Maurice was placed in foster care when he was three days old. He was either in foster care, a group home or a juvenile detention center until he turned 18 years old. Now 25, he’s a successful musician, playing on the streets of New Orleans with a recording contract and he was a contestant in the 2022 American Idol competition. He won his first musical award when he was 15 and was selected as the first winner of the Center for Improving Youth Justice’s (CIYJ) national Kids Got Talent Contest for justice-involved young people.
Maurice sings mostly country music, writes his songs, plays the guitar and trombone, has performed with country singer Morgan Mayhem and signed his first recording contract this year. He’s thoughtful and pensive, reflecting on how his life changed.
“You develop a mindset about who you are based on what people expect of you. You know, what they ask you to do and the opportunities they give you,” he said. “In my opinion, you are a product of your environment,” he said. “There are kids way worse off than me I’ve known and seen firsthand. Their environments aren’t conducive to something that’s going to produce something be productive in life. Kids need opportunities to play and express themselves and just be kids.”
When Maurice was in detention, a teacher talked to him about the Kids Got Talent Contest. He bought Maurice a guitar and encouraged him to play and practice. Maurice was doubtful – “I was locked up as a kid. I’m not going to win a national competition,” but he did. It became real when he boarded an airplane for the first time to perform at the CIYJ Awards Night Gala at the Indianapolis Speedway. “It was one of the best experiences of my life,” he said. “It definitely boosted by self-esteem and my courage that I can win something like this… I must be darn good. I’ll be all right.”
He left detention to live with his foster father, a band writer, whom he credits with nourishing his passion for music. At age 18, he headed on the road with everything his foster father taught him. He traveled around the country, stopping and playing on the streets. When the COVID-19 outbreak shut down street musicians, he played at gas stations, parking lots; anywhere there were people. He ended up in Denver. The first day he set up to play, one of the executive producers of American Idol walked by, said she loved the song he just played and asked that he send a video of his performance. He again was doubtful but couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “And lo and behold, just like I won the Kids Got Talent Contest, something else great happened.” He was selected, flown to Los Angeles and was humbled seeing so many great singers.
In August, Maurice returned to the CIYJ Gala to perform again as an accomplished country singer who plays guitar and trombone. Recently, he signed a contract with Good Money Global. Reflecting on his journey, he shared the importance of offering justice-involved young people a platform:
“You know, if all you see every day is devastation, sadness, and things that are messed up, you become part of that. Contests like Kids Got Talent, especially while being in detention, are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities,” he said. “Without opportunities like this, we’re pretty much doomed to keep repeating the same cycles.”
You can find Maurice’s music and follow him at Maurice the Music.