‘The Voice’ Winner Jake Hoot Shares Parenting Advice Kelly Clarkson Gave Him (Exclusive)

When Jake Hoot appeared on Season 17 of The Voice, he didn’t think he would make it far on the reality TV talent show, let alone win. His fast rise to stardom is similar to Kelly Clarkson, who won Season 1 of American Idol, and was Hoot’s coach on The Voice. While Clarkson gave Hoot plenty of pointers on his career, the most important piece of advice she shared with him had nothing to do with singing.

“She not only gave me advice on how to perform on stage, whether it’s how you connect with the song, or connect to people, or your stage presence and how you’re looking at connecting with people, but also from a parenting side,” said Hoot, who is raising both his daughter and his girlfriend’s daughter. “That was my biggest thing with two girls.”

“With both of our girls, music is absolutely my passion, but my girls are my life,” he continued. “My biggest thing always going in is, ‘What does it take to be successful in music but also be successful as a dad?’ She gave me some good insight as far as just being present in the moment when you do have kids around you and not letting any outside distractions, inside. She’s just very knowledgeable and obviously she’s extremely successful.”

Hoot, who is still working his day job in sales at a radio station, connects with Clarkson as much as their busy schedules allow.

“I do as often as I can,” Hoot revealed. “I know right now I’m super busy but with her playing music and recording, also doing The Voice and also doing her TV show, I don’t know how she has time to do anything. Her and her husband, Brandon, they’ve both been very helpful.”

Hoot remembers very little of the night he auditioned, and even less of the night he beat out Katie Kada, Ricky Duran, Rose Short in the finale to be crowned the winner.

“Another one of those moments where I almost blacked out,” Hoot recounted. “I had the wind knocked out of me, because I thought anybody but me was going to win that thing. To be in the final two, let alone win the thing, it was just an incredible thing.

“Of course, Kelly ran up there and gave me a big hug,” he added. “I had my girlfriend and our two girls there. The confetti was coming down and the girls were picking up confetti and stuffing it in their pockets. With the chaos, it was just a really special moment.”

Photo Credit: Getty / NBC