-- The Voice Winner Chris Blue Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Gospel Songs
On Tuesday night, Chris Blue (a 26-year-old worship leader from Knoxville, Tenn.) walked away in first place, landing a record deal and $100,000 prize. His win wasn’t surprising. With a stunning voice and lots of charisma, he was pegged as a frontrunner leading into the finale. However, Blue was not in the season’s first audition episode — and unlike any other winner in the show’s history, he was actually featured in the last one.
“The very last artist selected in the blind audition process goes on to win it all!” host Carson Daly marveled in the closing moments of the finale, clearly excited about this fun fact, as confetti rained down and Blue sobbed on stage.
It’s true: Earlier this year, Blue was the last contestant to perform on the seventh and final blind audition episode in mid-March. (Blind auditions generally run five to seven episodes.) Blue was so far down the list that by the time he belted the classic “Tracks of My Tears” in front of the celebrity coaches, their teams were practically already filled — except for Alicia Keys, who was thrilled to add Blue (with his “bluesy and soulful” voice) as the final member of her contestant roster.
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| The Voice Season 12 Coach Alicia Keys and Chris Blue |