‘The Voice’ singer's emotional tribute hit so close to home, Snoop Dogg just couldn’t stop the tears
Austyns Stancil earned the magical four-spin from the coaches during the blind auditions of 'The Voice' last year. Stancil delivered an electrifying rendition of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles' 'Ooo Baby Baby'. The 34-year-old Oakland native's perfect tone and pitch impressed ace coach Snoop Dogg, and Stancil was welcomed with open arms on the veteran rapper's team. During the Knockout Round practice, the young artist moved Dogg and mega mentor Sting to tears with his soulful rendition of Luther Vandross' 'Dance With My Father'. Stancil later revealed that he had dedicated the heart-tugging R&B track to his late father, as per Today.
"Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of my father's death," Stancil emotionally confessed. "It's going to be a rough one, but we're going to get through this." Dogg empathized with the young artist's feelings and consoled him wth a tight hug. "Don't cry, hold it in," Snoop said. "Sing it, yeah, give me that." "Look, he's gone. So am I inside, but I'm British. We don't show our emotions. You sang that song with such sweet regret," Sting choked. "And I felt it here," he added. The 'Drop It Like It's Hot' rapper, meanwhile, continued using a tissue to wipe away his tears.
"What I want you to do when you sing it, control your emotions. Especially when you get to that high note at the end," Sting advised. "Sometimes when you get too emotionally involved with what you are singing about, technically it seizes up." Dogg subsequently said that Stancil had refreshed his memory and made him miss the people he had lost, particularly his mother. He then recalled breaking down during one of his key live performances, but soon managed to collect himself. "After that, I never cried again on stage for my momma, because I know that's what she wanted me to do. When she was here, I made her proud. I'm going to keep making her proud," Dogg counseled Stancil.
Keeping his mentor's words in mind, the Oakland native gave a stellar performance during the actual Knockout Round and earned a standing ovation from coaches Michael Bublé and Gwen Stefani. "You just came out and sang one of the great songs from Luther Vandross," Bublé lauded. "You need to be special if you’re going to do that. If I were Snoop, I would probably have to pick you." Country queen Reba McEntire couldn't hold back either. "It’s so amazing how healing music is," she said. "Your dad’s not with us, my dad’s not with us, so this is a song that goes to the heart."
Dogg declared Stancil the real winner and gushed about how he left not one eye dry among the coaches and the audience. The 'Young, Wild & Free' rapper admitted that he got chills while witnessing the young artist's performance. "Can’t stop emotion when emotion hits you. Tears start falling, chills on your back, that’s real music, that’s real singing." Unfortunately, Stancil couldn't complete his journey on 'The Voice' Season 26 since he got eliminated during the Playoff Round, as per NBC. Stancil continues to grow his musical career, he recently dropped 'Vintage Nights,' a single track on all music platforms for his patrons.