Screenshot from Ali’s audition for The Voice
A singer from California stunned “The Voice” coaches with a soulful rendition of “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”
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Ali, the contestant, launched into her performance with a vocal run in the first 30 seconds — a move that impressed coaches Kelly Clarkson and Chance the Rapper so much they both pressed their buttons to volunteer to coach the singer, the YouTube clip shows.
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After her performance, Clarkson asked the singer her name and where she’s from. Ali shared she’s from Walnut, California and is 24 years old.
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“And a fun fact about me is I am hearing impaired,” she said. “I wear two hearing aids. I was born deaf. I’m so blessed to be able to share this.”
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Clarkson then tells the singer her runs were “so intricate and cool and different.”
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“That’s a gift,” Clarkson said.
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Chance the Rapper chimed in to praise Ali’s soulful voice.
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“I would love to hear you sing some gospel,” he said. Ali shared that’s what she grew up singing.
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Chance the Rapper also shared he works with an organization called DEAFinitely Dope that coordinates American Sign Language performances nationwide. The rapper said he’s made a lot of friends in the deaf and hard of hearing communities through the organization.
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“I think it’s so dope that they could look to somebody that loves music as much as they do,” he said. “I think that’s super important and powerful.”
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Fans of the show agreed with him in the comments and shared what the representation meant to them.
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“Ali repping for all us deaf and HOH people!!!” someone wrote. “As a deaf person, the representation in music is so valuable.”
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Ali replied to their comment and thanked them for the support.
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“I sing for you!” she said. “Being deaf is nothing short of a blessing.”
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In a later comment, Ali wrote: “Thank you for all the love. Here to rep my Deaf & HOH community hard y’all. All love.” She shared the ASL sign for “I love you” and an orange heart emoji.
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Another fan shared how proud they were of Ali’s hard work.
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“It is so hard to sing when you are hearing impaired,” they wrote. “I was born with 75% hearing loss. I love music and sound horrible. So proud of all the work she put in.”
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Ali chose Clarkson as her coach, though she said it was a tough decision.
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