BLUFFTON, S.C. (WSAV) — Sterlin Colvin Jr., known by his stage name “Stee” turned heads with his audition on NBC’s The Voice. He cleared his first hurdle during the blind auditions and now he’s got a new challenge ahead of him, the battle rounds.

“Music, it was just everywhere. It was kind of like you were going to do it,” Stee said. “If you didn’t want to do it or not because everybody did it. You were like, ‘Well, shoot if they’re doing it, I want to do it.’”

That love for music was ingrained in Stee as a kid.

“My cousin, you know, she’s like a sibling to us, I mean she’s a classically trained pianist and my dad’s oldest sister is a classical singer, you know, and my dad’s older brother, he could sing too,” Stee said. “My mom is an incredible singer who could sing everything, every genre. I think that’s where I get the multiple genre thing from.”

His parents are musical legends on Hilton Head Island. The Colvin family started coming to the island when Stee was seven years old so his dad could play gigs. Stee was born in the D.C. area but calls both Bluffton and D.C. Home.

In 2014, Stee, his sister Brooke, and childhood friend Malcolm started their band ‘Ear Candy.’

“In the beginning, it was rough. Oh, my goodness, it was rough. Not musically, it was rough business,” Stee said. “It was where, you know, we had no clout, we didn’t have anything up under our belt. We had no buzz. 2016, we were really going. We were really going and our peak year was 2019. That’s when we were like, you know, just at it, you know, and making money finally.”

But that flame was put out by the pandemic when the world was put on hold, especially for entertainers. Flash forward to 2023, they’re now back in the spotlight.

Stee is making a name for himself on the biggest stage. He said when he walked out on The Voice’s stage, he knew all he had to do was do what he does best — sing.

“Get your nerves in check, because there’s no way in the world that you’re going to get on The Voice stage, anybody, and not have nerves,” Stee said. “You just got to get them in check and do what you are naturally able to do.”

Now, he’s moving on to the battle rounds stage, where he’ll collaborate with another singer but they will also battle with each other for a spot to move on. Collaborating is something Stee has done his whole life and he’s excited to put it on display for the world.

“I never really did anything by myself because it was always me and my sister doing everything musically. Just to see me do something with a totally different artist that you’ve never even seen me with. You know, I’ve been doing music in this area for almost a decade, so you always see me with the same people. I just can’t wait for people to see that aspect,” Stee said with a smile.

In the meantime, you can catch Stee and Ear Candy performing at venues around the Bluffton and Hilton Head areas. Especially at his family’s restaurant and music venue, Kind Of Blue.