Of all the musical shows on television, one of the most consistently unpredictable has got to be The Voice.
Just for starters, there’s an added element of surprise because the judges have their backs turned to the people auditioning before they make any decisions.
Beyond that, the judges also have to compete among each other for the best team throughout the show—which sometimes means cutting people and making trades with other judges as well. On the other hand, sometimes the element of surprise comes from a contestant making an unusual choice.
That was definitely what happened with the contestant in this story.
The performer we’re talking about is Jej Vinson, who recently auditioned on the show.
Like every other audition on the show, Vinson walks out in the darkness with all the judges backs turned to him. Soon after, there’s a soft piano line that plays as accompaniment.
After a moment, it becomes clear that Vinson is singing “Passionfruit” by Drake, a slow R&B song that was a huge hit. Still, it’s something of a risky choice because it’s such a recent song sung in such an idiosyncratic style.
After just a few seconds, Blake Shelton smashes his button and turns around.
As his performance continues, Vinson’s family is going crazy on the sidelines!
His performance keeps getting stronger as it goes on and many of the other judges look like they’re on the verge of turning around as well. After his voice soars through another chorus, Kelly Clarkson hits her button to turn around as well.
After one incredibly precise vocal run, both John Legend and Adam Levine both turn around as well! His vocal control is so incredible that Clarkson even jumps out of her chair!
When the song finally ends, Vinson is elated with the reaction he’s getting from the crowd and the judges!
When it’s over, Levine says what everyone is thinking: “you’re a better singer than all of us!”
After that, Legend comments that the song was a very risky song choice, particularly because Drake’s vocal performances are usually marked by being pretty monotone.
Instead, Vinson turned the whole thing inside out and made it his own—particularly with his incredibly sharp vocal runs that he sprinkled throughout! It’s not very often that a song gets all four judges to turn around, but in this case all of the judges had passionate pitches for why he should choose them.
Needless to say, Vinson had a tough decision in front of him.
One of the boldest things any of the judges say comes from Shelton, who says that he thinks he’s looking at the future winner of the season!
Of all the deliberations we’ve seen, few have been as fierce as this one was. After some very careful consideration, Vinson finally makes his decision… and he chooses Kelly Clarkson, who leaps out of her chair in excitement.
If you don’t watch The Voice all that often, this clip perfectly encapsulates why so many people are so in love with this show.
Congratulations to Jej on his amazing performance! Watch the full thing in the clip below:
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