Story highlights The finale aired one night after the "American Idol" finale
There is a connection
This story contains spoilers for the finale of Season 14 of "The Voice."
(CNN) It's already been a week for competition reality show finales, and on Tuesday, "The Voice" made some history.
The Season 14 champion is 15-year-old Brynn Cartelli -- the show's youngest winner ever.
The teenager was mentored by judge Kelly Clarkson, which seemed a bit of karma, given that "The Voice" finale on NBC came one day after "American Idol" crowned its first winner for the ABC reboot of that series.
Clarkson, who won the first season of "American Idol," joined "The Voice" this season as a coach after serving as an adviser during Season 13.
Cartelli, a native of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, was 14 when she auditioned for the show. The finale found her competing against Britton Buchanan, an 18-year-old from Sanford, North Carolina.
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Kelly Clarkson was a brand-new coach on “The Voice” this year — but that didn’t stop her from making a bold proclamation in the very first episode of the season in February, when she made a bid for contestant Brynn Cartelli.
“I can win with you,” Clarkson said to Cartelli, the teenage pop-soul phenom who stunned everyone in the blind audition by belting out Labrinth and Emeli Sandé’s “Beneath Your Beautiful.”
Blake Shelton also wanted Cartelli on his team, and the two coaches started bickering. (Shelton: “Kelly has absolutely no experience on this show whatsoever.” Clarkson: “I had enough experience that he had me mentor his team on the second season!”) Eventually, Cartelli chose Clarkson, one of her idols growing up.
It paid off in a big way, as Clarkson proved prophetic: On Tuesday night, Cartelli, a high school freshman from Massachusetts, was crowned champion of “The Voice” Season 14, winning $100,000 and a recording contract with Universal Music Group. As the show’s youngest winner ever, she triumphed over country singer Spensha Baker, soul powerhouse Kyla Jade and folk rocker Britton Buchanan, who was the runner-up.
From left: Kyla Jade, Spensha Baker, Brynn Cartelli and Britton Buchanan await the results from host Carson Daly. (Tyler Golden/NBC)
As the judges gushed repeatedly throughout the season, Cartelli’s voice is wildly impressive for a 15-year-old, not to mention her poise and confidence on stage. Clarkson dubbed her everything from “a unicorn” to “an anomaly,” while Alicia Keys said she has “a maturity that’s way beyond [her] years.” Yet during the two-night finale this week, it appears Cartelli could actually be a game-changer for the singing competition — because she has a real shot at becoming the show’s first mainstream star.
Before you roll your eyes, yes, we know — the same thing has been predicted about contestants in the past, and it hasn’t happened. For all the success of “The Voice,” still one of the country’s most-watched TV shows, the most common criticism is that it hasn’t produced an actual superstar. While some contestants have found music careers after the show, particularly in Nashville, plenty struggle. And no one has come near the level of … well, Clarkson, who rocketed to stardom after winning the first season of “American Idol” in 2002.
Anyway, here’s why we think Cartelli could be different from past “Voice” winners: Her coronation song, “Walk My Way” sounds like a track that could easily become a 2018 song of the summer contender, and it’s dropping at the perfect time.
Since the seventh season, nearly all the final four contestants are required to sing an original song in the finale, which will serve as their first single if they win. There have been several quality tunes, such as Season 7 winner Craig Wayne Boyd’s “My Baby’s Got a Smile on Her Face,” which briefly topped the country charts; Season 8 winner Sawyer Fredericks’s “Please,” written by Ray LaMontagne; and Chris Blue’s “Money On You,” produced by Tinashe Sibanda, who has written for Maroon 5 and Rita Ora.
However, none of these were breakout hits, and that leads us to Cartelli’s song. “Walk My Way” was written by Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter and Nick Monson. Michaels, who performed with Cartelli on the finale and was a “Voice” mentor this season, is one of pop music’s most prominent rising artists. Tranter is an extremely successful songwriter for acts from Britney Spears to Selena Gomez, and Monson is known for producing Lady Gaga. Those credentials alone give the song a boost, plus the fact it is unbelievably catchy. Sure, the track might not be your style, but the chorus will almost certainly get stuck in your head. (Particularly the studio version.)
