Newark's Kelsea Johnson advances on 'The Voice'
Ryan Cormier
She's two for two.
Newark native Kelsea Johnson, 22, advanced to the next round of the NBC reality singing competition "The Voice" on Tuesday night's episode.
Johnson battled fellow contestant Jordyn Simone, 17, and both sang En Vogue's 1996 R&B hit "Don't Let Go (Love)" in front of show coaches Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson.
After both were shown in a private coaching session with Keys and guest singer/songwriter Shawn Mendes, they traded verses of the song side-by-side to determine if they would move onto the show's next round, dubbed "The Knockouts."
"I really thought Jordyn stood out so much, but Kelsea is just something really, really special," Keys said after the vote. "Her voice has a warmth and a gravel — I had to go with Kelsea."
Johnson, a graduate of Stony Brook University and Delcastle Technical High School, is a self-taught singer whose biggest gig before appearing on the show was singing the National Anthem at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark for the Duffy's Hope charity basketball tournament.
Johnson is one of only three Delawareans out of more than 650 singers who have appeared on the program across its 14 seasons.
About 30 family members piled into the Bear home of Johnson's cousin to watch her first appearance on the show earlier this month.
The next opportunity to see Johnson on "The Voice" will come at the start of "The Knockouts" round beginning Monday, April 2.
Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).
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