Here’s How A 16-Year-Old Contestant On ‘The Voice’ Brought Judge Reba McEntire To Tears

No, it wasn’t his moving performance, it was the motivation behind it.

Reba McEntire
PHOTO: TRAE PATTON/NBC VIA GETTY IMAGES
Reba McEntire was in tears on Tuesday night’s episode of The Voice. The emotions started after 16-year-old contestant William Alexander delivered a gorgeous performance of Lizzy McAlpine’s “Ceilings”. It wasn’t the song that got McEntire, though, but what Alexander said afterward. “I was actually singing it for my grandfather who passed away last year. He always said that he believed in me and it’s just crazy being here now,” Alexander said after his performance.

McEntire wanted to know, “Were you thinking about your grandfather?”

Alexander said yes, which surprised McEntire, because she can barely perform when she thinks about her mama during a song. “When I’m thinking about my momma… I start gasping and I can’t sing anymore,” the country legend explained. “How did you do that?”

Alexander explained that he simply “pictured him hearing this and seeing me do this. It just made me feel so proud to be here.”

“Now I’m getting choked up and I’m going to have to start talking very high but I thought you did a great job,” McEntire said, wiping away tears. “Your voice is a beautiful gift and I’d love to have you on my team.”

McEntire knows a thing or two about paying tribute to loved ones through music. The country legend nearly quit making music after the loss of her mother. Luckily she changed her mind, using her music to pay tribute to her mama with a music video for her song “You Never Gave Up on Me”, which takes fans on a tour of her childhood in small-town Oklahoma and through her entertainment career.

Reba even found a subtle way to have her parents with her during her performance at this year’s Super Bowl, wearing her father’s championship belt buckle and her mama’s bracelet.

This wasn’t the first time a singer has made a judge cry on the reality show. Last year, after Lennon VanderDoes made John Legend cry with his performance of “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz, Reba handed out tissues. “I hope you realize that’s the biggest compliment another artist can give you, is to sit there and cry,” Reba told VanderDoes after the song.

For his part, Alexander seemed to recognize that making Reba cry was a sign of a real connection. “It feels so crazy that Reba got emotional,” he said in a post-performance interview. “That’s when I really felt connected to her and I just knew that I had to pick Reba.”

The Voice airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.