In the long history of modern music, there are some artists who still speak to us as strongly as ever.
In the ‘60s and ‘70s, major changes in the political consciousness as well as the music industry resulted in some of the most experimental and interesting music ever made… and a lot of it is still touching people’s hearts!
Huge artists from that era like Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones still have their music featured in all kinds of television shows and movies.
Still, it would be an incomplete list without including Janis Joplin.
Although Joplin only lived to be 27 years old, she released three albums that helped define the sound of the era.
All of her songs speak on universal and relatable topics that still speak to newer generations—which is why one performer on The Voice decided to cover one of her songs for the show’s judges.
For those who haven’t seen the show before, it’s like most other reality musical competition shows except that the judges have their backs turned to the contestants for “blind auditions.” If they hear something they like, they can hit their buzzers and turn around, competing for the person to join their team.
Like any other performance, this one started with the lights down as the performer came out onstage.
After a moment, the familiar backing music for Joplin’s “Ball and Chain” starts playing and the judges’ ears perk up.
Because Joplin has such a signature style and such era-defining songs, trying to cover her is a bit of a risky choice.
Fortunately, the singer has such an amazing voice and style that’s all her own that she totally reinvents the song. Everyone is clearly impressed by her voice and after a moment, she gets her first buzzer.
As she turns around, judge Kelly Clarkson smiles at how much stage presence the singer has!
As the song continues, the performance only gets better and better.
Before long, the other judges want to get in on the action as well. A moment later, judges Blake Shelton and Jennifer Hudson hit their buzzers to turn around as well.
When it’s all over, she gets a huge round of applause from the audience. Finally, she introduces herself as Sarah Grace from Houston, Texas. Perhaps most surprising of all is that she’s only 15 years old!
After that, Adam Levine says that it’s up to the other judges to fight over her.
For her part, Clarkson says her attitude was great and plays up the Texas angle.
Before long, Hudson is trying to sway her as well by telling her that she felt her sassiness and presence even with the chair turned around. Lastly, Shelton tries to get his words in as well—and with that, it’s up to Grace to choose who she wants to go with. Initially, Grace says she doesn’t know who she’s going to go with… but eventually, she decides to pick Clarkson!
Even though Clarkson said she had a “stank face,” she still managed to get Grace on her team!
Though there are plenty of great performances on this show, this is one of the best we’ve seen in a while.
While it’s definitely important to have talent when you’re performing on these shows, just as important is song choice and stage presence. Though it probably goes without saying, Grace definitely had a potent combination of all three.
Congratulations to Sarah Grace on an amazing audition! Watch the full thing in the clip below:
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