Sometimes, all it takes is one performance to become a legend. At just 19 years old, Christina Grimmie did just that with her fiery The Voice audition on Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball”. The teen talent turned Usher, Shakira and then Adam Levine’s chairs almost immediately. As she brought the house down with her powerhouse closing run, she also turned the holdout Blake Shelton’s chair. There’s no doubt that she sealed the deal with one of the greatest The Voice auditions of all time here.
Grimmie really was the total package as a pop star. You couldn’t ask for anything more in an audition. She brought emotional weight with her delicate vocals in the intro. She then brought the thunder with her belting in the main hook and the closer. And she had such star power that made it look effortless and a feel of infectious fun. She was really born to do this.
While The Voice introduced Grimmie to millions of mainstream households, she was far from an untested newcomer. Hailing from Marlton, New Jersey, she had uploaded piano covers to YouTube as a teenager, earning early attention with a performance of Cyrus’s Hannah Montana track “Don’t Wanna Be Torn”. By 2011, she had already released an original EP titled Find Me and toured as an opening act for Selena Gomez. Taking on “Wrecking Ball” felt less like a lucky gamble and more like an extension of her creative roots.
Contemporary reviewers highlighted her vocal accuracy and willingness to take melodic risks with the pop hit. Grimmie carried that momentum throughout the season six competition, ultimately earning a third-place finish behind runner-up Jake Worthington and winner Josh Kaufman. Many fans consider her not taking the crown that year to be one of the biggest upsets in The Voice history. Grimmie’s connection with Cyrus’s ballad came full circle during the season finale, where viewers voted for her to deliver a full-length reprise of “Wrecking Ball” alongside a duet with Levine on Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know”. Another The Voice highlight came when Grimmie sang “Counting Stars” with Sam Behymer.
The final week of the competition highlighted how easily Grimmie stood alongside seasoned industry talent. During the results show, she shared the stage with Ed Sheeran for a performance of “All of the Stars” and joined fellow contestants for a rendition of Lorde’s “Team”. These collaborations confirmed her artistic adaptability, proving that her voice worked just as effectively alongside international chart-toppers as it did in her solo arrangements.
An archival release of the audition on her official YouTube channel surpassed 438,000 views by late 2026, serving as a gathering place for longtime listeners. Grimmie was murdered at age 22 at a meet and greet after one of her live shows on June 10, 2016, but her music continues to resonate deeply with fans. Viewers watching her audition added comments such as “I still cannot fathom how she isn’t with us anymore. She truly was such a unique talent” and “I still get chills every time I watch this. Christina was such a powerhouse and seeing the judges all turn for her was so well-deserved. Missing you every day, Christina.”