The Voice is winding down this week, with the finale airing on December 10. Some of the contestants are taking to social media to urge viewers to vote for them in the finale, and others are sharing more about themselves and their stories. Fan favorite finalist Jeremy Beloate has recently opened up about bullying he experienced as a young queer person and how he found his community.

Speaking with Out Magazine, Beloate revealed that he experienced bullying while growing up. “I grew up being bullied by country guys. When you’re bullied or made to feel othered or whatever, you [put] walls up to protect yourself,” he said.

However, as he explained, while on The Voice he was exposed to country singers and was welcomed into the fold. “And when I came to The Voice, [I] immediately started becoming friends with all these people who sing country or from like small towns. The love I felt quickly kind of took my walls down,” he continued.

The Voice Fan-Favorite Finalist Jeremy Beloate Opens Up About Finding His Community

Jeremy Beloate went on to explain that while some of the people on The Voice didn’t fully understand why he felt so strongly about their time together, he still appreciated them. “I had this ego death moment where some of them got eliminated and I cried, I was like, ‘Thank you for making me feel like a brother, like a normal this person’. They were like, ‘What do you mean?’ [And I said]: ‘You don’t get it and you never will. But that’s OK and beautiful.’”

For Beloate, the theater was where he found his calling. He moved to New York three years ago to pursue a career on Broadway and recently scored the lead role in a new musical by American Idol alum Todrick Hall.

“I grew up singing in church, then I went into the theatre,” Beloate explained. “I found my community in that and decided after high school, I really wanted to do this.”

Beloate is using his time on The Voice to further his career and community. “I have felt so accepted, it’s been beautiful,” he said. “I think the show exists, in a way, to try [to] make everybody visible and get to share who they are, and embraces that. The coaches couldn’t be more amazing about that too.”