You won’t believe the soul power that Kennedy Holmes puts out at just 13 years old in her blind audition on Adele’s “Turning Tables”. The St. Louis, Missouri teen had the judges all shook up after her audition on The Voice US, with Kelly Clarkson leaping out of her seat and taking a little walk to calm down after hearing Kennedy was just 13. When taking on “Turning Tables”, the teen really leaned into the soul elements of the pop tune, and her vibrato was just next level.
When Kennedy progressed to the first chorus, Adam Levine turned his chair for her. The energy in the room was electric at this point, and just a few short lines later, all four judges turned their chairs for the young singer. Some singers just have a direct connection from their soul to their voice, and really hit you in the chest whenever you hear them. Kennedy is one of those singers, without a doubt, and her passionate performance kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
Kennedy received a standing ovation from the room after her audition, and her proud family shed more than a tear or two after seeing her success. Blake Shelton opened the judges’ comments with a quip, saying “Let me be the first to thank you for coming to The Voice, because our ratings are going to shoot through the roof.” He then shifted his tone, saying “I think you’re the best vocalist that has auditioned this year. Your voice already sounds so seasoned and accomplished.”
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Kelly Clarkson poured on the praise next, saying, “The most beautiful parts of your voice aren’t even the biggest. The most beautiful are the intimate ones, where you let that roundness, that falsetto, that head voice set in. You deserved every one of these chairs turning around, you sound so good.” Later during the knockouts round, Kennedy sang Pink’s “What About Us.”
Jennifer Hudson spoke up next, but she didn’t get to say much before Kennedy started uncontrollably giggling. Shelton correctly guessed that having the R&B legend J.Hud talk to her had this effect on Kennedy. The teen then said that she had always dreamed of singing with Hudson. The R&B star then took to the stage and made Kennedy’s dream come true by singing a beautiful acapella duet on “I Am Changing” with her.
Kennedy eventually placed fourth overall in the season 15 competition. This turned out to be a controversial outcome, as many viewers were expecting her to win the whole competition. Credit to the ensnaring voice of Kennedy Holmes. For more of her mesmerizing music journey, follow her on Instagram.