“Me and my older brother Zach were only three years apart,” Nick explained, speaking backstage. “I would follow him round and wanted to be like him.”
Zach left home and joined the Air Force as a crew chief. “It was the most pride anyone could have,” Nick remembered.
While his pride would last a lifetime, Nick could never could have anticipated the phone call that would change everything. Nick got a call from his dad while working in Los Angeles. “My dad said they had lost Zach,” he explained. And it was no accident: Zach had taken his own life. ”I just remember I couldn’t breathe,” the tearful singer shared.
Nick’s story didn’t end there. Shortly after his older brother’s passing, Nick had the opportunity to move to Japan to teach kids, and he took it, desperately wanting to feel something other than his grief. However, “Going to Japan is the biggest regret I’ve ever had in my life,” Nick continued. While there, he received another phone call, a call that would also change his life forever with a second, equally devastating blow. His little brother, Matthew, had taken his own life too.
“It made me feel selfish, you know?“ Nick shared, ”because I left my little brother when I could have been there. All I could think about was that he needed me and I left him.” All three judges struggled to hold back tears. Words were simply not enough.
Although one judge, Luke Bryan, felt able to come forward with his own story of pain from his past, in solidarity with the young singer who had shared and endured so much.
“I haven’t brought this up on this show because I haven’t had to,“ Bryan said, taking the time to speak personally with Nick and his family, who spilled into the room after the judges’ glowing feedback. ”I just applaud you for keeping a positive attitude and continuing to fight. Just try to be a light for your parents,” the country star said, with emotion in his voice.
“Remember fun, happy, good, good days. Alright?” Bryan went on, with his hands gently on Nick’s mother’s shoulders, addressing her personally. And to his father: “It’s alright to cry good tears.”
“My brothers would want me to pursue my dream,” Nick closed, with conviction. “They'd be really proud that I’m here.”
Hear Nick’s incredible story and stunning performance in the video below.
