News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Weds. Oct. 21, 2020: A Caribbean-born singer is already turning the heads of the judges of “The Voice,” as the 19th season of the NBC musical talent competition got underway this week.
During the blind auditions, Seattle-based soul/rock artist Payge Turner impressed with a commanding version of The Weeknd’s “Call Out My Name,” earning a spot on Gwen Stefani’s team.
“I was ready to go,” a visibly amped Turner told the judges. “They had me back there and I was like, ‘I’m a bull in a pen. Let’s go, let’s go!’”
Born in Trinidad and Tobago, the 27-year-old singer/guitarist relocated to Seattle here from Kansas, where she spent much of her youth. A keyboard teacher at the School of Rock, Turner has also released her “Sleep Walker” EP this summer, coolly blending soul and soft rock with hints of jazz and blues via guitar with touches of steel drums from her Caribbean roots.
She also holds a degree in music theory and vocal performance. Turner grabbed the judges’ attention right out of the gate, hitting a rich low note.
“I just felt like your voice is just so beautiful, everybody was dying when you hit that low note,” Stefani gushed. “And I just love how much control you have and how sexy your voice sounded.”
While Turner ended up choosing Stefani as her coach for the season, Stefani’s boyfriend and fellow judge Blake Shelton was the first judge to decisively turn his chair, indicating he wanted Turner on his team. The country star praised Turner’s swaggering stage presence after her high-stepping performance.
Turner also heated up Twitter with one user posting: “That was just amazing performance i got goosebumps #TheVoice,” as another chimed in: “Payge Turner repping for T&T and the Caribbean on #TheVoice I literally screamed when she said she was from Trinidad and Tobago. Guess who I’m backing this season?”
See the performance here:
