Viewers of NBC’s reality singing competition series The Voice were treated to a series of beautiful blind auditions on September 25. One of them in particular stood out: 16-year-old Joslynn Rose from Lake Benton, Minnesota.
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The young vocalist took The Voice stage during her blind audition and delivered a chilling cover of the Duncan Laurence song “Arcade.”
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The teen singer, clad in an all-pink outfit, wasn’t afraid to let her vocals shine. About 40 seconds in, her performance got the crowd on their feet with screaming and applause. The way she shaped the song and made it her own got the attention of the judges: Niall Horan, Reba McEntire, and Gwen Stefani all turned their chairs about a minute into the performance.
John Legend kicked off the comments for her performance by saying, “You have so much power in your voice. But I was like, wow, this tone is gorgeous, and it’s doing the Billie Eilish thing, and I’m feeling some regret that I didn’t turn now.”
Stefani took the reins afterwards to comment on Rose’s age: “I had no idea that you were gonna be so young. The way you sing is so emotional. That’s really rare to do even if you’re old. You are amazing to be able to connect to a lyric you didn’t write, so I would love to work with you.”
Horan followed up by asking: “That was so good. Can I ask you why you chose that song?” Rose’s reply made her fit right in on the stage. “The reason that I love music is because I want to emotionally connect with everybody,” she said.
“I was 16 when I came on a show like this,” Horan said, empathizing. “It’s not an easy task, and you just believe in your gift and you came here. You put on a show for us, and I would love for you to be on Team Niall.”
McEntire conclude the judge’s comments saying, “You are an old soul. Even though I did catch up a little bit later on the connecting part. I have had people help me with eye contact and how to make sure that everybody in the audience feels like you’re looking at them. The things that I learned the hard way, I’m very glad to share with you if I could be your coach.”
Rose decided to choose Team Stefani. The Voice Blind Auditions will continue to air each Monday and Tuesday on NBC and stream on Peacock.
Photo by: Greg Gayne/NBC
