‘The Voice’ Finalist Karen Waldrup Draws Reba Comparisons With Beautiful Rascal Flatts Cover

Karen Waldrup isn’t a newcomer to the musical industry. The 37-year-old Louisiana native released her debut album back in 2018 and a follow-up EP last year. She has shared the stage with some of country’s biggest names, such as Rodney Atkins, Carrie Underwood and Hank Williams, Jr. Waldrup brought that industry experience to season 25 of The Voice, where she quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with. The University of Southern Mississippi graduate punched her ticket to the two-part season finale with an incredible performance of Sugarland’s “Stay.” However, simply showing up to the finale isn’t enough for Waldrup. She’s here to win, and she proved that Monday (May 20) with her performance of Rascal Flatts’ “What Hurts the Most.”

Karen Waldrup Makes Her Case For ‘The Voice’ Season 25 Title

The Louisiana native has stayed true to her country roots throughout season 25 with strong performances of Trisha Yearwood’s “Georgia Rain” and Lainey Wilson’s “Heart Like a Truck.” Seeing no reason to deviate from a pattern that’s working, Waldrup sang Rascal Flatts’ 2006 hit “What Hurts the Most” for her Top 5 performance.

“WOW, Karen blows me away,” one fan wrote on X/Twitter. “She kinda sounds like Reba.”

Waldrup showed coaches she could easily become Nashville’s next big thing with her blind audition performance of Jo Dee Messina’s “Bye Bye.” Both Reba McEntire and country-pop duo Dan + Shay wanted her on their teams. In fact, Dan + Shay wanted Waldrup so badly that they used their only block to prevent Reba from snatching her up.

Dan + Shay Looking To Win It All Before Leaving the Show Behind

The Voice newcomers Dan + Shay jumped right into their debut coaching season. The “Save Me the Trouble” pair headed into the Live Semi-Finals leading the pack with three singers. Unfortunately, viewers opted to eliminate Madison Curbelo and Tae Lewis during the May 14 Live Results episode. Now, the GRAMMY-winning twosome’s championship hopes rest squarely on Waldrup’s shoulders.

A packed 2024 touring schedule prevented Dan + Shay from returning for their second season. However, Shay Mooney told Entertainment Tonight that returning is “absolutely a possibility” in the future.

[RELATED: ‘The Voice’ Coaches Dan + Shay Address Their Departure, Say Reba Is “She’s Shaking in Her Boots” Ahead of Finale]

“I think that would be a blast,” Mooney said. “If they would have us, we’d definitely love to see what that looks like.”

Featured photo via Instagram