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This 13-Year-Old Belting Adele Like an Adult Stunned Reba: “You Blew My Socks Off”
The contest’s youngest Artist brought a big, mature sound that earned a 3-Chair turn from the Coaches.
At the tender age of just 13, soulful singer Jaukeem Fortson might not be quite old enough to roll with Snoop Dogg’s grown-up hip-hop classic “Gin and Juice.” “But,” — as he joked before wowing The Voice Coaches with an amazing Blind Audition cover of Adele’s “Easy on Me" — “I could do some apple juice!”
As the youngest Artist on Season 26 of The Voice, the Elberton, Georgia native stunned all the Coaches, earning an enviable 3-Chair turn while leaving Gwen Stefani — the lone holdout — with “major regret,” once Stefani had spun around to find Adele’s powerful sound booming out from such a youthful, energetic source.
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Watch Jaukeem Fortson's Performance of Adele’s “Easy on Me" During Blind Auditions for The Voice Season 26
“My gosh — you blew my socks off today!” gushed Coach Reba McEntire, who confessed she had “a feeling” that Fortson was “gonna be around for a while” in the competition. “He hit the notes, and he had the soul and the meaning behind it. I think we’re gonna have a blast together!”
The Queen of Country could claim that “together” brag after earning Jaukeem’s favor as the Coach he’ll be riding with through his Season 26 journey. Not that the others didn’t try their best to win Fortson’s favor, though. As Michael Bublé confessed after hitting his big red button only seconds into Jaukeem's Blind Audition, “I couldn’t turn fast enough!”
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“You have a beautiful voice,” Bublé enthused. “You have that thing that we want our Artists to have. We all want you badly on our team, but I’ve gotta say it — having you here, this is really our gift.”
Fortson’s nimble vocal runs and confident performer’s presence had all the Coaches in awe at how a kid barely into his teens could produce such a powerful sound. “I wanna give a shout out to your parents for raising you the right way,” said Snoop Dogg. “It shows the way you handle yourself like a professional, and you have full control of the stage!”
How far can Jaukeem Fortson go on Team Reba? Find out each week on Season 26 of The Voice, Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Every episode also arrives on Peacock the next day!
