Karly Moreno's journey from skateboarder and surfer to The Voice's season 16 frontrunner
Season 16 of 'The Voice' recently premiered on NBC. The series, known for its innovation, has been facing backlash from fans since last week's episode due to its new segment Live Cross Battle, which replaced the regular Knockout Rounds.
For the first time in 'The Voice' history, the coaches – Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton – will go head-to-head, each selecting one artist from their team to compete against an artist from an opposing team in the Live Cross Battle performance.
Just like last week's episode, this week too, fans found the Live Cross Battles format not good enough. And amid all the flak from fans for sound issues and the voting system during the Live Cross Battle, there was one contestant among the other frontrunners that fans focussed on and that is none other than Karly Moreno.
Moreno is a contestant who belongs on Shelton's team. Hailing from Mission Viejo, California, Moreno is a surfer and skateboarder. In 2012, she appeared in a commercial alongside professional snowboarder Shaun White. Moreno gained her love for music from her mother who used to perform in a rock band and taught Moreno everything she knows about music.
Moreno is a singer and songwriter who performs around three times a week in Orange County. She has performed in the Greek Theatre and House of Blues. Auditioning for 'The Voice,' 23-year-old Moreno performed her rendition of 'Starving' by Hailee Steinfeld and Grey. Though Moreno is currently in Shelton's team, when she auditioned, she joined Levine's team. During the Battle Rounds, Moreno was saved by Shelton when he used his steal to get her into his team.
Coming a long way since her auditions, for her Live Cross Battle, Moreno performed her version of 'Down.' After her performance, she received a standing ovation from both Levine and coach Shelton.
Singing since she was 5-years-old, Moreno, on her website, revealed that her dream is to be able to touch and inspire people with her music the way music has touched her. In 2014, Moreno released her first single, 'My Soul.' She also released another song called 'We Rock the Spectrum.' Last year, in January 2018, Moreno released her EP titled 'A Collection of Songs.'
So, if you wonder why fans love Moreno, it is because of her voice and impeccable talent. "She’s a beautiful skater girl from Cali with such a smooth voice," wrote a fan. While another added, "it was indeed one of your best performance Karly Moreno! I love love looooveeeee your sweet voice #TheVoice."
To see if Moreno makes it through the Live Cross Battles and into the next round, we will have to wait for 'The Voice' to air Tuesday night with the results.
'The Voice' airs every Monday and Tuesday night on NBC. Check your listings for more information.