Top four finalist Jeffery Austin knows he’s the dark horse of The Voice Season 9. He was a one-chair turn in the Blind Auditions, his Battle Round was montaged, and he only made it to the finale via the Twitter Save. Sitting at the legendary Henson Studios on break from this week’s iTunes session, he still can’t seem to believe his luck, having just fulfilled a dream of recording a duet with coach Gwen Stefani … which Yahoo Music’s Reality Rocks can exclusively reveal will be Stevie Nicks and Don Henley’s “Leather and Lace.”

Jeffery may be an underdog, but don’t count him out just yet. As this exclusive pre-finale chat at Henson Studios shows, he brings a wide range of influences and inspirations to the table. Watch him talk about the romantic struggles that inspired his emotional breakup-song performances; his favorite past Voice contestants (shoutouts to Melanie Martinez and Josh Kaufman!) and favorite personal Season 9 moments; and, in a real treat, his favorite musical memories. Once you hear the stories behind his first album purchase, the first concert he attended, the song he wishes he’d written, his preshow rituals, and more, you’ll have an even deeper understanding of his artistry. Who knew that this heart-on-sleeve balladeer was such an *NSYNC and Destiny’s Child fan?

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This article originally ran on Yahoo Music.