See If This Gay Former NFL Star from Waimānalo Makes the Cut on The Voice
Keep an eye out for Esera Tuaolo on the hit reality TV show.
Photo: Courtesy of The Voice |
The Voice being a reality show, nobody knows how long they’ll tease Island and Mainland fans about the fate of Esera Tuaolo, 49, who survived his audition a couple of weeks ago and his first “battle round” Tuesday. We can’t even be sure when his next turn comes up on the show, which airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 7 p.m. on KHNL. (Visit thevoice.com for recaps, previous episodes and more information.)
But when Tuaolo does get his next shot—The Voice has battle, knockout, playoff and live final rounds to go—you can be sure he’ll bring the passion that took him from Waimānalo to the NFL, where he played for the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons, among others. He even made it to the 1998 Super Bowl—where he was the last man to tackle John Elway.
In 2002, after retiring, he came out as a gay man. Read on for how he ended up at a blind audition, and won, thanks to thumbs-ups from Jennifer Hudson and Blake Shelton.
Did I get any training for singing, growing up? No. But living in Hawai‘i, music is everywhere. People are playing ‘ukulele if you’re walking down the street.
I am a Waimānalo boy, went to Waimānalo Elementary, then to Kailua High School. My family always had get-togethers at Waimānalo Beach Park, Sandy Beach barbecues.
I believe I was born this way. I didn’t wake up one day and decide to be gay. I knew ever since I could remember. You know when your first crush is on a boy, not a girl. But you don’t understand what it means. Then there comes a time when you see the hatred and you start pulling back on everything.
In the Polynesian culture, it is more acceptable to be a fa‘afafine, because the word means someone is feminine and not tough. If you’re masculine like myself and you come out, people seem to have a more difficult time with it. They think it’s threatening the masculinity of our Polynesian culture.
We are your dad, your mom, your doctors, your lawyers, your football players, your military.
My family took it great, actually. My mom, she cried for an hour, because she automatically associated it with the stereotypical stigma of homosexuality: AIDS, not finding someone to love, not having any kids. But when we talked it was a beautiful conversation and she saw the smile on my face and the joy in my voice.
I’ve lived the last 28 years in Minneapolis. I lived there when I played with the Vikings and really enjoyed it. It’s a great community, with great education, a great place to raise the kids. I have twins, a boy and a girl, 16. They’re really cool, knock on wood and thank the man upstairs.
After football, I told people, I was doing everything I’m passionate about. I did a CD and am also a chef, donating my time to big galas and nonprofits. Then one day I got an email from The Voice asking me if I wanted to audition. I thought it was a joke. But after I got the confirmation I was set for a tryout in Chicago.
They saw one of my videos on YouTube—you can find a lot of amazing singers from around the world on YouTube. It’s one of the best ways to get yourself out there as an artist. My YouTube was recorded as professionally as you can using an iPhone.
Standing there for the blind audition was amazing.
