” performing regularly in an affirming church, during events like St Pete and Tampa Pride and in local hotspots like City Side Lounge and Cocktail. He’s thankful to still entertain at each, the former of which he represents as the reigning Miss City Side.
“Music breaks down barriers and is a language that connects everyone,” Miah says. “Whatever you’re called to do, you have to trust the journey.”
That journey took an unexpected shift for Miah earlier this year. Still hopeful for another chance to progress on “The Voice,” he received a private Instagram message from a television producer.
“He said that he saw my blind audition and if I was interested in doing another show, he’d like to submit me for one,” Miah says. “He wouldn’t even tell me the name of it, just that he thought I was great and wanted to see what would happen. I went through the submission process and then they started telling me about it.”
That show was “Alter Ego,” a first-of-its-kind singing competition that premiered on FOX Sept. 29. The network announced the series in July, around the time Miah was flown to California to compete.
“‘Alter Ego’ is the world’s first avatar singing competition series and the next iteration of the musical competition show,” FOX’s press release reads. “On ‘Alter Ego,’ lost dreams and second chances are reignited when singers from all walks of life become the stars they’ve always wanted to be.”
The inaugural season’s 20 contestants do so as avatars, reinventing themselves to perform digitally using motion capture technology. They compete for the chance to win $100,000 and celebrity mentorship from the show’s judges, musical veterans Nick Lachey, Alanis Morissette, will.i.am and Grimes. It’s hosted by Rocsi Diaz.
“‘Alter Ego’ merges talent and technology to revolutionize the singing competition show in only a way FOX can,” FOX Entertainment’s President of Alternative Entertainment and Specials Rob Wade said in July. “We are so excited to bring the fantastic will.i.am, Alanis, Grimes, Nick and Rocsi together as they search for the next big singing star, allowing incredible vocalists a chance to realize their dreams and perform like never before.”
Miah created Nevaeh King for the series, who made her debut on the show’s third episode. After flirting with will.i.am and Lachey while garnering praise for her rendition of “I Will Always Love You,” she advanced beyond the audition round.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqWaKEf-StY
“My whole life I’ve had people try to put me in some pretty box,” Miah shared in the episode. “I carry my community and I want it more than ever to be able to represent us. The different. Them.”
In addition to aligning with elements of Miah’s drag persona, his avatar also pays tribute to Beyja.
“Nevaeh is ‘heaven’ backwards and I get to represent my best friend with her,” Miah says. “I thought it was a beautiful name. During my audition I talked about my friend’s suicide and it sucked the air out of the room. We learn with art and as we grow that we have the power to really change the tide, but my character is very jovial. I pray that people get to receive that.”
Creating Nevaeh was a partnership between Miah and the “Alter Ego” team. “Contestants got to decide if we wanted them to be male, to be female or to be nonbinary,” he says. “I picked female because of my voice; she’s the doll.
“When they told me she would be a glamor diva, someone between Jessica Rabbit and Marilyn Monroe, I knew it was going to be gorgeous,’” he laughs. “Once they showed me a picture of her, I got to tweak a few things and made her more vivacious. She was going to be regal.”
Bringing Nevaeh to life via motion capture required Miah to wear a full body suit and partner with a body double for choreography. He calls the experience “so freaking out of this world.”
“I got to gender bend, which in itself I hope expresses for young people that they should just be themselves,” Miah says. “I got to perform for leaders in the industry; flirt with Nick, which was hysterical and sing incredible songs on an international platform. I shook the walls and I’m so grateful for the entire experience.”
While Miah’s head-to-head battle on “Alter Ego’s” fifth episode Oct. 13 led to his elimination, the performance of which is below, the series continues with his support. He hosts weekly watch parties at City Side Lounge every Wednesday from 8-10 p.m., followed by karaoke. Episodes begin at 9 p.m.
“This is state of the art,” Miah says of the show. “I’m excited to have been on the pilot season and I’m excited for people to see a beautiful new side of me.
“I’m so proud to be one of the characters on the show that gets to flip their gender and I think that’s such a win,” he adds. “It’s a testament to how music really pulls us together and breaks everything down. Win or lose, I’m a winner because I got to represent our community.”
Watch Miah’s reveal performance on “Alter Ego” below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dgd3Z41KPE
As for what’s next, Miah says big things are already here. “I’m working on a single and I’m excited for its release,” he says. “It’s called ‘Go’ and I’m ready to share it with everyone. It’s something fresh and heartfelt about loving all parts of yourself.”
“Alter Ego” airs Wednesdays on FOX at 9 p.m. EST. You can watch with Jay Miah at City Side Lounge from 8-10 p.m., located at 3703 Henderson Blvd. in Tampa.
Learn more about the series at FOX.com/Alter-Ego and follow Miah on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Nevaeh King can also be followed on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
