Nashville's Chloe Kohanski wins 'The Voice'
23-year-old Mt. Juliet native Chloe Kohanski won the 13th season of “The Voice” Tuesday, and her mentor Blake Shelton continued his reign as the show’s most successful coach.
Kohanski, a powerhouse rock vocalist who now claims Nashville as home, was a frontrunner throughout this season. She sailed through her audition with a fiery cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,” and continued to pick epic rock tracks from the ‘70s and ’80 throughout the competition.
That included versions of Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” (which topped the iTunes chart), Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” and Blondie’s “Call Me.”
She graduated from Donelson Christian Academy in 2012, but left college to pursue singing. In the meantime, she was a Starbucks barista in Lebanon and Mt. Juliet.
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“I feel like I’ve come so far,” Kohanski said on Tuesday’s show. “Going from playing small bars, and now I’m singing to the world.”
“Chloe’s so unique,” Shelton added. “It would change music if she could get on the radio.”
Kohanski’s win left Tennessee’s other contender — 40-year-old country singer Red Marlow of Dickson, Tenn. — as a runner-up. The country singer finished in fourth place. The other two Top 4 finalists were Addison Agen and Brooke Simpson. On the bright side, Tuesday’s star-studded season finale was a two-hour victory lap for each of its finalists.
As is tradition for “Voice” finales, Tuesday’s show was packed with special appearances from music stars of all genres. The lineup included a few other familiar faces from Tennessee: Vince Gill joined Marlow to perform “When I Call Your Name” (Kohanski teamed with rocker Billy Idol for “White Wedding.”) There was also a special performance from Nashville-based pop star Kelly Clarkson, who will become the newest coach of “The Voice” next year.
Marlow originally hails from Rogersville, Alabama. He moved to Nashville at 22 to pursue his music career and made a living singing on demo recordings for songwriters. He’s considered “The Voice” his final shot at being a performing artist.
Between singing on stage with Vince Gill and palling around with Shelton in footage from the studio, Marlow seemed to be having the time of his life, win or lose.
“Less than a year ago, I was doing construction,” he said on Tuesday. “And I was beginning to move on away from music. But to be back out here, charting on iTunes, I’m really, really blessed.”
As Kohanski and Marlow prepare for the next chapter of their careers, fans already have a preview of their solo careers. Both released debut singles earlier this week. Kohanski’s somber “Wish I Didn’t Love You” plays to her signature strengths, while Marlow co-wrote his country ballad “I Pray.”
The two’s success was also a testament to their shared coach, country star Blake Shelton, who’s produced more champions than any other coach on “The Voice.”
“Blake’s never asked me to be anything but myself,” Kohanski said on stage Tuesday. “And I really appreciate that.”
“You’re a superstar, sis.” he told her. “And maybe you’ll let me open for you one of these days.”