Julia Roome absolutely stunned The Voice judges in her Knockout Round Tuesday night with a powerful rendition of Sia’s “Unstoppable.” She has a voice big enough to fill a room and she’s only 13 years old. The judges were visibly blown away.
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She began the song strong and ended even stronger, showing off an impressive range and ability to belt with full power behind her voice. Watching the judges’ reactions, it was clear she caught them by surprise. They passed looks of disbelief back and forth, commenting with “Wow” from Reba McEntire, and an appreciative “Oh my God” from Gwen Stefani.
John Legend and Niall Horan both gave her standing ovations and were watching the performance with looks of sheer excitement on their faces. Roome herself had an excellent stage presence, bringing her youthful energy to the stage and belting with all she had. Her tone was solid and unwavering, and the time and practice she put into studying her craft was evident. Horan and Legend visibly perked up when Roome sang the lines I’m so confident / I’m unstoppable today.
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With a similar confidence-boosting anthem, contender Alexa Wildish gave a magical acoustic performance of Cher’s “Believe” as she went up against Julia Roome and Lennon Vanderdoes, enchanting the judges with her warbling country vocals. She had a touch of Loretta Lynn about her, from her voice to her hairdo, and although she didn’t display Lynn’s distinctive twang, there was a melodic lilt in her vocals that called to mind the coal miner’s daughter.
The judges were completely absorbed in the performance, as it differed so much from the overwhelming dance-pop genre of the original. Wildish leaned into her unique voice and delivered a powerful yet gentle rendition of the pop anthem.
Reba McEntire looked to Niall Horan with a grin on her face, nodding and looking ecstatic, while Horan simply closed his eyes and listened for a moment. Wildish immediately earned standing ovations, and John Legend told her, “A performance like that, you can win The Voice.”
Coach Niall was left with a seemingly impossible decision between the three performers. He eventually picked Wildish as the Knockout winner, despite Roome and Vanderdoes’ incredible performances.
Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC
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