Will Jay

Born in Los Angeles to a German father and Chinese mother, Will Jay Behlendorf developed into a pop singer and songwriter. Piano lessons began early for him, and he carried childhood dreams of performing on stage. Acting credits soon followed in the form of minor appearances on Wizards of Waverly Place, Eli Stone, and The Closer, yet his path shifted in 2012 when he entered the boy band IM5. Simon Fuller, already known for Spice Girls and American Idol, had formed the five-member act, which issued several hip-hop-tinged dance tracks that earned rotation on Radio Disney. After two years, however, Behlendorf exited IM5 in December 2014, choosing instead to launch a solo career. His first notable solo step arrived on the Chinese edition of the singing competition The Voice. During season four, he auditioned by delivering Fool's Garden's "Lemon Tree" on ukulele; the moment he switched into Mandarin, all four judges, among them Mando-pop superstars Harlem and Jay Chou, turned their chairs. A later Mandarin rendition of Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" could not prevent his knockout-round elimination. Once back in the United States, he issued the singles "Anti-Social Media" and "Version of Love." His self-titled debut EP followed in 2016 and contained the Motown-inspired single "Gentleman."