It's been a week since Jermaine Paul won the second season of "The Voice," beating out Juliet Simms to take the title for Team Blake, but the former Alicia Keys backup singer still can't believe all that has happened to him in such a short amount of time.
Paul stopped by MTV News on Monday and reflected on the moment they announced his name as the winner and how his coach, and friend, Blake Shelton was able to bring him back to reality.
"I was going through a whole emotional, mental shock, and I even physically thought my legs weren't under me, I had my hands on my head," Paul said. "I had this crazy tingling sensations like going through my head — it's a feeling I can't even explain — and he brought me back to reality and grabbed me and was like, 'You did it, man! It's you!' It was an amazing feeling."
Many were surprised when Paul chose Shelton to be his mentor in the beginning of the season, given that he's an R&B artist, while Blake is a country star. But much like Shelton and fellow coach Adam Levine, Paul developed his own "bromance" with his mentor.
"He's a good guy, he's a man's man, he's a what-you-see-is-what-you-get type of guy, and that's the kind of guy I try to be," Paul said. "That was ultimately one of the main reasons I chose him as my coach. I just felt his sincerity, the realness. He jokes around a lot, you know? When he walks in the room, he definitely has a way of lighting up the air."
Another huge supporter of Paul's is his former boss, Alicia Keys. Paul revealed that the superstar singer was always advocating for him to begin his own solo career.
"She's always been supportive. Even while I was singing, I would tell her, 'I want to go solo,' and she was like, 'What are you waiting on?' and I would tell her, 'I'm waiting on God to fix things out,' and she was like, 'Maybe God is waiting on you.' "
Clearly, Keys' advice has paid off for Paul, who is hoping to release a track with her on his future album. "We've been working on a song for a while now," Paul said. "And, you know, what better time than now?"
Are you excited for Jermaine Paul's debut album? Let us know in the comments!