‘The Voice’ season 22 finale spotlight: Brayden Lape would be Blake Shelton’s third teenage winner and seventh overall
Because he’s won “The Voice” eight times, Blake Shelton has a lot of different feathers in his cap. Among them is his ability to nurture the budding talents of teenage artists. Among his three artists entering the season 22 finale on Monday and Tuesday night is Brayden Lape, the small town singer from Michigan that was only 15 years old when he auditioned for the show. If Brayden wins, he’d be Team Blake’s third teenager to win and the seventh overall in series history.
SEE Who deserves to win ‘The Voice’ season 22? Let your voice be heard! [POLL]
Many young artists audition for “The Voice” and it’s often said by coaches in their commentary that they can’t believe how mature, or how confident, or how powerful a vocalist is “for your age.” When it comes to Brayden’s time on the show, the coaches have been impressed with how much growth he’s shown since they first saw him in the Blinds. In that initial round he won over Blake with the Niall Horan song “This Town.” Blake was the only coach to turn for Brayden so his placement in the finals shows just how much he’s grown.
Brayden won his Battles round with Parker McCollum’s “Pretty Heart” and his Knockouts round with Brett Young’s “Mercy.” With that latter performance, Brayden took out a three-chair turn artist Austin Montgomery, the best sign (at the time) that Brayden would be mature enough to withstand the weight of the competition and sing alongside the season’s strongest vocalists. In the Live Playoffs, Brayden earned safety with the public vote for four straight weeks on the strength of his performances of “Buy Dirt” by Jordan Davis, “Come Over” by Kenny Chesney, “Homesick” by Kane Brown, and “In Case You Didn’t Know” by Brett Young.
SEE Team Blake Shelton: ‘The Voice’ Season 22 photos, bios, artist rankings
The two artists that Blake won with during their teenager years are Daniel Bradberry (16 on season 4) and Cam Anthony (19 on season 20). Kelly Clarkson also won with two teens, Brynn Cartelli (14 on season 14) and Chevel Shepherd (16 on season 15). The other two coaches to win with teenagers are Pharrell Williams with Sawyer Fredericks (16 on season 8) and Gwen Stefani with Carter Rubin (14 on season 19). Do YOU think Brayden can become the seventh teen vocalist to win “The Voice”?
Be sure to make your predictions to influence our reality TV racetrack odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before the finale airs on NBC. You’ll compete to win eternal bragging rights and a spot on our “The Voice” leaderboard. See our contest rules and sound off with other fans in our reality TV forum. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.