Timothy James Bowen stepped up and nailed a huge challenge set by his coach Guy Sebastian to write and perform an original song for The Voice semi final on Tuesday.
Sebastian said it would be a shame to have a songwriter on the Channel Nine show and not have him perform his own song.
And encouraged him to write it about what his motivation was to keep fighting through cancer.
"I know from what you have told me that you obviously fought for love," Sebastian said.
Bowen said it really was a curve ball and he was both intimidated and excited by such an insane amount of pressure. But he rose to the challenge.
"The greatest amount of strength came from those around me particularly my wife (Christina Mullany)," Bowen said.
"To be able to write about something that means so much to me is beyond anything I dreamt could be possible in the competition."
The song he wrote and performed that touched Australia and brought his wife to tears on Tuesday night was called Reason To Live.
Afterwards he described the challenge as daunting and fun but the 'best experience'.
Delta Goodrem said although the song was new it felt like it was one he had sung for years.
"It was truly magical," she said.
Boy George said when Bowen sang songs from his soul like the words he wrote about his wife "you give me reason to love" it was so believable.
"Clearly you just sang a song that means a lot to you and it really came across," he said.
Sebastian described it as an inspiring performance and an opportunity for so many people to get who Timothy Bowen is as an artist.
"I am so proud of you," he said.
But it wasn't quite enough to earn Bowen a place in Sunday's grand final.
The member of Sebastian's team he needed to beat was Johnny Manuel who sang the very timely Sam Cooke song Change Is Going To Come.
Sebastian's challenge to him was to sing it with feeling and afterwards told him he 'sang it from the heart'. And that his performance was 'passionate, peaceful and thought provoking'.
Sebastian said he found all those things because the song meant so much to him.
At the end of the semi final when Sebastian made his decision about who should got through he told Bowen he was such a great talent who showed Australia what he can do as an artist.
"Tonight you did that in such a beautiful way. You have got it. People need to get on board when you are touring because that song is just a snippet of what you can do," he said.
Bowen thank everyone for the experience and say it had been like nothing else.
"It has been such a privilege to be here," he said.
Bowen, 30, grew up in Minnamurra but now calls Ulladulla home.
The blood cancer survivor captured the heart of the nation and the judges performing Bonnie Raitt's I Can't Make You Love Me during the Channel Nine program's blind auditions. Before performing an original song, The Greatest Thing, a wedding song for his wife.
Bowen is the brother of Nashville actor/singer Clare Bowen.
Read more:
- South Coast's Timothy James Bowen through to The Voice semi final on Tuesday night.
- South Coast singer Timothy James Bowen discusses his time on 'The Voice' and his cancer battle
- Timothy James Bowen appears on Channel Nine talent show 'The Voice'
- Volkanovski wins more hearts after a come from behind title defence on Sunday