Tessanne Chin may be Jamaican but the entire Caribbean and Caribbean Diaspora were crying with pride, much as she was Tuesday night, when she was announced as the winner of Season Five of the competition, after three months of grueling competition.
Wearing a stunning black and sequined gown for the final announcement, the Kingston resident who has now become a world-wide phenom, seemed visibly nervous and then shocked as Voice host Carson Daly announced she was the winner and her mother and husband rushed in to hug her amidst fireworks.
Proud coach Adam Levine beamed from ear to ear as he delivered the winner’s trophy on bended knees to Chin, who moments earlier had thanked him for his support as a coach and for being a shoulder to cry on.
“It’s been nothing but a joy to work with you,” she told her mentor moments before learning about her win. “You’ve been a shoulder to cry on, you’ve been a friend, you’ve been invested, you’ve been true. I love you, I trust you.”
It was only the second win for Levine in the history of the five-year show, after losing to Team Blake Shelton for the past three years.
Chin, who made the phrase “bread and butta” popular, was then forced to swallow her emotions and deliver the song that will become her first U.S. single live – “Tumbling Down” by Ryan Tedder of One Republic.
FANS REACT
Her win sent her Caribbean fans into frenzy on Facebook and Twitter. For months, the Jamaican Diaspora had voted and organized for her and last night marked the culmination of an intense campaign for one of their own.
In Jamaica, hundreds gathered in Half Way Tree to celebrate even through they could not vote in the competition, while on Twitter, top Jamaican singers and the world’s fastest man, were among those quick to offer up congratulations.
The man whom Chin once sang back-up vocals for, Sir Jimmy Cliff, Jimmy Cliff tweeted: “Like I said long time ago Tessanne Chin is THE VOICE! Congratulations #Tessanne, #thevoice, #jamaica.”
Dancehall’s Sean Paul via Instragram posted: “CONGRATS 2 U TESSY U DESERVE ALL THE SHINE!!! WE R SO PROUD OF U!!! MAANY BLESSING!!!” while Hip Hop star Sean Kingston added: “Big up The Beautiful @Tessanne Wish u much success!!!!… you are killin it.. And Def Deserve it.. Thanks for making JAMAICA PROUD!”
The man who encouraged Chin to audition, Grammy-winning singer, Shaggy, tweeted: “#TEAMTESSANNE@THEBESTESS@NBCTHEVOICE, #HALFWAYTREEKIMGSTONJAMAICA TUN UP!!!”
While the world’s fastest man, Usain St. Leo Bolt, extended congrats to Chin before adding: “All we Jamaican do is win, win, win, win, no matter what.”
The win for Chin came following a phenomenal duet performance with legendary singer, Celine Dion earlier in the night as the show’s producers rolled out an evening of top entertainment with some of music’s top artists.
Chin looked right at home next to Dion, whom she had opened for before at Jamaica Jazz & Blues, as they sang ‘Love Can Move Mountains.’
OTHER WINNERS
The second place winner was Jacquie Lee from Team Christina Aguilera while Will Champlin of Team Adam was third.
PERFORMANCES
The finale performance included not only Dion, but also Neyo, One Republic, Alloe Black (with Will Champlin), Paramore (with Jacquie) and Lady Gaga, who teamed up with Aguilera for the night’s final performance. The top 20 contestants of The Voice season five were also reunited on the show.
And so marked an end to a great Season Five, with Season Six set to return in February 24 at 8 ET/PT with coaches Shakira and Usher along with Shelton and Levine.
