Who is William Alexander? Rebe McEntire chokes up as ex Kidz Bop Singer dedicates emotional 'The Voice' audition to late grandfather
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: William Alexander performed Lizzy McAlpine's "ceilings" on the fourth night of Blind Auditions for 'The Voice' Season 25. As the adolescent began the chorus, Chance the Rapper and Reba McEntire both turned their seats around, leaving the latter coughing.
William, who previously performed as a Kidz Bop singer, claimed he felt his grandfather's presence during his audition, while Reba stated she gets overwhelmed when she thinks of her mother when singing. The contestant stated that he envisioned his grandfather being happy for him when he performed, to which Reba responded that it was "wonderful" that he would always have someone with him as he sang.
"When I sing a song and I'm thinking about my mama... I start gasping and then I cant sing anymore," Reba said, impressed at William's ability to maintain his composure during the emotional song. "You're gonna have somebody with you all the time...I thought you did a great job, your voice is a beautiful gift."
"Now I'm gonna get choked up, and my voice is gonna get really high," Reba remarked, brushing her tears away. In the end, William selected Team Reba!
16-year old William Alexander is honoring his late grandfather with @LizzyMcAlpine's "ceilings" on #TheVoice. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/xw10mygHrU
— The Voice (@NBCTheVoice) March 6, 2024
'The Voice' coach Reba McEntire nearly quit music after mother's passing
Reba's music career nearly stopped when her mother died. Jacqueline McEntire died in March 2020 at the age of 93, following a battle with cancer.
The grief was awful for the country vet. The star's anguish was so intense that she nearly gave up her musical career.
During a visit to TODAY, Reba described her grief experience with her siblings, Alice, Pake, and Susie.
"We were cleaning out the house, and I was going through pictures. I said, 'I just don't think I wanna do this anymore,'" the "I'm a Survivor" singer recalled telling her sister, Susie.
"She said, 'What?' I said, 'Sing.'"
"She said, 'Why?' I said, ''Cause I always did it for Mama,'" Reba reveals.
"She said, 'Oh, you'll get it back.' I did."
'The Voice's William Alexander performed in productions of 'Legally Blonde' and 'Into the Woods'
William, a youngster at Susan E. Wagner High School in New York, has a long history in musical theater. His Instagram page includes photographs of him as Jack in 'Into the Woods' and Emmett Foster in 'Legally Blonde'.
He also participates in the school choir and gave one of his most memorable performances at Carnegie Hall in October. Wiliam was one of nine Wagner High School students chosen to participate with the New York Pops in a program titled "21st Century Broadway," which centered on youthful talent.
William's TikTok following is rather strong, with approximately 2,000 followers and over 200,000 likes.
'The Voice's William Alexander sang the National Anthem at NBA game
According to a Staten Island Live story, William began singing in church at the age of eight. He previously sang the national anthem during an NBA game between the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz.
He also performed "America the Beautiful" during the United States Open in 2018 and 2019. In 2017, he was named Child Star of Tomorrow at New York's Apollo Theater.
Steve Harvey appears to have hosted during one of his theatrical performances.
'The Voice' Season 25 airs on NBC at 8 pm on Mondays and 9 pm on Tuesdays. The episodes will be available on Peacock on demand the next day. The streaming site also includes entire episodes from the show's prior seasons.
