'Voice' champ Chris Blue: Now I can give fiancée the wedding she deserves

LOS ANGELES— Chris Blue, the 26-year-old Voice winner from Knoxville, Tenn., is used to singing during emotional times.

Most recently, the R&B, gospel and pop vocalist (he's got a range) took the stage Tuesday night immediately after learning he won the singing competition with his coach, Alicia Keys. He belted his prophetic single Money On You as he teared up and, as he explained it backstage, "saw darkness and water and then my eyes started to burn from the makeup."

'The Voice' winner is ... Chris Blue

Another performance time tensions were especially high for Blue? Back in the blind auditions, when Blue wasn't confident he should be taking time away from his long-distance fiancée who's struggled with cancer. Add that to the fact that there was only one coach left with one spot on her team.

Of course, Keys turned her chair for Blue, the last person to audition, because "Chris just has a really uncanny ability, that somehow no matter how nervous he might be, no matter how much he might be battling internally, somehow he gets on that stage and he delivers in a way that’s not only emotional, but it's powerful," as she explained backstage.

Now, Voice trophy in hand, Blue is gearing up to sing at another momentous and emotional occasion this summer: his wedding.

He'd already started planning it before winning The Voice, but now that he has his $100,000 grand prize winnings and a record deal, he "can give (his fiancée, Stephanie) the wedding she desires and the start of a very long life together," Blue told USA TODAY.

"My fiancée, she called me in tears about a month ago, because we just did not have the money" to afford a nice wedding, he said. " We had to take a lot of things away from our already-stripped-down wedding. We didn't even have wedding (invitations). Couldn't afford it. The church wasn't even going to be decorated. Couldn't afford it."

Now, not only can he pay for the affair, but he'd like to have a special performer show up there, too.

"I'd love to have Alicia (Keys) fly out, and we'd sing (Prince's) Diamonds and Pearls to my fiancee," like the duo did on the show.