We’ve seen countless artists take the “The Voice” stage over the years, and most of them don’t disappoint. Running for more than ten years on NBC, the reality singing competition continues to produce high-caliber talent and provides opportunities for those still just starting out in the business.
D.Smooth, a 25-year-old singer from Birmingham, Alabama, delivered a stunning cover of Ed Sheeran’s hit song, “Perfect,” in which both Kelly Clarkson and Niall Horan fought over it.
As soon as he finished the song, Chance The Rapper, one of the coaches who didn’t turn for him, offered him some good advice.
“D. Smooth, I gotta tell you, right out the door, you broke that; you fed. There was like maybe a second at the beginning where there might have been a little sour note. But right after that, you were so in control. I told him to Kelly that she needed to turn around,” he said.
Blake Shelton, one of the longest-serving voice coaches, chimed in and joked that Horan turned around without being told, prompting laughter from the crowd and D. Smooth.
Clarkson defensively assured the auditionee that she wasn’t “telling” her, saying, “Mom spins, when she wants to spin!”
Clarkson later admitted that she loved how D.Smooth took the song to a Boyz II Men and Brian McKnight level, “different” than how Sheeran did. She then pointed out that Horan turned around about five seconds before the clock ran out in an effort to discredit him from being selected as a coach.
D.Smooth’s rendition of Sheeran’s “Perfect” impressed not only Clarkson but also Horan, who turned around at the last minute to secure him on his team.
“D.Smooth, because I know how hard it was to sing a song, that’s why I was waiting, because there is no room to breathe.” Horan defended his last-minute decision. “You just took the song and kept taking it to new heights. Nice and delicate at first. And then you went off on a scam, and you were just flying.”
D.Smooth ultimately chose Clarkson’s team. In the battle rounds, D.Smooth competed in a head-to-head vocal melee with ALI, a deaf singer who received a two-chair turn from Clarkson and Chance. However, when Clarkson was pushed into the corner to choose, she chose ALI.
Similar to previous seasons, contestants who lost Battles can be poached by other trainers, and that’s what Chance did. However, in a split-second decision, Clarkson used her only “playoff berth,” which meant that D.Smooth would still be on her team but would skip the Merciless Knockouts to advance directly to the round of the playoffs.
“I feel a little bad. You might want to work with him, but I don’t care, man. I love you. You have the gift of going all the way,” Clarkson told D.Smooth.
Elated with the privilege of earning Clarkson’s “Playoff Pass” on the season, D.Smooth took to Facebook to share his joy.
“Mannnn when I tell them that God is so good!! All this week I had the feeling that everything was going to be fine. I had a calm feeling all the time. ALI and I (my battle partner) even prayed together before going on stage. And boy, I tell you, it made room for both of us!!”