Who is Kara Tenae? Former ride-share driver makes stunning appearance on 'The Voice' Season 24
UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA: Kara Tenae, a former girl-group member, and a rideshare driver who starred in a commercial with Julia Michaels, won over three coaches on 'The Voice' Season 24 episode by covering Ella Mai with an oomph that commanded attention.
Despite Kara Tenae's impressive vocal abilities and range, audiences weren't very moved by the song.
Due to Kara's abilities, the three coaches that stepped forward engaged in fierce competition. Every coach, excluding John Legend, hit their enormous red buttons in support of Tenae.
On the other side, Niall Horan was captivated right away.
Reba McEntire's proposal was particularly difficult to dismiss, with the Queen of Country declaring, "I was blown away. It comes from your inner soul. I could see you coming down in your diaphragm and it just coming out past your heart. And it touched me so deeply. Your vocal range is incredible… Shoot, if I could do those [vocal] runs like her, I’d put an album out! — Reba Does the Runs!''
Meanwhile, Gwen Stefani used her California musical credentials to win Kara over, throwing out a loud "Cali girls!" salutation before getting to the true meat of the issue.
"I think that I’m good at helping people find the actual emotion of the song but also showcase their talent," she went on to say.
Adding, "You have so much style; you’ve got swag; you’ve got personality; you’ve got stage presence — you have it all! If you want to work with me, you have another ‘girl.’ We can bounce off each other and, like, get to the next level!"
Which coach did 'The Voice' Season 24 contestant Kara Tenae pick?
Kara has earned a handful of little breakthroughs in her growing musical career — but none as huge as her California girls bonding moment after earning a three-chair Coaches' turn and joining Team Gwen on 'The Voice'.
"I picked Gwen because she’s going to stretch me in areas that I probably can’t even imagine," the Riverside, California native revealed after her powerful R&B rendition of Ella's 'Boo'd Up' captivated the team during Blind Auditions for Season 24 of the program.
“You started off really subtle and nice and then went off on these crazy [vocal] runs — [which is] just when Gwen and I turned,” gushed Niall. “Really nice tone; great song choice… It was so impressive to watch!”
Gwen said, "You're all doubting me, but nope: Here we are — I'm baaaack!"
"It feels really good to beat Reba and Niall," Gwen said after adding Kara as a late addition to her roster. Adding, "I’m super excited to have Kara on my team. She’s a full-package deal: She’s gorgeous, she has a beautiful voice, she has cool style!"
'The Voice' Season 24 contestant Kara Tenae drove for Uber
Kara is an R&B singer-songwriter from Riverside, California, who now resides in Atlanta. Kara began singing at an early age, and her parents, thrilled by her musical ability, enrolled her in piano lessons.
Michael Jackson, Beyonce, SWV, Missy Elliot, Whitney Houston, and Stevie Wonder are among her musical inspirations. She was a member of a female group trio that secured a recording deal from 2010 until 2013.
Kara drove for Uber for a period after the group broke and would always sing for her clients.
She ended up appearing in a commercial as a singing Uber driver, with Julia Michaels, showcasing her ability. In early 2018, that commercial appeared at the 60th Grammy Awards.
Kara has also released solo material, including a 2018 single titled 'Body Heat' and a 2022 four-song EP titled 'Faith Over Fear'.
Kara also made music videos for two of the EP's songs, 'Undecided' and 'Outside'.
Kara has also been continuously releasing covers to her YouTube account for the past seven years and has over 1,200 TikTok subscribers.
'The Voice' Season 24 airs on Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC at 9 pm ET.