“‘Walk My Way’ is something you would hear on the radio right now,” Cartelli explained Monday night after she sang it for the first time. “Just knowing that this is something current, this is something that people are going to be able to jam out to with their friends — it makes me pumped up to sing it.”
After the finale, “Walk My Way” was at No. 1 on iTunes, next to Buchanan’s “Where You Come From”; a very meaningful tune that the 19-year-old runner-up wrote himself, although not as likely to catch on at radio.
So it will be telling to see if Cartelli can break through. All the stars seemed to be aligned, and Clarkson said she’s already heard from people in the industry who want to work with Cartelli. In the past, Adam Levine has been critical of record labels who drop the ball with talented “Voice” winners — but as Cartelli leaves the show armed with Clarkson’s support and a potential hit song, she just may have the best chance of anyone so far.
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'The Voice' Winner Brynn Cartelli's 6 Best Performances From Season 14: Watch
Brynn Cartelli not only turned judges' chairs during her stellar blind audition on season 14 of The Voice, but made jaws drop upon revealing she was only 14 years old at the time. In the words of coach Adam Levine, the Massachusetts native sounded "like a 36-year-old who's been through it."
Cartelli was also the first contestant for whom new coach Kelly Clarkson slammed that glorious, giant red button, thus spinning her chair in approval. "I can win with you," Clarkson assured her protege in a successful attempt to win her over against rival judge Blake Shelton. Thank goodness Cartelli went with the guidance of her earliest musical inspiration -- on Tuesday (May 23), the Team Kelly member became the youngest-ever champion of The Voice at an unbelievable age of 15.
In celebration of Cartelli's vocally precocious triumph, Billboard has rounded up six of her most incredible performances of the season. Watch them below.
When she growled her way through "You and I"
Some believe that Cartelli started relatively weaker than some other efforts with this Lady Gaga number, but she undoubtedly gained a wave of confidence instantaneously as she howled the chorus' titular lyric about halfway through. She then delivered the explosive foot-stomping melody, unleashing the impressive vocals that earned her the spot in the Top 11. Oh, and parents, don't worry: the lyrics were edited to be PG.
When Clarkson wasn't ready for the battle against Dylan Hartigan
During the blind auditions, Clarkson commended Cartelli for her sonic flexibility, suggesting that the young powerhouse dabble in different genres to avoid getting pigeonholed. Cartelli took the advice with this country-fied version of Taylor Swift's Reputation hit "...Ready For It?" in a fiery battle against teammate Dylan Hartigan. While the male competitor gave it an impressive shot, Cartelli was the clear champ as she delivered perhaps her most confident performance of the season. Coach Clarkson could hardly stay seated as she watched in awe.
When she predicted her own Voice fate with "Unstoppable"
No, The Voice isn't a piano competition, but Cartelli demonstrating her instrumental abilities during the intro of this anthem was the cherry on top of this future-telling performance of "Unstoppable." Cartelli put Levine's initial description of her voice to the test, bearing a notably similar timbre to the original artist, 42-year-old Sia. She further proved she's a natural on stage by riling up the crowd. Unstoppable, indeed.
When she gave Adele a run for her money
Don't hurt us for comparing the newbie to modern legend Adele, but have you heard the kid? This Bond soundtrack ballad might as well have been written for Cartelli, who exemplified both ends of her stunning range without flaw during the season finals, and made it look almost easy. If it weren't for the audience's well-deserved applause throughout, the audio of this performance could probably pass as a studio recording.
When no eyes were dry as she tried to "Fix You"
Initially, it feels almost sinful to listen to this Coldplay standard led by a voice other than Chris Martin's, but the Cartelli effect makes this 2005 hit pack a heartbreaking punch. The competitor proves her Top 10 spot was rightfully earned from the haunting, orchestral introduction to the rocking finale, covering all her bases genre-wise by tributing one of Britpop's most iconic names. We're not crying, you're crying.
When she insisted "What the World Needs Now Is Love"
No glittery ensemble, no flashy backdrop, no on-stage assistance except from an understated orchestra -- just Cartelli absolutely crushing her semi-finals performance with a half-decade-old song. She made the Jackie DeShannon classic sound incredibly contemporary, soaring over its evergreen message as she stood regally on a platform. In light of recent events, we commend Cartelli for keeping the mantra alive via one of her many tear-jerking performances that led her to an honorable victory.
