Coaches on "The Voice" are still building their teams, and Tuesday night's episode brought an audition that made Reba McEntire a bit emotional. 16-year-old William Alexander took the stage to sing Lizzie McAlpine's "Ceilings," and he dedicated the performance to his grandfather, who recently passed.
Of course, the coaches knew none of these things upon first hearing Alexander's voice with their chairs turned. It was his smooth voice and vocal runs that got Chance the Rapper and Reba McEntire to turn almost instantaneously. After the performance, the coaches were shocked to find out Alexander's age.
"You're 16? That's crazy," said Chance the Rapper. "Great control, and just a really unique tone. I really don't think there's anybody in the competition that sounds anything like you."
Alexander, who previously performed as a Kidz Bop singer, then shared the news about this grandfather.
"He said that he believed in me, and it's just crazy being here now," said the singer.
Alexander's story touched McEntire, and she asked how the singer kept it together as he was thinking of his grandfather. She shared that when she thinks of her mother when she's singing, she immediately begins crying. Then McEntire got choked up, telling Alexander he has a "beautiful gift."
"When I sing a song and I'm thinking about my mama...I start gasping and I can't sing anymore," McEntire said. "You're gonna have somebody with you all of the time."
Alexander had a tough choice between coaches, but in the end, he chose to join Team Reba.
"I'm always really excited about working with young people," McEntire said. "William's voice was very smooth, but different than anything else I've got."
"The Voice" airs on NBC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET and Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
