‘The Voice’ Contestant Surprises Blake Shelton With Recording of Him From When He Was 13 Years Old

Blake Shelton got a blast from the past on the most recent episode of The Voice, when a contestant surprised the coaches with a recording of the country superstar from when he was 13 years old. During the Monday night blind auditions, singer Holly Brand performed but failed to turn Blake’s chair. However, she had a surprise for him once he was turned around after she finished singing.

“My grandpa was a musician, and when Blake was just 13 years old, he asked his mama for his birthday if he could go to the recording studio and lay down some tracks,” Brand shared. She then shared the recording which thrilled fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper, and Niall Horan. “I feel terrible,” Shelton then said, regretting not turning his chair for Brand. “Knowing the backstory, if I had known it, I definitely would have turned.”

Notably, the new season of The Voice will be Shelton’s last. Back in October, he revealed his plans to leave the show, writing in an Instagram post, “It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best. It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.” 

He continued, “I have to give a huge shoutout to the singers-the ‘voices,’ who come on this stage season after season and amaze us with their talent and a special thanks to those who chose me to be their coach. It’s about y’all, the fans, who watch and support these artists, us coaches and everyone at The Voice who are chasing their dreams. It would not happen without you!”

More recently, Shelton opened up and revealed one of the main reasons why he chose to exit The Voice after being a coach for 23 seasons. During an appearance on the Today show, Shelton explained that it was the Covid-19 pandemic that first sparked his motivation for moving on. “I think I was close to calling it a day right when COVID hit,” the singer-turned-competition judge stated. 

Shelton went on to say, “And then, because of COVID, I didn’t want to walk away from the show and leave everybody in a bind. I mean, this show changed my life. I’ll stay here until the world kind of gets back to normal again.” The songwriter then joked that there is one thing that could get him to return for Season 24, after his final season, which is coming soon to NBC. “I’d like for Kelly to not be on the show anymore,” he quipped. “I just think there’s too much Kelly Clarkson on television, in general.”